the reader magazine

Redlands

SPRING 2012 [FEB MAR APR] READER MAGAZINE OF REDLANDS 3WWW.READERMAGAZINE.NET

departments4 Publisher's Note

Enlightened Readers want to know:what are the questions we have toask and answer?

5 Take A Stand Readers open up and share whatkeep them up at night and more...

6 LettersThanks for telling us how you see it

7 VerbatimYour quarterly brief onquotes of note

7 NumbersReveling in revealed, revealingstatistics, really

9 Cover Story The New LocalCommunity EnglightenmentWhat one family is doing toachieve peace and security withintheir community

38 Final WordWhy a totally different approach toeverything is happening in ourlifetimes

features12 We Are Competitive

Celebrating the amazing resilienceof local

13 The 7 Biggest LiesRobert Reich on the 7 biggest liesbeing told about the economy

14 The Great Carbon BubbleShining light on why the fossil fuelindustry fights science so hard

16 The Next American RevolutionAn enlightened 96-year old tells ofa great new society

18 Dangerous UnselfishnessWant to change the world?Start here

just for fun8 Contest

Enter to win a C-note when you IDfaces of the 40s

22 CalendarFind plenty of reasons to leave yoursofa behind

33 Who Am I?Guess this mystery personality towin good stuff

Publisher Christopher TheodoreOperations Director Hajnalka Nagy, Ph.D.Creative Director Pete TheodoreLayout & Graphic Designer Nikki NicholsonAccount Executives Boo Rivera, Michele KerrExecutive Assistant Claire WhiteWeb Designer Nikki Nicholson, Satti TayyabaGuest Writers Grace Lee Boggs, Bharat Mansata,Chris Martenson, Bill McKibben, Michael Shuman,Robert ReichResearch Whelmina Santos, Satti TayyabaPhotographer Claire White

Noble Media CorporationPublisher of The Reader Magazine5 E. Citrus Ave., Suite 105Redlands, California 92373 USATel (909) 366-9932 Fax (909) 335-6777

Printed in U.S.A.

VOL. XI NO. 1 • SPRING 2012 feb mar apr • REDLANDS Circulation: 30,000 Households (75,000 People)INLAND EMPIRE EAST Total Circulation in 9 Cities: 4 Magazines, 30,000 households each - 120,000 Total Households (300,000 People).

ZONES: 1 Redlands 2 Yucaipa / Beaumont / Banning 3 Colton / Loma Linda / Grand Terrace 4 San Bernardino / HighlandFor advertising information, CALL 909-366-9932

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spring 2012 [feb mar apr]

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nlightenment

like us! follow us!

co

nte

nts

On the cover, a flowering

tree represents the new

enlightenment within

local communities.

4 READER MAGAZINE OF REDLANDS SPRING 2012 [FEB MAR APR] WWW.READERMAGAZINE.NET

publisher’s noteEnabled by

FCC

deregula-

tion and a

decades-

long party

of mergers

and acqui-

sitions, 6

giants dominate our media land-

scape. Until regulations return,

they will continue to control 90%

of everything Americans see, hear

and consider important.

In 1983, 90% of American

media was owned by 50 compa-

nies. In 2011, 90% of American

media is controlled by 6 compa-

nies. These six companies are:

GE, NewsCorp, Disney, Viacom,

Time Warner & CBS.

How important is it for there to

be information across the US

which is independent of these

institutions? What is the cost to

you, your family, church or club of

consolidated media, owned or

influenced by the corporations they

are supposed to be reporting on?

In one instance alone, that con-

solidation plays an important role

in $40,000 of your family's

resources going towards the Iraq

and Afghan wars through taxation,

that ends up in the coffers of com-

panies which have contributed to

the deaths of 6,379 U.S soldiers

(icasualties.org) and 600,000 civil-

ian deaths in Iraq, 50% of which

are women and children (as report-

ed by one of the oldest, peer-

reviewed medical journals in the

world, the Lancet Medical

Journal).

According to a Congressional

Budget Office report published in

October '07, the U.S. wars in Iraq

and Afghanistan cost taxpayers a

total of $2.4 trillion. Each family

of five Americans pays $40,000

for the wars. For a single church

in the area like Redlands Christian

Reformed, imagine all 550 people,

men, women and children, legally

obligated to pay a combined

$4,400,000 for the Iraq and Afghan

wars. Is it likely your family or

church could have found a better

place for that money than fighting

a war?

When I was little, my mother

and father used to share a certain

Bible verse with me from Numbers

which said, "Be sure your sin will

find you out". They said this to

me with a tone I was familiar with

that meant the truth of it was not

something I could escape.

Our collective sin has been our

indifference to the suffering of oth-

ers, and the actions of our govern-

ment. Our indifference has been

helped along by a consolidated

media, run by those who could

care less about the morality of a

conflict that would mean billions

in profits to certain corporations

and death, maiming, and untold

misery to our own and others.

We desperately need a strong

independent voice across America

that asks the questions that we are

strong enough to be able to face

and answer, such as asked by the

Pulitzer Prize winning war corre-

spondent Chris Hedges:

“What kind of nation is it that

spends far more to kill enemy com-

batants and Afghan and Iraqi civil-

ians than it does to help its own

citizens who live below the poverty

line? What kind of nation is it that

abandons its unemployed while it

loots its treasury on behalf of spec-

ulators? What kind of nation is it

that ignores due process to torture

and assassinate its own citizens?

What kind of nation is it that refus-

es to halt the destruction of the

ecosystem by the fossil fuel indus-

try, dooming our children and our

children’s children?”

Without asking these questions,

we are doomed to face an exis-

tence of inner grief and moral

despondency as we try to reconcile

our inaction with our self-percep-

tion.

If we long for a media that

does not ask these questions so we

can sit comfortably while the

world suffers from our indiffer-

ence, we will get such a media --

we will tune in to purveyors of

information which validate our

bias rather than gives us informa-

tion which is rooted in verifiable

fact.

This Reader celebrates

American resilience and paints a

picture of what we can do now to

create the kind of society in which

we are not only capable of asking

the tough questions to rise from

the pit we are in -- but to begin to

find the answers by building the

connections between ourselves and

those outside our circle, in love.


take a stand

CONTINUED ON PAGE 30Have a great answer to the question?

Send it to: [email protected]

WAYNE RIEPE

Well I rent houses now instead of buying themand that's pretty much the only significantdifference I can think of. I sometimes wish thatthe business side of my life was better and moreprogressive. Finances keep me up at night.

BROCK HEUBUSCH

I am much more secure about where I am in mylife and who I want to spend my time with.I wish I had a decent job. I am worried about thehorrible state of the world economy and thederegulation of the federal banking system.

DAN YODER

I got married and that was a big change. I'mactually happy and have no complaints. If I canmake enough money to get the things I need andwant that's really all I seek. What keeps me up atnight is eating. I love food. Work is also on mymind a lot because I work most of my day.

RICHARD ABRIGO

Ever since I've been separated my life has beenchanged. I don't really wish for anything to bedifferent. I wouldn't change it because I love mydaughter and I wouldn't want anything about herto be different. I worry sometimes about having togo to court if custody were to become more of anissue.

MICHAEL CARRILLO

The economy has changed and it has made life abit more stressful. I actually like my life andwouldn't change anything. I'm really happy.I stay up worrying about my son, about makingsure he's healthy and safe.

BENNIE GEE

I tend not to worry about things that I can'tcontrol anymore as I've gotten older. I think we allsay we would like to do it all over again and thereare a lot of things I would do differently. I wish Iwould have stayed married and treasured thatmore than I did. Continuing to be a workingsinger and getting closer to God --- these are thethings that consume my mind most of the time.

We took to the street to get your take...

How has your life changed from four years ago?...What in your life do you wish was different and why?What is it (if anything) that keeps you up at night?

Interviews & Photography by Claire White


ADDRESS LETTERS TO:5 E. Citrus Ave., Suite 105Redlands, CA 92373

OR EMAIL: [email protected]“I particularly liked thetranscript of the speechby Chris Hedges[Personalities of Our Time,Nov Dec Jan '11-'12]. In

it he says, "...no Goldman Sachs offi-cials have gone to trial." I am 84years old; yet, if the Occupy move-ment made this one of their goals, Iwould gladly join the movement tohelp see that those officials do go tojail. I wish your publication contin-ued success.”- Dan D'Amelio

“I read the responses tothe OWS movementand corporate power[Take a Stand, Nov DecJan '11-'12] and am sub-

mitting one of my own: This coun-try is founded on the merits ofhard work. Corporations createjobs and well run corporationsreward their board members withhigh salaries and bonuses. If theOWS movement forces corpora-tions out of business, more peoplewill be unemployed. Our countrywas based on the ‘pursuit of happi-ness’ not guaranteed happiness. Youhave to work for that!”- Joshua Cunningham

“As a Cherry Valley resi-dent, I get plenty of‘weekly ads’ in the mail,most of which I throwaway, with the excep-

tion of your publication. Whatdraws me in is that I’m bound tolearn a bit of history and about

how people and organizations aremaking a difference in the world.”- Diane Mierzwik

“I applaud your choicefor a contest [Page 8Contest: A World ofGrace, Aug Sep Oct '11].It is interesting to see

the similarities in our differences. Iwas so interested in knowing whichprayer went with which religionthat I simply Googled a few wordsto find the answers. Needless to say,that throws me out of the contest.How will you know if the winnerdid it on their own or with thehelp of the Internet? Thank you forthe magazine.”- Cindy Nims

Editor's Note: Thanks for the ques-tion Cindy… you are obviouslyfamiliar with the honor system. Tothank you for your candor, pleasecontact our office to claim a supercool Reader T-Shirt!

“I am an avid reader, along-time resident ofRedlands, and a politi-cal activist in the area.I would hope that the

articles in your publication wouldcause some good citizens to pauseand perhaps recognize that peopleare more important than corpora-tions and that government shouldbe of the people and by the people.May your publicationsurvive and thrive.”- Don Singer

SPRING 2012 [FEB MAR APR]WWW.READERMAGAZINE.NET READER MAGAZINE OF REDLANDS 7

numbers

SOURCES: International Center: USCensus Bureau Population Division2010; World Population Prospect2010 Revision Database; UnitedNations Population Division of theDept. of Economics & Social AffairsMay 2011

Some numbers worth knowing…

World Population:• projected as 8 billion in 2025

• doubled from 1959 (3 billion)to 1999 (6 billion)

• is growing at 1% (but withdeath factored in) is decliningoverall and is projected tocontinue to decline slightly

• growth rate reached its peak inthe late 1960s at 2%

• average annual populationchange is 77 million

• world population will stabilizeat 10 billion after 2200

Whereas it had taken all ofhuman history up to the year1800 for world population toreach 1 billion

• 2nd billion was achieved inonly 130 years (1930)

• 3rd billion in less than30 years (1959)

• 4th billion in 15 years (1974)




During the 20th century alone,the population in the world hasgrown from 1.65 billion to6 billion.

"Counties with a greater concentra-tion of small locally-owned businesseshave healthier populations --- lowerrates of mortality, obesity and dia-betes --- than do those that rely onlarge companies with 'absentee'owners."- Troy Blanchard, Ph.D., leadauthor & professor of sociology atLSU on a finding of the nationalstudy of 3,060 counties, forthcom-ing in the March '12 issue of theCambridge Journal of Regions,Economy & Society.

"With a little development elbowgrease, we could be in pretty goodshape for the day the energy apoca-lypse comes and states have to splitinto small self-reliant compounds."- Grist List editor Jess Zimmermanon the finding that 31 states couldbe completely self-sufficient withlocally produced renewable energy,according to the Institute of LocalSelf-Reliance (ILSR) annual reportpublished Oct '11.

"The most inter-esting part of see-ing these guys upclose is seeing theway people likeSantorum andGingrich respond

to Romney in person: They appear tofind him physically repulsive, theirnoses even scrunching up at himwhen they address him, like copsopening up a trunk with a body init. And I think it's real, I don't thinkit's an act. Romney is so totally insin-cere and calculating and soulless, itphysically offends. It's incredible towatch."- Matt Taiibi in Rolling Stonedescribing his impressions attend-ing the Charleston RepublicanPrimary Debate.

"Senior ranking U.S. military leadershave so distorted the truth whencommunicating with Congress andthe American people in regards toconditions on the ground inAfghanistan, that the truth hasbecome unrecognizable."- Lt. Col. Daniel Davis, 17-yearArmy veteran who returned inOct '11 from his second year-longtour in Afghanistan, states in hisexplosive 84-page unclassifiedreport described by some as the'most significant document pub-lished by an active-duty officer inthe past ten years.'

verbatim

WIN $100 in CASH and be seen by all 300,000 recipients of The Reader Magazine of this area. Here's how: Name thefamous and infamous faces below. Names must appear in order, startingwith face in top left corner moving right to left (reading style) until youreach the bottom (right corner), where you will find the face best suitedfor the bottom.

Name the forty famous& infamous

from the forties.

Congrats to Erika Stocz whose winning money savvy and entry to lastquarter's Follow The Money puzzler got her the coveted Reader T-Shirt

along with $75 in gift certificates for local shops and services.


contest puzzler

Prizes for 3 different age groups. Ages 30 and up: $100 cash,Ages 18-29: $50 Massage Gift Certificate, Ages 0-17: $25 Color Me Mine

Gift Certificate. Include your age (will be verified!) with your answers and

send to: [email protected]. [email protected].

“get your face seen”


CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

cover story

It can feel pretty personally over-

whelming to learn about all the

economic, environmental,

and energy chal-

lenges in store for

us for the rest

of this centu-

ry. There’s

plenty of

work to be done by governments

and businesses, sure—but what

about preparing yourself and your

family for this quickly changing

world? The choices seem over-

whelming. Where does one begin?

Six years ago, I began to address

these questions for myself and my

family. I’ll be honest; my first

motivation came from a place of

fear and worry. I worried that I

could not predict when and where

an economic collapse might begin.

I fretted that the pace of the

change would overwhelm the

ability of our key social

institutions and support

systems to adapt and

provide. I darkly

imagined what

might happen if a

Katrina-sized finan-

cial storm swept

through the bank-

ing sys-

tem.

I was caught

up in fear. But I am no longer

in that frame of mind.

Here, six years later, I

am in a state of accept-

ance about what the

future might bring

(although I am con-

cerned), and I have

made it

my life’s work to help others

achieve a similar measure of peace.

While I am quite uncertain about

what might unfold and when, I am

positive that anyone can undertake

some basic preparations relatively

cheaply, and will feel better for

having done so.

Adjusting and adapting can be one

of the most rewarding and fulfilling

journeys you could undertake. It

has been so for our family.

Just so you have a sense of the

scope and the pace of these

changes in our lives I should men-

tion that in 2003 I was a VP at a

Fortune 300 company, forty-two

years of age with three young chil-

dren, living in a six-bedroom

waterfront house, and by every

conventional measure I had it all.

Today I no longer have that house,

that job, or that life. My “standard

of living” is a fraction of what it

formerly was, but my quality of

life has never been higher. We live

in a house less than half the size of

our former house, my beloved boat

is gone, and we have a garden and

chickens in the backyard.

Peering in from the outside some-

one might conclude that our family

had fallen off the back of the

American dream truck with a thud.

But from the inside they would

observe a tight, comfortable, confi-

dent, and grounded family. We owe

much of our current state of unity

to the fact that we embarked on a

journey of becoming more self-suf-

ficient and discovered the impor-

tance of resilience and community

along the way.

Anyone can do the same. But first,

we must lay some groundwork and

address the question, “Why pre-

pare?” After that, we can delve into

the details.

Basics of PreParing

Becoming resilient

The point of personal (and commu-

nity) preparedness can be summed

up in one single word: resilience.

We are more resilient when we

have multiple sources and systems

to supply a needed item, rather

than being dependent on a single

source. We are more resilient when

we have a strong local community

with deep connections. We are

more resilient when we are in con-

trol of how our needs are met and

when we can do things for

ourselves.

We are more resilient if we can

source water from three loca-

tions—perhaps from an existing

well, a shallow well, and rainwater

basins—instead of just one. If we

throw in a quality water filter

(essential for the rainwater any-

way), then just about any source of

water becomes potentially

drinkable.

We are more resilient if we can

grow a little bit more of our own

food, rather than rely on a single

grocery store. Our community

gains food resilience when we

demand local food, perhaps by

shopping at a farmers’ market or

purchasing a farm produce sub-

scription (also known as “commu-

nity-supported agriculture”), and

thereby increase our local supply

of food and farming skills.

We are more resilient when our

home can be heated by multiple

sources and systems, perhaps wood

and solar to complement oil or gas.

For my family, resilience now

stretches well beyond our four

walls and physical things and deep

into our local networks and com-

TheNeweNlighTeNmeNT

iN local commuNiTies

by Chris Martenson

The point of personal andcommunity preparedness can besummed up in one single word:

resilience.


COVER STORY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

munity. But it began with focusing

our initial efforts within our house-

hold.

Resilience, then, becomes the lens

through which we filter all of our

decisions. It is a great simplifying

tool. Should we buy this thing?

Well, how does it make us more

resilient? Should we invest in

developing this new skill? Well,

how will that help us be more

resilient? Should we plant these

trees or those? Well, which ones

will add the most to the natural

diversity and abundance around

us?

It’s really that simple. Instead of

finding ourselves overwhelmed by

all the things we could or should

be doing, we find our lives simpler

and easier.

The first concept of becom-

ing prepared is resilience.

insufficient, But

necessary

We must become the change we

wish to see. If we just sit back and

wait for a world where people are

living with a reduced footprint and

in balance with our economic and

natural budgets, that world will

never come. It is up to each of us

to inspire others by first inspiring

ourselves. The good news is that

you are not and will never be

alone on this journey.

But let’s be perfectly honest: Any

steps we might take to prepare for

a potential environmental, societal,

or economic disruption, no matter

how grand, are nearly certain to be

insufficient. Nevertheless, they are

still necessary. They will be insuf-

ficient because being perfectly pre-

pared is infinitely expensive. But

actions are necessary because they

help us align our lives with what

we know about the world. In my

experience, when gaps exist

between knowledge and actions,

anxiety (if not fear) is the result.

So it’s not the state of the world

that creates the anxiety quite as

much as it is someone’s lack of

action.

To put it all together, we take

actions because we must. If we

don’t, who will? We change the

world by changing ourselves. We

reduce stress, fear, and anxiety in

our lives by aligning our thoughts

and our actions and by being

realistic about what we can pre-

serve, setting our goals and plans

accordingly.

The second concept of

preparation is that actions

are both necessary and

insufficient.

set targets

When considering preparation the

first question is usually, “How

much?” Here I recommend setting

a realistic goal given the amount

of money and time you have to

devote.

My family’s goal has never been

to be 100 % self sufficient in

meeting any of our basic needs.

Instead our goal has been to

increase our self-sufficiency to

something, anything, greater than

“none.” For example, until we got

our solar panels we were 100 %

dependent on the utility grid. Now

we are something laughably less

than that, perhaps 3 %, but we can

manufacture and use our own elec-

tricity. What’s the difference

between being zero % self-reliant

and 3 %? Night and day. We can

charge batteries, have light at

night, and, most important, prevent

our fully stocked freezer from

thawing during a power outage.

What’s the difference betweenbeing zero percent self-reliantand 3 percent? Night and day.



There’s

an enormous dif-

ference between

being zero % and 10 % self-

sufficient for food production. In

the former case you rely on the

existing food distribution system.

In the latter case you have a gar-

den, local relationships with farm-

ers, fruit trees in the yard, perhaps

a few chickens, and a deep pantry.

Developing even a limited percent-

age of your own food production

does not take a lot of money, but it

does take time. So set a realistic

target that makes sense for you

and your family and then find a

way to get there.

The third concept of prepa-

ration is to set realistic

goals.

Being in service

Reducing my own anxiety was

reason enough to prepare but an

equally important objective was to

be of service to my community.

Should a crisis occur, I expect to

find many unprepared people

scrambling around in a desperate

bid to meet their needs and many

others paralyzed by the situation

and unable to effectively act. I feel

it is my duty to not be among

them.

Some have commented that they

think of personal preparation as a

selfish act, possibly involving guns

and bunkers, but that’s not what

this is

about. My experience in

life tells me that being a

good community member means

having your own house in order. If

you do, you’ll be in a better posi-

tion to add valuable resources and

skills to any future efforts.

My expectation is that communi-

ties will rally in the face of a dis-

ruption, an act I’ve witnessed

several times having lived through

hurricanes in North Carolina. But

some communities will fare better

than others and the difference

between them will be dictated by

the resilience of their respective

citizen populations. I wish to live

in a resilient community, which

means I must become more

resilient.

The fourth concept of prepa-

ration is that your communi-

ty needs you to get yourself

prepared.

steP Zero

Many people, when daunted by the

potential magnitude of the coming

change, immediately jump to some

very hard conclusions that prove

incapacitating. For example, they

may have thoughts such as, “I

need to go back to school to get an

entirely different degree so I can

have a different job!” or “I need to

completely relocate to a new area

and start over, leaving all my

friends behind!” or “I need to

abandon my comfortable home

and move to a remote off-grid

12 READER MAGAZINE OF REDLANDS WWW.READERMAGAZINE.NETSPRING 2012 [FEB MAR APR]

Economic localization offers the

key to solving a growing number

of global problems, including peak

oil, climate disruption, and the

financial meltdowns. Yet the

perception remains that this solu-

tion is very costly, because local

goods and services supposedly are

more expensive than their global

alternatives. American consumers

are convinced that “big-box”

stores and bigger businesses mean

lower prices— “always,” in the

Wal-Mart vernacular.

In fact, local goods and services

are already competing remarkably

well in the marketplace—and they

are likely to do better in the near

future. Cost effectiveness actually

is a reason to embrace localization

and argues that the only thing

standing in the way of localization

flourishing is, oddly, policy-mak-

ers committed to propping up

increasingly noncompetitive global

corporations.

local living economy

Ever since 2001, when the

Business Alliance for Local Living

Economies (BALLE) was found-

ed, the term “local living econo-

my” has become shorthand for a

pragmatic approach to localization.

Two principles lie at its core:

1. The wealthiest communities are

those with the highest percentage

of jobs in businesses that are local-

ly owned. A growing body of evi-

dence suggests that local

ownership in businesses pumps up

the multiplier effect of every local

dollar spent, which increases local

income, wealth, jobs, taxes, chari-

table contributions, economic

development, tourism, and entre-

preneurship.

2. The wealthiest communities are

those that maximize local self-

reliance. This doesn’t mean that

they cut themselves off from glob-

al trade. But they rely on trade

only for the diminishing universe

of goods and services that they

cannot competitively provide for

themselves.

the current economy

The U.S. economy turns out to be

remarkably local already. A good

sense of the U.S. economy can be

gleaned from the 2010 edition of

the Statistical Abstract, an annual

publication of the U.S. Census

Bureau (unless noted otherwise,

the figures below are all for 2006,

the most recent year for which

most data are available in the

report).

In 2006, firms with fewer than 500

employees (which is how the U.S.

government officially defines

“small businesses”) accounted for

50 percent of all private-sector

jobs. Since smaller businesses pay

employees slightly less than larger

businesses, they account for 44 %

of payrolls. Roughly speaking,

then, small businesses make up

Local Economy:We Are Competitive

CONTINUES ON PAGE 27

The only thing standing inthe way of localization is

policy-makers committed topropping up noncompetitive

global corporations.

by Michael H. Shuman


Here’s one effort to rebutthe seven biggest whoppersnow being told by those who wantto take America backwards.The major points:

1. Tax cuts for the rich trickle

down to everyone else. Baloney.Ronald Reagan andGeorge W. Bushboth sliced taxes onthe rich and whathappened? MostAmericans’ wages(measured by the realmedian wage) beganflattening underReagan and havedropped since GeorgeW. Bush. Trickle-downeconomics is a cruel joke.

2. Higher taxes on the rich would

hurt the economy and slow job

growth. False. From the end ofWorld War II until 1981, the richestAmericans faced a top marginal taxrate of 70% or above. UnderDwight D. Eisenhower it was 91%.Even after all deductions and cred-its, the top taxes on the very richwere far higher than they’ve beensince. Yet the economy grew fasterduring those years than it has since.(Don’t believe small businesseswould be hurt by a higher marginaltax; fewer than 2% of small busi-ness owners are in the highest taxbracket.)

3. Shrinking government gener-

ates more jobs. Wrong again. Itmeans fewer government workers –everyone from teachers, fire fight-ers, police officers, and socialworkers at the state and local levelsto safety inspectors and militarypersonnel at the federal. And fewergovernment contractors, who wouldemploy fewer private-sector work-ers. According to Moody’s econo-mist Mark Zandi (a campaignadvisor to John McCain), the$61 billion in spending cuts pro-posed by the House GOP will costthe economy 700,000 jobs this yearand next.

4. Cutting the budget deficit now

is more important than boosting

the economy. Untrue. With somany Americans out of work, budg-et cuts now will shrink the econo-my. They’ll increase unemploymentand reduce tax revenues. That willworsen the ratio of the debt to the

total economy. The first prioritymust be getting jobs and growthback by boosting the economy.Only then, when jobs and growthare returning vigorously, should weturn to cutting the deficit.

5. Medicare and Medicaid are the

major drivers of budget

deficits. Wrong. Medicareand Medicaid spending isrising quickly, to be sure.But that’s because the

nation’s health-care costsare rising so fast. One

of the best ways ofslowing these costsis to use Medicare

and Medicaid’s bar-gaining power over drug companiesand hospitals to reduce costs, and tomove from a fee-for-service systemto a fee-for-healthy outcomes sys-tem. And since Medicare has farlower administrative costs than pri-vate health insurers, we shouldmake Medicare available to every-one.

6. Social Security is a Ponzi

scheme. Don’t believe it. SocialSecurity is solvent for the next 26years. It could be solvent for thenext century if we raised the ceilingon income subject to the SocialSecurity payroll tax. That ceiling isnow $106,800.

7. It’s unfair that lower-income

Americans don’t pay income tax.

Wrong. There’s nothing unfairabout it. Lower-income Americanspay out a larger share of their pay-checks in payroll taxes, sales taxes,user fees, and tolls than everyoneelse.

Demagogues through history haveknown that big lies, repeated oftenenough, start being believed —unless they’re rebutted. These seveneconomic whoppers are just plainwrong. Make sure you know thetruth — and spread it on.

Robert Reich has

served in three

administrations,

most recently as

Secretary of Labor

under President Bill

Clinton. He is the

author of 13 books,

the most recent is

Aftershock [2011] and you can check

out his blog at www.robertreich.org.

Economy:The BiggesT Lies

by Robert Reich


OFOURpersonalities time

Groundhog Day blizzard » January 29-February 3, 2011

Midwest/Southeast tornadoes » April 4-5, 2011

Southeast/Midwest tornadoes » April 8-11, 2011

Midwest/Southeast tornadoes » April 14-16, 2011

Southeast/Ohio Valley/Midwest tornadoes » April 25-28, 2011

Midwest/Southeast tornadoes » May 22-27, 2011

Midwest/Southeast tornadoes & severe weather » June 18-22, 2011

Bi l l ion-dol lar d isasters of 2011 (as of Jan. 19, 2012)

the great

carBon

BuBBle:

Why the

fossil fuel

industry

fights (science) so hard

by Bill McKibben

If we could see the world with anilluminating set of spectacles, oneof its most prominent features atthe moment would be a giant car-bon bubble, whose bursting some-day will make the housing bubbleof '07 look like a lark. As yet it’sunfortunately largely invisible.

On Jan 4th NASA updated the

most iconic photograph in our civi-

lization’s gallery: “Blue Marble,”

originally taken in '72.

"Blue Marble" 1972 image

2012 image courtesy of NASA

As Jeff Masters, the web’s most

widely read meteorologist,

explains, “The U.S. and Canada

are virtually snow-free and cloud-

free 40 years later, which is

extremely rare for a January day.

The lack of snow in the mountains

of the Western U.S. is particularly

unusual. I doubt one could find a

January day this cloud-free with so

little snow on the ground through-

out the entire satellite record.”

In fact, it’s likely that the week

that photo was taken will prove

“the driest first week in recorded

U.S. history.” Indeed, 2011 shows

the greatest weather extremes in

history -- 56% of the country was

either in drought or flood, which

was no surprise since “climate

change science predicts wet areas

will tend to get wetter and dry

areas will tend to get drier.” We

suffered 14 weather disasters in

2011, each causing $1 billion or

more in damage. (The old record

was nine.) In the face of such data

you’d think we’d already be in an

all-out effort to do something

about climate change. Instead,

we’re witnessing an all-out effort

to deny there’s a problem.

Most media pays remarkably little

attention to what’s happening or

denies it outright. Coverage of

global warming has dipped 40%

over the last two years. Last

month, for instance, the Wall Street

Journal published an op-ed by “16

scientists and engineers” headlined

“No Need to Panic About Global

Warming.” The most telling evi-

dence of the bias of the WSJ is the

fact that 255 members of the U.S.

National Academy of Sciences

wrote a comparable (but scientifi-

cally accurate) essay, offered it to

the WSJ, and were turned down.

It’s no secret where this denial

comes from: the fossil fuel indus-

try pays for it. Of the 16 authors of

the WSJ article, 5 had had ties to

Exxon. The question is why the

industry persists in denial in the

face of an endless body of fact

showing climate change is the

greatest danger we’ve ever faced.

Why doesn’t it fold the way the

tobacco industry eventually did?

Why doesn’t it invest its riches in


personalities timethings like solar panels and so prof-

it handsomely from the next gener-

ation of energy? As it happens, the

answer is more interesting than you

might think.

Part of it’s simple enough:

ExxonMobil, year after year, pulls

in more money than any company

in history. Chevron’s not far behind.

Everyone in the business is swim-

ming in money. Still, they could

theoretically invest all that cash in

new clean technology. As it hap-

pens, though, they’ve got a deeper

problem, one that’s become clear

only in the last few years. Put

briefly: their value is largely based

on fossil-fuel reserves that won’t be

burned if we ever take global

warming seriously.

Many scientists have pointed to a

2 degree rise in global temperatures

as the most we could possibly deal

with. If we spew 565 gigatons more

carbon into the atmosphere, we’ll

quite possibly go right past that red-

dest of red lines. But the oil compa-

nies, private and state-owned, have

current reserves on the books

equivalent to 2,795 gigatons -- 5x

more than we can ever safely burn.

It has to stay in the ground.

Put another way, in ecological

terms it would be extremely pru-

dent to write off $20 trillion worth

of those reserves. In economic

terms, it would be a disaster, first

and foremost for shareholders and

executives of companies like

ExxonMobil (and people in places

like Venezuela). This sort of write-

off is the disastrous future staring

you in the face as soon as climate

change is taken as seriously as it

should be. It’s why you’ll do any-

thing -- including fund an endless

campaigns of lies -- to avoid com-

ing to terms with its reality. So

instead, we simply charge ahead.

The energy-industrial elite are

denying that the business models at

the center of our economy are in

the deepest possible conflict with

physics and chemistry. The carbon

bubble that looms over our world

needs to be deflated soon. As with

our fiscal crisis, failure to do so will

cause enormous pain -- pain, in

fact, almost beyond imagining.

After all, if you think banks are too

big to fail, consider the climate as a

whole and imagine the nature of the

bailout that would face us when

that bubble finally bursts.

Unfortunately, it won’t burst by

itself -- not in time, anyway. The

fossil-fuel companies, with their

heavily funded lies and their record

campaign contributions, are lever-

aging us deeper into an unpayable

carbon debt -- and with each pass-

ing day, they’re raking in unimagin-

able returns. ExxonMobil reported

2011 profits at $41 billion, the sec-

ond highest of all time. Do you

wonder who owns the record? That

would be ExxonMobil in '08 at

$45 billion.

Telling the truth about climate

change would require pulling away

the biggest punchbowl in history,

right when the party is in full

swing. That’s why the fight is so

pitched. That’s why those of us bat-

tling for the future need to raise our

game. And it’s why that view from

the satellites, however beautiful

from a distance, is likely to become

ever harder to recognize as our

home planet.

Bill McKibben, founder of grassroots

climate campaign 350.org which has

coordinated 15,000 rallies in 189 coun-

tries since '09, is the author of a dozen

books about the environment. Time

Magazine called him 'the planet's best

green journalist' and Boston Globe said

in 2010 that he is 'probably the country's

most important environmentalist.'

Southern Plains/Southwest drought & heatwave » Spring-Fall, 2011

Mississippi River flooding » Spring-Summer, 2011

Rockies/Midwest severe weather » July 10-14, 2011 (*added 1/19/12)

Upper Midwest flooding » Summer 2011

Hurricane Irene » August 20-29, 2011

Texas, New Mexico, Arizona wildfires » Spring-Fall 2011

Tropical Storm Lee » Early September, 2011 (*added 1/19/12)

Bi l l ion-dol lar d isasters of 2011 (as of Jan. 19, 2012)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration U.S. Dept. of Commerce


by Grace Lee

Boggs

This year, I

will be ninety-

seven. Over

the past few

years I have

become much

less mobile. I

no longer jump from my chair to

fetch a book or article to show a

visitor.

At this point in the continuing evo-

lution of our country and of the

human race, we urgently need to

recognize that we must each

become a part of the solution

because we are each a part of the

problem.

As we continue to embrace the

challenges and opportunities in the

age of Obama, we must be mind-

ful of the mess we are in and the

damage we must undo. Our politi-

cal system became so undemocrat-

ic and dysfunctional that we were

saddled with a President unable to

distinguish between facts and per-

sonal fantasies. Eight years of

George W. Bush left us stuck in

two wars. Under the guise of

defense against terrorism, our gov-

ernment violated the Geneva

Conventions and the U.S.

Constitution, torturing detainees,

suspending habeas corpus, and

instituting warrantless domestic

spying. Meanwhile, our media are

owned and controlled by huge

multinational corporations who

treat the American people as con-

sumers and audience rather than as

active citizens.

The time is already very late and

we have a long way to go to meet

these challenges. In the decades

following World War II, the so-

called American Century gave rise

to an economic expansion that has

ultimately driven us further apart

rather than closer together.

Growing inequality in the United

States, which is now the most

stratified among industrialized

nations, has made a mockery of

our founding ideals. CEOs of

failed financial institutions have

walked away with ill-gotten for-

tunes. Millions of children in the

Global South die each year of star-

vation while diabetes as a result of

obesity is approaching epidemic

levels in the United States.

groWing our souls

Yet rather than wrestle with such

grim realities, too many Americans

have become self-centered and

overly materialistic, more con-

cerned with our possessions and

individual careers than with the

state of our neighborhoods, cities,

country, and planet, closing our

eyes and hearts to the many forms

of violence that have been explod-

ing in our inner cities and in pow-

der kegs all over the rest of the

world. Because the problems seem

so insurmountable and because

just struggling for our own sur-

vival consumes so much of our

time and energy, we view our-

selves as victims rather than

embrace the power within us to

change our reality.

Each of us needs to stop being a

passive observer of the suffering

that we know is going on in the

world and start identifying with

the sufferers. Each of us needs to

make a leap that is both practical

and philosophical, beyond deter-

minism to self-determination. Each

of us has to be true to and enhance

our own humanity by embracing

and practicing the conviction that

as human beings we have Free

Will.

Despite the powers and principals

that are bent on objectifying and

commodifying us and all our

human relationships, the interlock-

ing crises of our time require that

we exercise the power within us to

make principled choices in our

ongoing daily and political lives --

choices that will eventually

although not inevitably (since

there are no guarantees), make a

difference.

a neW definition of

human Being

The dropping of the atom bomb on

Hiroshima and Nagasaki demon-

strated the enormous power and

the enormous limitations of view-

ing human beings primarily as pro-

ducers and as rational beings in the

the nextAmerican Revolution



cabin!” These panic-driven conclu-

sions may feel so radical that they

are quickly abandoned. As a result,

nothing gets accomplished.

Further, nearly everyone has hid-

den barriers to action lurking

within.

My advice here is crisp and clear.

Find the smallest and easiest thing

you can do, and then do it. I don’t

care what it is. If that thing for you

is buying an extra jar of pimentos

because you can’t imagine life

without them, then buy an extra jar

next time you are shopping and

put them in the pantry. I am only

slightly joking here. I call this

“step zero” to symbolize some-

thing minor that might precede

step one.

The point is that small steps lead

to bigger steps. If you have not yet

taken step one toward personal

preparation and resilience, then I

invite you to consider taking step

zero.

Examples might be taking out a

small bit of extra cash to store out-

side of the bank in case of a bank-

ing disruption, buying a bit more

food each week that can slowly

deepen your pantry, or going

online to learn something more

about ways you can increase your

resilience with regard to water,

food, energy, or anything else you

deem important to your future. It

doesn’t so much matter what it is,

as long as an action is taken.

The fifth concept of prepara-

tion is to start with small

steps.

the imPortance of

community

My community is the most impor-

tant element of my resilience.

In my case, I joined up with eight

other gentlemen, and, as a group,

over the course of a year we went

through each and every “bucket”

of a self-assessment we designed

covering nine basic areas of our

lives. We took a good, hard look at

our then-current situations, made

plans for preparation and change,

and held each other accountable

for following through with our

plans. The support we shared was,

and still is, invaluable.

My wife, Becca, and our children

are deeply hooked into a wider

community of people actively

engaged in nature awareness, per-

maculture, native skills, fruit col-

lection, and other pastimes that to

them seem recreational, but also

offer deeper local connections to

people and nature.

I would recommend working with

people you trust or with whom you

already share basic values. The

closer they live to you geographi-

cally, the better. One of my core

values is this: I have no interest in

living in fear, and my plan is to

live through whatever comes next

with a positive attitude and with as

much satisfaction and fun as I can

possibly muster. So it has always

been important to me to be in

community with others who share

this outlook. And even now that

I’ve experienced the pleasures

(and joys and frustrations) of

working in a group setting on mat-

ters of preparation, I would still

When I asked a local organicfarmer if there was some book orinternship that could acceleratemy learning process he laughedand remarked, “Nope. It’s ten

years for everybody.”




Mission i: Speak Out for Justice in Syria

BACKGROUND: “Children have not beenspared the horror of Syria’s crackdown,” saidLois Whitman, children’s rights director atHuman Rights Watch. “Syrian security forceshave killed, arrested, and tortured children intheir homes, their schools, or on the streets. Inmany cases, security forces have targeted chil-dren just as they have targeted adults.”

Human Rights Watch has documentedwidespread government violence againstpeaceful demonstrators, systematic killings,beatings, torture using electroshock devices,and detention of people seeking medicalcare. Interviews with defecting army officersalso corroborate accounts by detainees.

For a heart wrenching, enlighteningaccount go to www.hrw.org and search"Syria".

MAKE A DIFFERENCE: Make your voice heard by contacting1) The Arab League Secretary General, 2) the President of Russia, and3) the Premier of China. For sample letters and links to the above, go towww.hrw.org and click on "Letters" and from the pull-down menu, select"Syria".

Mission ii: End Chinese Crackdown on TibetansVisiting India

BACKGROUND: Re-educationon a Scale not Seen Since Late1970s. The Chinese governmentshould immediately releaseTibetans who have been detainedby local police and are beingforced to undergo politicalre-education after traveling toIndia to listen to religious teachings there.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE: Arbitrarily detaining people and forcing them toundergo political indoctrination is an abuse of Chinese and international

Don't ever be afraid to build bridges to other people, whether the personis close or far away. Sometimes we don't act because we don't want to putourselves in the position of having to decide how much help to give, ordon't like the idea of allowing our activism to change our present coursein life. There's a reason people who have everything in the world findmeaning in working for human rights. Don't let anything stop you fromhelping others. The good you do comes back to you - and only makesyour life better.


laws. Authorities in the region should releasethese individuals, as their detention only esca-lates the tension in Tibetan regions.

Make your voice heard by going towww.hrw.org. Click on "Letters" and fromthe pull-down menu, select "China andTibet".

Mission iii: Ban Landmines

BACKGROUND: Landmines claim thou-sands of casualties every year and inhibitsocio-economic development in countries recovering from conflict. AsCommander in Chief, President Obama has an opportunity to get US land-mine policy back on the right track by acceding to the 1997 Mine BanTreaty, an international agreement that 156 governments have joined.

The US participated in the “Ottawa Process” that created this internationaltreaty, but the Clinton administration decided at the last moment againstsigning and instead set 2006 as the objective for the U.S. to join. InFebruary 2004, the Bush administration reversed course and announcedthat it did not ever intend to join the Mine Ban Treaty.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE: Tell PresidentObama that you support the landmine banand want to see the U.S. join the Mine BanTreaty without delay.

Make your voice heard by going towww.hrw.org. Click on "Letters" and fromthe pull-down menus, select "UnitedStates" and "Arms".

REVOLUTIONARY ALTRUISM IN 15 MINUTES OR LESS


scientific sense. At the time,

Einstein remarked, "The unleashed

power of the atom bomb has

changed everything except our

modes of thinking, and thus we

drift toward unparalleled catastro-

phes." Thus, he recognized the

urgent need for us to redefine what

it means to be a human being.

Warning about the danger of unfet-

tered technological progress,

Einstein asserted that the solution

of world peace could arise only

from the hearts of humankind.

That is why "imagination is more

important than knowledge."

"A human being," Einstein con-

cluded, "is a part of the whole,

called by us 'Universe,' a part lim-

ited in time and space. He experi-

ences himself, his thoughts and

feelings as something separated

from the rest -- a kind of optical

delusion of his consciousness. This

delusion is a kind of prison for us,

restricting us to our personal

desires and to affection for a few

persons nearest to us. Our task

must be to free ourselves from this

prison by widening our circle of

compassion to embrace all living

creatures and the whole of nature

in its beauty."

The Montgomery Bus Boycott of

1955-56 was the first struggle by

an oppressed people in Western

society from this new philosophi-

cal/political perspective. Before

the eyes of the whole world, a

people who had been treated as

less than human struggled against

their dehumanization not as angry

victims or rebels but as new men

and women, representative of a

new more human society.

Practicing methods of nonviolence

that transformed themselves and

increased good rather than evil in

the world and always bearing in

mind that their goal was not only

desegregating the buses but creat-

ing the beloved community, they

inspired the human identity and

ecological movements that over

the past forty years have been cre-

ating a new civil society in the US.

toWard the great turning

All over the world, local groups

are struggling, as we are in

Detroit, to keep our communities,

our environment, and our humani-

ty from being destroyed by corpo-

rate globalization. In his book

Blessed Unrest, environmentalist

Paul Hawken estimates that there

may be more than one million of

these self-healing civic groups

across every country around the

world. Most of them are small

and barely visible, but together

they are creating the largest move-

ment the world has ever known.

Millions of people in the United

States are part of this organically

evolving cultural revolution.

Because we believe in combining

spiritual growth and awakening

with practical actions in our daily

lives, we are having a profound

effect on American culture. For

example, most of us reject the get-

ting and spending that not only lay

waste to our own powers but also

put intolerable pressures on the

environment. We try to eat home-

grown rather than processed foods

and to maintain our physical well-

being through healthful habits

rather than by dependence on pre-

scription drugs. Overall, we try to

make our living in ways that are in

harmony with our convictions.

neW main street

& community

In the past fifteen years tens of

thousands of very diverse commu-

nity groups have sprung up all

over the world to resist the com-

modifying by global corporations

of our relationships to one another.

On January 1, 1994, the day

NAFTA took effect, the Zapatistas

dramatized this new movement in

six Mexican cities… and then in

Chiapas and other indigenous

communities to engage the people

at the grassroots in nonviolent

struggles to create new forms of

participatory democracy.

Nearly six years later, in the

November 1999 "Battle of

Seattle," fifty thousand members

of labor, women, youth, and peace

groups closed down the World

Trade Organization to inform the

world that the time has come to

create alternatives to corporate

globalization.

THE NEXT AMERICAN REVOLUTION CONTINUED FROM PAGE 16


In 2001 a series of "Another

World Is Possible" World Social

Forums began in Porto Alegre,

Brazil, to help movement activists

around the world recognize that it

is futile to keep calling on elected

officials to create a more just, car-

ing, and sustainable world. We

ourselves must begin practicing in

the social realm the capacity to

care for each other, to share the

food, skills, time, and ideas that

up to now most of us have limited

to our most cherished personal

relationships.

As part and parcel of this new

approach to revolution, the first

United States Social Forum was

held in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2007.

The second inspired over eighteen

thousand diverse activists to con-

vene in Detroit in June 2010.

[Today], we urgently need to bring

to our communities the limitless

capacity to love, serve, and create

for and with each other. We

urgently need to bring the neigh-

bor back into our hoods, not only

in our inner cities but also in our

suburbs, our gated communities,

on Main Street and Wall Street,

and on Ivy League campuses.

We are in the midst of a process

that is nothing short of reinventing

revolution. For much of the twen-

tieth century the theory and prac-

tice of revolution have been

dominated by overarching ideolo-

gies, purist paradigms, and abso-

lutist views of a static Paradise;

arguments over which class, race,

or gender was the main revolu-

tionary social force; and binary

oppositions between Left and

Right. Big victories have been pri-

oritized over small collaborative

actions that build community and

neighborhoods: the end has been

valued over the means. We rarely

stopped to wonder how much this

view of revolution reflected the...

culture that was dehumanizing us.

Now, in the light of our historical

experiences… we are beginning to

understand that the world is

always being made and never fin-

ished; that activism can be the

journey rather than the arrival;

that struggle doesn't always have

to be confrontational but can take

the form of reaching out to find

common ground with the many

"others" in our society who are

also seeking ways out from alien-

ation, isolation, privatization, and

dehumanization by corporate

globalization.

a neW future

The transition to a better world is

not guaranteed. We could destroy

the planet, as those chanting

"Drill, baby, drill!" seem deter-

mined to do. We could end up in

barbarism unless we engage in

and support positive struggles that

create more human human beings

and more democratic institutions.

Our challenge, as we enter the

third millennium, is to deepen

[that which we share] and the

bonds between these tens of mil-

lions, while at the same time con-

tinuing to address the issues

within our local communities by

two-sided struggles that not only

say "No" to the existing power

structure but also empower our

constituencies to embrace the

power within each of us to create

the world anew.

In this scenario everyone has a

contribution to make, each accord-

ing to our abilities, our energies,

our experiences, our skills and

where we are in our own lives.

When I was much younger, I used

to recite a poem that goes: "So

much to do, so many to woo, and,

oh, we are so very few." As I go

around the country these days,

making new friends and talking to

people about the challenges of the

new millennium, I still recognize

that we have much to do and

many to woo, but I no longer feel

that we are so very few.

Excerpted from The Next American

Revolution: Sustainable Activism for

the Twenty-First Century (2011).

Grace Lee Boggs devotes her life to

analyzing the inspiring stories and

practices that have emerged from the

struggles for equality and freedom in

Detroit and beyond, which serve as

both a testimony of hope and program

for action.

22 READER MAGAZINE OF REDLANDS SPRING 2012 [FEB MAR APR]

marchMar 3Augie's Coffee House Live Art Show2-8pm Enjoy a cup of fresh-brewedcoffee & art in action with live painting,poetry, music.909-798-2255 FREE

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Mar 11Daylight Savings TimeSpring forward an hour to enjoy abrighter day

Mar 12 & 13Redlands Footlighters Auditions forThe Sunshine BoysComedy by Neil Simon, a reunion offrenemies that brings unexpectedlaughs.Directed by John LyndPerformances May 3-20 909-793-2909 orredlandsfootlighters.org

Mar 17Happy St. Patrick’sDay! & Happy Birthday toRedlands’ ownSmiley brothers

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Register by Mar 21 forMar 24 R.U.F.F. Ride

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Mar 22 - 2528th Annual Redlands Bicycle Classic The largest road cycling event in theUnited States. Featuring prizes in

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Mar 24 & 25Community Pancake Breakfast atthe Redlands Bicycle Classic

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Register by Mar 25 forApr 25 20th Anniversary EventFOUR-D College Celebrates 20 Years

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Apr 14 - May 13LifeHouse Theater presents Sense & Sensibility909-335-3037 or lifehousetheater.com$14; Children 3-11 - $7

Apr 21 Rubie Tuesday's Boutique AnniversaryTea Party with Snow WhiteNoon-2pm.RSVP 909-798-7000FREE

Apr 21 & 22Centennial FlowerShow, Garden Tour &Plant SaleSat: 2-6pm Sun: 10-5pm909-884-5526 or rhis.org

Apr 22Princesses at the Castle Kimberly Crest House & Gardens Young Ladies ages 3-10 are cordiallyinvited to be received by the royal court& enjoy a day of face painting, etiquettelessons, balloon artistry & refreshments 909-792-2111 or kimberlycrest.org$55 for one adult & one Princess

Apr 22Earth Day CelebrationHighland Environmental

Learning CenterLearn how you can be Green,

enjoy interactive family activities, participate in the recycle drive

909-425-4706 orvisit ecoheec.com

FREE

CALENDAR CONTINUES ON PAGE 24

24 READER MAGAZINE OF REDLANDS SPRING 2012 [FEB MAR APR]

Apr 2229th Annual Run Through RedlandsRain or shine starting at RedlandsMall to finish at Redlands Bowl½ Marathon at 7:35am;5k at 8am; 10k at 7:20am;Kinder Dash ages 3-6 at 10am909-748-0637

Apr 2710th Annual Vintage RedlandsHistorical Wine Walking Tour6pm-9:30pm888-494-9044or vintageredlands.com

mayMay 3 - 20Redlands Footlighters presentsThe Sunshine BoysComedy by Neil Simon, a reunion offrenemies that brings unexpectedlaughs. Directed by John Lynd.909-793-2909or redlandsfootlighters.org$15 Students - $10 Group RatesAvailable. Look for the $3 OFFVoucher in this Reader

May 4 - 2072nd Annual Great All-American Youth Circus

Shows run:Fri May 4,11,18 at 7pm;Sat May 5,12,19 at 5pm;

Sun May 6,13,20 at 3pm The great “Y” Circus is madeup of 365 cast and crew.

$15; Kids 3-12: $10; 3 & under FREE909-793-9622 or ycircus.org

May 539th Annual California StateChili/Menudo Cook-Off10am – 6:30pm @ Perris Hill Park inSB. 909-883-3596 FREE

May 5 - 613th Annual Relay for Lifeto Fight CancerStart a team! Register @relayforlife.org/redlandsca909-583-7565

May 10 - 27 Redlands ShakespeareFestival presents MuchAdo About Nothing,Richard III & TwoGentleman of VeronaRedlands Bowl 8pmFREE 909-335-7377or redlandsshakespearefestival.comOpen Seating

May 12Firefighters 16th Annual Car ShowDrawings, prizes, food, modern andantique equipment showcase indowntown Redlands on State St.300 Hot Rods and Classic Cars 8am-3pm. local1354.org FREE

May 12 Collective Journey: May MagicScrapbooking EventLearn layouts & techniques, swapideas & get inspired!10-Noon & 1-3pm RSVP 909-793-2200Class Fee $15 includes class kit & useof tools. Full list of classes @collectivejourney.com

Spend $35 & Receivea Special Gift for MOM

*Class purchase excluded from offer.Valid only on May 12, 2012

May 13HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

May 13 Mother's Day Tea & PicnicKimberly Crest House & Gardens Bring your parasol & picnic to enjoy thegardens. 1-4pm FREE909-792-2111 or kimberlycrest.org

WWW.READERMAGAZINE.NET

CONTINUEDFROM PAGE 23


May 19Redlands Symphony Orchestrapresents Made in AmericaUniversity of Redlands MemorialChapel 8pm. From $15-$60909-748-8018 orredlandssymphony.com

May 19ARMED FORCES DAY

May 1921st Annual Optimists’Classic Car ShowOver 350 cars! in SylvanPark. Set-up at 7am,

Judging at 10am & awards at 3pm. $3;Juniors 12 – 18 - $2,11 & under - FREE Chili Cook-Off entry fee - $35909-821-3287

May 26 - 3097th Annual National Orange ShowFestivalGates open Th & Fri 2pm;Sat/Sun/Mon at NoonNational Orange Show Events Center Enjoy the carnival, fireworks,parade & live music 909-888-6788 or nosevents.com

May 28MEMORIAL DAY

ongoing…

Gramma’s Country KitchenCAR CRUISE3rd Friday of every month2868 W. Ramsey in Banning Looking for great family fun on a Fridaynight - enjoy raffles, games, live music& kitchen specials5-8pm FREEInfo: 951-849-8385

Breathe YogaDowntown RedlandsSaturdays @ 11am - DonationBased ClassMondays @ 6pm - Pre-NatalYoga with Live Harp Music - $102nd Saturday of everymonth - Family Yoga @ 1-2pm.The fee is never more than $20 perfamily. Info: 909-557-4302or www.breatheredlandsyoga.com

Tiny Tots Storytime at the SmileyLibrary Fun stories, songs & rhymesWednesday: 10:15 & 10:45am ages 4-6Thursday: 10:15 & 10:45am ages 2-3Info: 909-798-7565 FREE

1st & 3rd Fri every monthFREE Application Assistance for Veterans Aid & Attendance Benefitsfor Assisted Living. 10-Noon

Lunch & Learn2nd Th of March & AprilMarch - Dr. Ortiz: Alzheimer's Dental HygieneApril - Darlene Merkler: Is it Dementia or normal aging?Noon-2pmOn-going speaker series aboutimportant issues affecting seniors and their loved ones.Enjoy a COMPLIMENTARY LUNCHRSVP as Seating is Limited! FREE

Caregiver Support Group2nd Wed every month5-6pmFREE onsite caregiving available with advance notice

909-793-9500 orsomerfordplaceredlands.com

CALENDAR CONTINUES ON PAGE 26


Live Music & Dancing@ Arthur Murray Dance StudioRedlands 3rd Wed every month

FREE Sample Class,Supervised Practice

Session & an additional FREE40 min private follow-up les-son to be scheduled anytime.

Starts at 6:45 FREE. Come byyourself or bring a friend along.

Enjoy a sampling of themost popular dances in a fun

group setting. Info: 909-793-8140 orwww.AMRedlands.com

Augie’s Coffee HouseEnjoy the 5th Street Quintet Jazz BandLive Wednesdays @ 6:30pm Enjoy acup of fresh-brewedcoffee while listening to the bestjazz in townInfo: 909-798-2255 FREE

San Bernardino GolfClubMonday-Friday 11am-2pm Burger & a Bucket Special for $9.75any sandwich on the menu plus a soda& a small bucket of balls Info: 909-885-2414

local marketnightsEnjoy the Farmer’s Market, food, art &crafts, entertainment and fun for thewhole family almost every weekdayevening in the following cities:

Loma Linda on Barton Roadbetween Loma Linda Dr. & Benton St.Sundays 8am-Noon 909-799-2827

Redlands on State StreetThursdays 6-9pm 909-798-7629www.redlandsmarketnight.com

Redlands Farmers MarketSaturdays 8-11am

909-798-7629

Riverside Main Street betweenUniversity Ave. & Mission InnAve.

5-9pm 951-683-7100

Yucaipa on the Boulevard@ Vons Shopping CenterWednesdays 5-8:30pm 909-790-1841

CONTINUEDFROM PAGE 25


about half the private economy.

Probably 99 percent of these small

businesses are locally owned sole

proprietorships, partnerships, and

small corporations.

Add both government entities and

nonprofits to small businesses and

one finds that nearly 60 percent of

the economy is rooted in place.

That’s the national aver-

age. Any decent

accounting of

unpaid labor, like

stay-at-home

parents, family

care of the elderly, and volun-

teerism generally—all items econ-

omists don’t know how to count

and therefore assign a value of

zero to—would conclude that per-

haps 80 percent of the economic

activities in a typical community

are done by resident entrepreneurs

and firms. In other words, the

world’s most powerful industrial

nation is largely made up of local-

ly owned businesses today.

But isn’t globalization upending

this? Haven’t Wal-Marts, Home

Depots, Borders bookstores, and

thousands of other chains taken

over our communities and

destroyed local businesses? Well,

yes, they have, but keep in mind

that every business listed in the

previous sentence is a retailer. The

Census Bureau abstract’s table

654, which breaks down gross

domestic product (GDP) by indus-

trial sectors, shows that retail

accounts for about 7 percent of the

economy. In much of the other 93

percent of the economy, in every-

thing from manufacturing to

finance, local businesses have

been experiencing a renaissance.

But

surely these

local businesses, even if they

survive from year to year, are not

as profitable as global businesses.

In fact, table 728 in the abstract,

on “Number of Tax Returns,

Receipts, and Net Income by Type

of Business,” shows that nonfarm

proprietorships generate three

times more after-tax income, for

every dollar of sales, than corpora-

tions.

So are local businesses profitable

in every sector? Let’s look at the

1,100 categories of the North

American Industrial Classification

System (NAICS), which is effec-

tively the inventory of all firms in

the United States. Of all 1,100 cat-

egories, only four showed the


WE ARE COMPETITIVE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12


number of large firms exceeding

the number of small firms in 2006.

Topping the list of industries hard

to localize is nuclear power (yet

another reason to oppose that eco-

nomically and environmentally

dangerous energy alternative). The

other three least localizable indus-

tries are sugar beet manufacturing,

potash mining, and pipeline manu-

facturing. In every other part of

the economy, we have many more

examples of successful small, local

businesses than we do of large,

global businesses.

Another feature of the U.S. econo-

my is that, as a country, we are

surprisingly self-reliant. In 2008,

the country imported $2.5 trillion

worth of goods and services into

our $14 trillion economy. That is,

imports represented about 17 % of

the economy. When the Chinese

stop artificially keeping their cur-

rency low and other foreigners

begin unloading their shrinking

American dollars, both of which

seem inevitable, this import

percentage will drop. We are

destined to become more self-

reliant very soon. The only ques-

tion is how fast.

loWest Prices

But what about prices? Aren’t the

Wal-Marts of the world always

going to charge lower prices than

their local competitors? What is

not well appreciated is how non-

sensical this question is. The U.S.

economy is made up of literally

millions of products. Studies that

claim that this or that chain store is

cheaper—and many of these stud-

ies have been commissioned by

said stores and still call themselves

“independent” surveys—do little

more than cherry-pick a tiny sam-

pling.

If you believe that price is the pri-

mary driver of consumer demand,

then you’ve never been to

Starbucks. There may be many

reasons to buy your mocha latte

with a shot of vanilla, but price is

not one of them. What really mat-

ters to consumers is value, which

considers price alongside many

other factors: What’s the quality of

the product? How trustworthy is

the producer? What’s the after-pur-

chase service package look like?

How rewarding is the shopping

experience? What’s the chance I’m

going to be overcharged or ripped

off? How well does the company

treat its workers and the environ-

ment? Does it contribute to local

charities and sponsor the local

Little League? These turn out to be

the very categories in which local

businesses naturally excel.

If local businesses provided goods

and services with low value, then

consumers—given the real facts

about more expensive and shoddy

local alternatives—would flock to

the chain stores. In fact, buy-local

campaigns always move con-



What really matters toconsumers is value—and local businesses

excel at providing value.


immediately join or start another

one if I happened to move away.

I now count this group as one of

the most important elements in my

life. I know who I can talk to

about next steps, I know who I can

count on in an emergency, and I

know who will look after my fami-

ly should I happen to be

out of town when some-

thing big goes awry.

It is incredibly helpful to

find people to join forces

with as you step through

the basics of self-prepara-

tion. I encourage you to

consider seeking like-

minded locals with whom

to form such a group, if

you have not already

done so, and to encourage

others to do the same.

My preparation group is

now working outside of

our group and exploring

ways to help get our larg-

er community into a more

resilient position. I am

only as secure as my

neighbor is, and we are

only as secure as our town, and

our town is only as secure as the

next town over. But it all begins at

the center, like a fractal pattern,

with resilient households determin-

ing how the future unfolds.

The sixth concept of prepa-

ration is that community is

essential.

Basics of resilience

Now that we’ve covered the rea-

sons why becoming more resilient

is generally important, it is time to

examine how we can best prepare

to meet our basic physical needs

for food, water, shelter, and

warmth, and our modern need for

electricity.

long-term food

storage

Everyone should have a minimum

of three months of food stored. It’s

cheap; it’s easy; it’s a no-brainer.

It is only very recently that we

have lost this function, and today

most people think it rather odd to

even wonder about food security.

But for all of human history, up

until about a hundred years ago in

the U.S., this was not odd at all. In

fact the reverse—going into winter

without a local store of food suffi-

cient to feed the community—

would’ve been considered insane.

The list of things that could disrupt

the food-distribution chain is

frightfully long. Fuel scarcity, flu

epidemics, terrorist events, and

economic breakdown are but a few

of them. So our food-distribution

system is best described as both

highly cost efficient (with low

inventories and rolling stock) and

extremely brittle.

Given this, Becca and I decided

that putting some food into storage

made sense. Having researched

food storage for a while, we dis-

covered that we could store food

in a manner that would last for

thirty years and would cost us less

than $3 per person per day’s worth

of food.

So we made that a priority, and

instead of sweating it out alone we

held a food-storage packing day

with fourteen local families and

made a grand old time of it. Many




TAKE A STAND CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

STEPHANIE KATE

I've graduated college and I think I am slowly andsteadily on my way to becoming a teacher. I don'tknow that there is anything that I would change.I'm kind of having fun where I am in life. I doworry about getting all of my ducks in a row.

MARVIN BLEDSOE

It wasn't by choice, I had to sell my house. Workhas slowed but things seem to be improvinglately. I do have a habit of spending my timewaiting for things to happen and that's a qualityI'm trying to change.

SHAWN CORBETT

I have three children now, we've moved, and I'mcurrently training for an Ironman competition withmy captain. I wish that I had gotten into doingtriathletes sooner because I really enjoy cycling.Right now my life is consumed with training.

MARY LAMOUREUX

My husband now having a regular schedule atwork is a nice change! I wish I didn't work somuch although I really love my job. I do wish formore time with my family. The economy worriesme. Not so much for me but more about the longterm effects like how it is affecting graduates--- I see a lost generation of talent because therearen't as many opportunities.

RICHARD MARRONE

My life has become much better since I educatedmyself in finance and nutrition. I'm moredisciplined and responsible. I don't really wish mylife was different but I do wish I could do more tochange the environment of other people whowould appreciate and benefit from change. I findimproving myself very fulfilling and that tends tokeep me up at night.

SEBASTIAN GUZMAN

I now understand myself more than I used to fouryears ago. I stay up at night trying to figure outwhat I am going to do with my life.

We took to the street to get your take...

How has your life changed from four years ago?...What in your life do you wish was different and why?What is it (if anything) that keeps you up at night?

Interviews & Photography by Claire White



sumers in the opposite direction.

The more information consumers

have, the more they buy local. One

compelling explanation is that

most consumers today know rela-

tively little about great deals local-

ly and instead have been

influenced by billions of dollars of

advertising pumping the virtues of

buying globally.

But what about outsourcing to

global service providers? Thomas

Friedman’s book, The World Is

Flat, is filled with anecdotes about

American firms turning to low-

wage workers in India and China

to do taxes or patent filings. But

all his colorful stories turn out to

have little statistical significance.

Table 1250 in the Census Bureau’s

Statistical Abstract shows that the

U.S. trade balance in services has

been in surplus and steadily grow-

ing over the past decade to $144

billion in 2008. Imports of outside

services have been fairly inconse-

quential.

many do not appreciate the

extent to which u.s. policy-

makers have rigged the econo-

my against local business:

• If you’re a local business in most

U.S. states, you must assess a sales

tax. If you’re online retailer

Amazon.com, you don’t.

• If you’re a global business, you can

afford a battalion of attorneys that

work the rest of the tax system so that

your obligation is close to zero. If

you’re a local business, you can’t.

• A generation ago, the way that Wal-

Mart strongarms its suppliers would

have been illegal under antitrust laws.

Today, the behemoth gets a pass.

• Securities laws are so ridiculously

expensive for small businesses who

wish to have small (unaccredited)

investors that virtually no pension

funds are invested in the local half of

private economy. Given the greater

profitability of local businesses, this is

a huge and inexcusable market failure.

• A recent study of forty-five econom-

ic development programs in fifteen

states found that 90 percent were

spending most of their funds to attract

or retain nonlocal business.

Yes, the U.S. trade deficit has bal-

looned in recent years, but it’s all

been because of our imports of

foreign goods. Table 651 in the

abstract shows that only about a

quarter of our goods consumption

is of “durables.” Cars, appliances,

gadgets, DVDs, computers, toys,

housewares—all the stuff increas-

ingly manufactured in China—

constitute only about a tenth of our

overall spending. The “non-

durables” tend to include food,

building materials, wood, textiles,

clothing, office supplies, and paper

products. And the greater impor-

tance of nondurable goods in con-

sumer spending provides yet

another opening for localization.

When energy prices and shipping

costs rise, nondurable imports will

be the first casualties. This means

that local production of food and

clothing coupled with local distri-

bution, for example, will once

again be competitive against Wal-

Mart’s importing of these goods

10,000 miles from China— even if

the Chinese wages were zero.

Meanwhile, local businesses in

every industrial sector are learning

how to compete more effectively.

Through community-based net-

works, local businesses are sharing

best practices—in service, in tech-

nology, in business design, in mar-

keting, in finance. These

businesses are learning the com-

petitive value of working together.

There is no economy of scale that

local businesses cannot plausibly

realize through collaboration.

Thanks to the work of groups like

Business Alliance for Local Living

Economies and the Transition

Network, local business innova-

tions are now spreading globally.

Community food enterprises are

increasingly collaborating through

sister restaurants and technical

exchanges. Global conferences are

passing along innovations in

small-scale energy systems, credit

unions, and local currencies. While

the Lilliputian businesses have

been slow to find their footing,

they finally are learning that by

working together they can restrain

the Gullivers of globalization.



people opt to buy the food already

prepackaged for long shelf storage

and there are many sources provid-

ing such products.

Today we have eight months’

worth of food stored for our entire

family, plus additional food set

aside in case it will be needed by

anybody else. It’s been a year

since the food-packing day and I

have neither worried nor thought

about food security or storage

since, and I won’t have to for

twenty-nine more years. All for $3

per person per day. That is the

cheapest peace of mind one can

buy.

There are a lot of resources to help

you decide what foods to store,

how much, and where to get them.

I’ve collected quite a few of them

at my Web site

(chrismartenson.com).

groWing and

storing food

For us, the next step after getting

some food stored away was to

increase our local sources of food.

Our primary local sources include

the farmers who produce our meat

and raw milk and the community-

supported agriculture (CSA) veg-

etable operation to which we

belong. Our local demand trans-

lates into more local food—a wor-

thy outcome by itself, but we also

happen to get superior food as part

of the bargain.

For the past six years we’ve also

been growing a vegetable garden

at what can only be termed “hobby

level.”

Each of these areas represents a

more direct relationship with our

food and each requires a different

set of skills and knowledge. I wish

I could tell you that a smart and

dedicated person could pick these

skills up more rapidly than others,

should the need arise, but it turns

out that there really isn’t any

shortcut to becoming a gardener,

or a canner, or a butcher, or a food

preservationist. The vagaries of

each growing season

and the environmental

variations of each year

ensure your food-pro-

duction education will

be anything but dull.

Our family’s goals

from this point for-

ward are to plant a

wide variety of hardy,

semi-dwarf fruit

trees—apples, pears,

plums, peaches, and cherries,

along with hardy kiwis and grapes

(on trellises). Further, we intend to

work with local permaculture

experts to design a system of

growing food on our land that will

require the least amount of energy

to produce the largest possible

gains.

Whether you can begin to grow

your own food or not, I highly rec-

ommend that you figure out how

to obtain as much of your food

locally as you can while it’s in sea-

son, and then learn how to store it

so that it lasts as long as possible.

Set a goal. How about 10 %?

Water

Clean water is a necessity of life.

For most Americans, drinking and

washing water comes either from a

municipal (town/city) water supply

or from a private well. Storing

water is an enormous inconven-

ience, because stored water takes

up a great deal of space, it’s heavy,

and it needs to be replaced with a

fresh supply every couple of years.

Fortunately for me, I’ve never had

to worry about water much

because each place I’ve lived has

had potable surface water nearby.

Our house has a deep well, but I

plan to invest in a second, shallow

well by drilling down 80 to 90 feet




Send your answers to [email protected]

To win this issue's contest, send the name of the author who wrote the piece below, along with the most creative, entertaining, well-written lie as to how you wereable to find it. Email your response to [email protected] with "Who Am I" in the subject line. The best story will win a cool Reader T-Shirt & $70 in giftcertificates for local shops & services.

reasons to Be cheerful

“I’ve spent a large part of the pastyear considering Armageddon.Not the Hollywood cheese-fest ofa movie, you understand, butactual, honest-to-GodArmageddon. The end of theworld as we know it. Game over.What some academics cheerilycall ‘global catastrophic risks’.

It’s very easy to regurgitate theterrible story of our future that, asfar as I can tell, I’ve been hearingsince I popped out of my moth-er’s womb. In fact, it’s so familiarthat it rolls off the tongue likewell-learned lines, as if I’m read-ing a script. I’m sure you can doit too. You’ll have your ownnuances. It’s like an End of theWorld card-trading game, won byplaying the cards that summarizethe strongest case for how every-one loses.

Our media love this game.

Whether it’s too much govern-ment or too little, too many policeor too few, too much concern overclimate change or too little, ourpundits are united in their beliefthat a) things are going wrong,b) they’ve been going wrong foras long as they can remember andc) they’re going to get a lotworse. Hardly inspiring, is it?

So it’s odd to find out that thingscould actually get a lot better. Notjust a little bit better, but off-the-scale better. For every engineeredpathogen, there’s a new frontopened up on the war on cancerthrough genomics. For every echochamber of hate on the internet,there’s a collaboration that’llmake your heart sing. For everyworry about scarcity, you’ll findan example of innovation that’sbypassing the problem. At thesame time, organisations withnew shapes are struggling toemerge; we’re seeing institutionalinnovations that will help us grasp

the challenges that our currentsystems can’t tackle.I know because I’ve spent a yearresearching. One favourite is aclever system that takes CO2 outof the air and feeds it throughphotosynthesing bacteria to makefuel. It’s effectively a carbon-neu-tral petrol station that pulls fuelout of the sky when you put itsomewhere sunny. The technolo-gy exists today and a whole rangeof companies funded by greentechinvestments are racing to com-mercialise it.

There are hundreds of people whoare not only thinking aboutimproving our lot but also doingsomething about it. They clearlyaren’t listening to the doomsayers.Their mantra? Cheer up, it mightjust happen.

In our public discourse, we needto put a few cards back into thatpack of trading cards and shift itfrom a forced game of ‘End of the

World’ to a new game of‘Possible Futures’. After all, that’swhat it was until the pessimistsnicked all the good cards and hidthem under the cushion.

I’m not saying the future will bebetter, but I do know that ifyou’re not even aware it couldbe, there’s much less chance ofmaking it happen.

Optimists step up. There iseverything to play for.”

Who am i?

Congratulations to the winnerof the most recent WAI contest:Julian Galarza, winner of acoveted Reader T-Shirt, whosecorrect entry was randomlyselected.


to a water-holding gravel layer that

sits under our land. I intend to

attach both a windmill (for relative-

ly continuous pumping for garden-

ing purposes) and a hand pump

capable of drawing from that

depth. We will be installing rainwa-

ter catchment systems.

We also have a

ceramic filter

based on a very

old technology

that can ren-

der

the

most foul pond water into clean

drinking water. You just pour water

in and let gravity do the rest.

Knowing that our family will

always have clean drinking water,

no matter what economic or weath-

er emergency may arise, adds to

our resilience. It also gives us a

peace of mind that is invaluable.

shelter and Warmth

The primary goal in meeting the

need for shelter and warmth is to

make your house as efficient and

self-sustaining in energy as possi-

ble so that you are not completely

reliant on imported energy to func-

tion—energy that could be either

very expensive or intermittently

available in the future.

For us, this means

having three ways of

heating our house

and heating water:

We have an oil fur-

nace, we have a wood

stove, and we are

about to

install a

solar

hot-

water

system.

Our goal here is

to cut our oil use by 50 % in the

first year after installation

of the solar hot-water sys-

tem.

When it comes to energy, saving it

is far easier, and cheaper, than cre-

ating it, so you might as well invest

first in conservation.

When it comes to selecting systems

and components, one of my new

criteria is that they be as simple as

possible. I will gladly give up some

efficiency or pay a little more if the

system has fewer moving parts and

seems like it could be fixed without

flying in a Swedish engineer.

Unless someone local can service

and fix the system, I want no part

of it. Simplicity now has a very

high premium in my decision-mak-

ing processes.

After we are done getting our

house into shape with respect to

energy, I anticipate utility bills that

are half what they used to be, a less

drafty and more comfortable house,

and the security of knowing that

hot water will always be a part of

our lives.

electricity

Next, we also have solar photo-

voltaic (PV) arrays to create a

modest amount of electricity and a

modest battery bank for limited

storage. The primary purpose of

this system is to provide a 100 %

fail-safe source of electricity to run

our 25-cubic-foot freezer, the fail-

ure of which would result in a dev-

astating food loss if the power went

out in the early fall when it is most

packed with food.

Our PV array provides about 2

kilowatts, which is far more than

the freezer needs but far less than

our house uses. Still, in a pinch, it

would be sufficient to recharge bat-

teries and run a laptop computer

and drive a solar pump on our shal-

low well.

Our home is on the grid, but, at the

very least, I am comfortable know-

ing that we have a source of elec-

tricity on the property that could

serve a wide range of purposes if

necessary. Again, the difference

between being zero % self-suffi-

cient and slightly self-sufficient is

simply enormous.

Personal and local

resilience Begins at

home

We’ve just covered the six basic

concepts of personal preparation

and the areas of food growing and

storage, water, shelter, warmth, and

electricity. I strongly encourage

you to make progress in each of

these areas before moving on to

others.

Six years ago my family lived in a

big house by the sea, and we were

completely dependent on outside

systems and efforts to deliver to us

our daily bread, our daily water,

our daily warmth, and our daily

electricity. Perhaps even more wor-

ryingly, we had a relatively narrow

community defined by the people

with whom we worked or knew

through our children’s lives and

activities.

Today we have a garden, chickens,

food-preservation skills, solar hot

water and electricity, local food

connections, and a deep network of

relationships around each of these

elements and many more besides.

We did not do this all at once but

over a period of years, and I invite

you to consider starting your own

journey toward personal and local

resilience as soon as you can.

Personal preparation is prudent,

rational, liberating, and necessary.

Remember the airplane emergency

rule: Put on your oxygen mask first

before assisting others. Start with

small steps. Your community needs

you.

About the Author

Chris Martenson is the creator of The Crash Course, a twenty-chapter online

video seminar about our broken economic system, the crisis of our aging popula-

tion, and peak oil. Since its launch in 2008, The Crash Course has been viewed

more than 1.5 million times and has sold over 25,000 DVD copies. Previously,

Martenson was a vice president at a Fortune 300 company and spent more than

ten years in corporate finance and strategic consulting. He has a PhD in patholo-

gy from Duke University and an MBA from Cornell University. Martenson is a

Fellow of Post Carbon Institute.



PostgloBaliZation

Politics

Globalization is fast approaching a

cliff—one that much of the world

isn’t anticipating. Global corpora-

tions won’t disappear, of course,

but their role will shrink and many

will go out of business. They’ll be

forced to focus on the diminishing

number of highly specialized

goods and services that communi-

ties can’t cost effectively provide.

All of this assumes naively, how-

ever, that economics trumps poli-

tics. In fact, wobbly global corpo-

rations can be expected to con-

vince politicians everywhere to

save them. After the major U.S.

banks and financial institutions

began to fail in late 2008, a pro-

gressive president and Congress

stepped in to bail them out with

Troubled Asset Relief Program

(TARP) legislation. If this happens

every time other inefficient global

enterprises are about to go out of

business, then of course localiza-

tion will fail—not because it can’t

compete, but because policy-mak-

ers can’t tolerate its winning.


make a difference... start todayThe 3/50 Project is a powerful way to vote with your pocketbook.

This grassroots campaign and your participation will shift thebalance of economic power.

The call to action is simple. Choose three local businesses you can't bearto see go under. Spend $50 a month between the three and help keeptheir doors open. When you buy local, the ripple effect spreads fromcash registers right to your street:

68% of what you spend in an independently owned local store returnsto the community through taxes and payroll. With a national chain,only 43% stays in town. If just half the employed US populationshopped locally, their purchases would generate more than $42.6 billionin revenue for local economies.

So step outside the corporate-controlled system and take matters intoyour own hands. Don't let your dollars pad corporate bonuses, get theminto the pockets of your friends and neighbors.

®© Cinda Baxter, 2009. All rights reserved. Used here with permission.


These inequities in public subsi-

dies, regulations, laws, and eco-

nomic development practices are

so extreme, so uniformly tilted

against local business, that they

cannot be regarded as a mere acci-

dent. They reflect years of lobby-

ing, favor buying, and campaign

contributing by global businesses.

As the economic plight of global

companies deteriorates, these

political manipulations will inten-

sify. And thanks to a January 2010

decision by the U.S. Supreme

Court overturning a 103-year ban

on direct corporate spending to

influence elections, corporations

are now free to spend unlimited

amounts on “political free speech.”

Localization, therefore, could still

be thwarted, along with its ability

to deliver a new era of prosperity

to communities across the country.

Increasingly, those supporting

local living economies must be

prepared to expose and block this

coming political backlash.

Whether the country’s landing in a

post-carbon future is harsh or gen-

tle, exorbitant or affordable, ulti-

mately turns on

whether our

politicians will

just allow local

goods and services to win. Aren’t

you tired of this stuff? Why is it

that every election, it becomes

impossible to hear the facts over

all the misleading ads? And if it

seems the problem is only getting

worse, that’s because it is. We can

thank the Supreme Court for that.

In 2010, they decided that it’d be

just fine for corporations to spend

as much money as they want

telling us who to vote for.

About the Author

Michael Shuman is director of research

and public policy at the Business

Alliance for Local Living Economies

(BALLE). He holds an AB with distinc-

tion in economics and international

relations from Stanford University and

a JD from Stanford Law School. He

has authored, co-authored, or edited

seven books, including The Small Mart

Revolution: How Local Businesses Are

Beating the Global Competition (2006)

and Going Local: Creating Self-Reliant

Communities in the Global Age (1998).

Shuman is a Fellow of Post Carbon

Institute.


by Bharat Mansata

Big problems numb the mind anddwarf the imagination. But by refus-ing to look at them, they don’t goaway.

In our times, resistance and creativitymust walk hand in hand. No tranquilcorner is insulated from the rapid,unsettling pace of events invading ourlives. All of us need something tolook forward to, some inspiration tosustain our energy, and innovativeideas to keep our hope alive. Our cre-ativity faces an awe-some challenge, asnever before, totranscend our alarm-ing predicament,and aspire to nurturea more enlightenedworld to pass on toour children, andtheir children.

The advance ofhuman civilization,and of each individ-ual, is often a self-fulfilling prophecy. What we believepossible, tends to become possible.Evolution is this incredible move-ment of surmounting the dysfunction-al and shaping the new to higher andwider possibilities.

Gandhi drew inspiration from thegreat American, Henry DavidThoreau, and his essay on ‘CivilDisobedience’, to launch in IndiaSatyagraha, a broad based people’sresistance in defense of truth and jus-tice. Many years earlier, in the U.S.,

Thoreau was arrested when herefused to pay his ‘war taxes’ inprotest against U.S. invasion andannexation of huge chunks ofMexican territory. Ralph WaldoEmerson, the well-known Americanpoet, visited Thoreau in prison, andjokingly asked: “What are you doing

in there?” Thoreau replied, “What

are you doing out there?”

We should look forward to (and worktowards) a new, deeply fraternaltheme in our human adventure. Maythis culminate in a fresh chapter of

civilization, one thatwould provide abefitting, new con-clusion [so we mightbe able to rightlycall it] 'Free fromWar', or ‘How theU.S. and the WorldKicked Militarism’.

Yes, our problemsare overbearinglyhuge, and we doneed a miracle. Butall of creation is

infused with the miraculous. Eachflower that blossoms, and every childborn into this world, is a reassuranceof some unseen - but so well organ-ized - divine power, that it has notabdicated our earth, or lost hope inhumanity.

It’s high time now for many, manymore of us to put on our thinkingcaps, thirst humbly for that creativeinspiration, and plunge deeper intoour new, more authentic and satisfy-ing act.

the final word

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