Topic: Money

[ Episode #92 // Decrypting Cryptocurrency ]

Digital communication technologies hold the possibility of re-orienting the way we exchange value and think about money. Do digital currencies like Bitcoin have the ability to change the global economic order? Can machine learning, automation, and cryptocurrencies unleash exponential innovations that unseat the financial institutions at the top of the monetary pyramid?

In Extraenvironmentalist #92 we first speak with Paul Vigna about his new book The Age of Cryptocurrency: How Bitcoin and the Blockchain Are Challenging the Global Economic Order to discuss how the Bitcoin currency and the blockchain distributed ledger system are laying the groundwork for alternatives to today's monetary system. Then, we talk about the potential influence of exponential technologies on education, learning and other areas of the economy with Jim Jubelirer.

// Books

The Age of Cryptocurrency: How Bitcoin and the Blockchain Are Challenging the Global Economic Order by Paul Vigna and Michael J. Casey

//Clips (in order of appearance)

Full Story: on Bitcoin
Bitcoin vs. Banks
This Money's so Safe, You'll Never Touch It

// Music (in order of appearance)

Postiljonen - Supreme (Niva Remix) via Soundcloud
Future Elevators - Modern World via The Planet of Sound
Rodriguez - Hate Street Dialogue (GingerAle Remix) via IndieShuffle

// Production Credits and Notes

Our editor Kevin via Sustainable Guidance Youtube Channel

Episode #92 was supported by donations from the following generous listeners:

Kathryn in Washington
Erin in Vermont
Robert in Kansas
Lee in Arizona

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[ Episode #91 // Age of Stagnation? ]

The common political conversation about our shared economic future focuses on achieving an escape velocity where the post-war growth boom can return as usual. While years of lackluster economic performance mount, a rapidly growing global economy is still discussed like it is readily just over the horizon. Can the factors creating a slower growth world find open discussion in time to avoid severe social strife? Is the drive for passive income in an age of stagnation placing the global economy in permanent peril and creating a context for social strife?

In Extraenvironmentalist #91 we first speak with Satyajit Das about his new book The Age of Stagnation: Why Perpetual Growth is Unattainable and the Global Economy is in Peril which questions the assumption that never ending economic growth is possible, or desirable. Das questions the ability of political leaders to enact the tough structural changes needed to avoid social chaos in a low growth world. Then, in the second half of our show we speak with Michael Hudson about his book Killing the Host: How Financial Parasites and Debt Bondage Destroy the Global Economy. Hudson describes how debt deflation is imposing austerity on the U.S. and European economies, siphoning wealth and income upward to the financial sector while impoverishing the middle class.

Note: Partial transcripts of our interviews in this episode are forthcoming in the next few weeks

 

// Books

The Age of Stagnation: Why Perpetual Growth is Unattainable and the Global Economy is in Peril by Satyajit Das

Killing the Host: How Financial Parasites and Debt Bondage Destroy the Global Economy by Michael Hudson

//Clips (in order of appearance)

Fourth Industrial Revolution tsunami warning in Davos - economy
Highlights: The Dawn of the Fourth Industrial Revolution
Looking to 2060: A Global Vision of Long-term Growth
The Future of Economic Growth
Post-World War II Economy Booms with Soldiers Return to U.S.

// Music (in order of appearance)

Nifty Earth - Intertwine (Ft. Akhila Eechampati) via Indieshuffle
Rebeka - Davos - erfect Man via Earmilk
Vaults - Midnight River via Beautiful Buzz

// Production Credits and Notes

Our editor Kevin via Sustainable Guidance Youtube Channel

Episode #91 was supported by donations from the following generous listeners:

Paul in California
Eric in Washington, DC
David in Colorado
Luke in British Columbia

(more…)

[ Episode #88 // Resilience Imperative ]

Our governments, businesses and economic institutions were built on a society that was supercharged with fossil fuels to get as big as possible as fast as possible. Now, with the challenges of the 21st century, resilience is a more appropriate principle for reinventing and reorganizing our economic life. Is it possible to develop economic and financial arrangements that can emphasize aspects of humanity other than individual greed?

In Extraenvironmentalist #88 we discuss the Resilience Imperative: Cooperative Transitions to a Steady-State Economy with co-authors Michael Lewis and Pat Conaty. We talk about ways to create a decentralized, cooperative steady-state economy that can work as an alternative to the highly globalized and financialized economic paradigm of today.

 

Bonus Segment

// Links and News Items

Bloomberg: This Wharton Grad Wants You to Live in His Shipping Containers

China coal use falls: CO2 reduction this year could equal UK total emissions over same period

An example of how neoclassical economics works if we are immortal

Give me some China Investment Plays

// Books

The Resilience Imperative: Cooperative Transitions to a Steady-state Economy by Michael Lewis and Pat Conaty

// Extended Clips (in order of appearance)

[Break] - 41m

Economic globalization
Thomas Friedman's Three Eras of Globalization
CNBC: Europe survives in emerging markets keep growing
WSJ: Illustrating China's Shadow Banking Problem

[End]

Growth first. Then these other things can be dealt with, whatever they are.

// Music (in order of appearance)

Polodoore - But I Do via Soundcloud
Husky - Let it Happen (Tame Impala Cover) via Faster Louder
Nicholas Jaar - Tourists (Creange Remix) via IndieShuffle
Cavaliers of Fun - Wiki via Tracasseur
Polodoore - Ain't No Sunshine via Bandcamp

// Production Credits and Notes

Our editor Kevin via Sustainable Guidance Youtube Channel

Episode #88 was supported by donations from the following generous listeners:

Christopher from NY
Stephen in Australia

(more…)

[ Episode #86 // Slow Money // Part C ]

The soil of our food system provides the roots of our culture. Without soil, our modern lifestyle would cease to exist. As climate change accelerates rates of soil erosion, will the global population be left as a stranded asset? As we fail to describe the real cost of cheap food through our vocabulary and economics, and true value of land is lost in the equation. Can we change our language and culture in time to create a new practice of sustainable farming and eating?

Extraenvironmentalist #86 closes out our coverage of the recent Slow Money National gathering through discussing the farm bill, culture, and the language of sustainability. We first hear from a panel with poet, farmer and author Wendell Berry, Maine Representative Chellie Pingree and Louisville, KY Mayor Greg Fischer. Then, a session on culture covers how our society is shaped by expectations and approaches to food. Our final piece from the conference features Douglas Gayeton discussing the Lexicon of Sustainability.

 

// Links and News Items

Panel with Wendell Berry, Chellie Pingree and Greg Fischer
Town Hall Meeting on Culture
Douglas Gayeton - Keynote

GMO Investing Q1 2015 Newsletter - Jeremy Grantham - Are We the Stranded Asset?
Neil DeGrasse Tyson and Bill Nye: Is Mad Max Our Future?
US National Census: Biking to Work Increases 60 Percent Over Last Decade, Census Bureau Reports h/t @GregorMacdonald
Journal of Environmental Investing: What Divesting May Yield: Revisiting “The Grasshopper and the Ant” in the Context of University Endowments

// Books

The Unsettling of America: Culture & Agriculture by Wendell Berry

Growing Food in a Hotter, Drier Land: Lessons from Desert Farmers on Adapting to Climate Uncertainty by Gary Nabhan

Local: The New Face of Food and Farming in America by Douglas Gayeton

// Extended Clips (in order of appearance)

[Break]

Slow Money 2014 Highlight Video

[End]

Jeremy Grantham Speaks at League of Conservation Voters Capital Dinner

// Music (in order of appearance)

Burhou - Please Delete via IndieShuffle
Gramatik - In This Whole World via Soundcloud
Daniel Martin Moore - Live from the Slow Money 2014 Gathering
Glass Ghost - Sound of Money via Soundcloud
Mirror Talk - Some Boys via All Things Go Music
Trampled by Turtles - Where Is My Mind (Pixies Cover) via Soundcloud

// Production Credits and Notes

Our editor Kevin via Sustainable Guidance Youtube Channel
Ben Evans of BenEvansCreative.com

Episode #86 was supported by donations from the following generous listeners:

Shad in British Columbia
Kiel in California
Carolina in Sweden
Seymour in Massachusetts

(more…)

[ Episode #85 // Slow Money // Part B ]

Our 20th century food system has created a global market for cheaply priced commodities of corn, wheat, soybeans and rice. We pump a plethora of food from the earth, in the same way we pump barrels of oil. A vision of never-ending technological progress frames the creation of genetically modified organisms in an attempt to keep agribusiness as usual moving forward. But do GMOs work as claimed? Will they be a crucial part of a sustainable food future?

Extraenvironmentalist #85 focuses on the topic of GMOs in the second of our three part series from the 2014 Slow Money Gathering. We first hear from a town hall meeting on food with Patrick Holden, Richard McCarthy, Judy Wicks and Preston Correll. Then Severine von Tscharner Fleming presents a youth perspective on farming and food. Then, a panel on GMOs covers the latest research into industry claims. In the second half of our show, we hear an exclusive radio edit of Vandana Shiva's keynote on the psychology of war embedded in our industrial food system.

 

// Links and News Items

Town Hall Meeting: Food
Severine von Tscharner Fleming
Breakout session: GMOs
Vandana Shiva - Keynote Video


The Heretic's Guide to Global Finance: Hacking the Future of Money
- free ebook

What's the true cost of gasoline?

Wolf Street: no bottom yet under the fracking bust

// Books

Good Morning, Beautiful Business: The Unexpected Journey of an Activist Entrepreneur and Local-Economy Pioneer by Judy Wicks

Making Peace With the Earth by Vandana Shiva

// Extended Clips (in order of appearance)

[Break]

Slow Money 2014 Highlight Video

[End]

Aziz Ansari on Chickens

// Music (in order of appearance)

Phoria - Emanate (Tom Gillieron Rework) via Soundcloud
Gregory Porter - Liquid Spirit (Claptone Remix) via IndieShuffle
Daniel Martin Moore - Live from the Slow Money 2014 Gathering
The Be Good Tanyas - Waitin' Round to Die (Avener Remix)
Gramatik - Victory via Soundcloud
Monkey Safari - Cranes (Wolf + Lamb Remix) via Soundcloud

// Production Credits and Notes

Our correspondent and editor Kevin via Sustainable Guidance Youtube Channel
Ben Evans of BenEvansCreative.com

Episode #85 was supported by donations from the following generous listeners:

Richard in Spain
Paul in CA
Benny in Australia
Jim in WA
Zach in NJ

(more…)

[ Episode #84 // Slow Money // Part A ]

Our industrial system of agriculture and an integrated global marketplace has created an abundance of available food for those in wealthy nations. Cheaply priced produce and meat shows up in our supermarkets and restaurants with rarely any concern. Values of efficiency and synchronized just-in-time deliveries have been served by a philosophy of capital-intensive financing for food. A monoculture has been created that is now threatened by droughts of water and credit. Are there less complex ways of growing food that can reduce dependencies on large-scale finance?

Extraenvironmentalist #84 is the first of our three part series from the 2014 Slow Money Gathering. We’ve taken more than 22 hours of our live broadcast footage from the leading thinkers on sustainable sustainable food systems, editing their thoughts and speeches down to the best parts for our podcast audience. We first hear from Woody Tasch, author of Inquiries into the Nature of Slow Money: Investing as if Food, Farms, and Fertility Mattered, Marco Vangelisti of Essential Knowledge for Transition and Mary Berry of The Berry Center. Then, Joel Salatin outlines a vision for building a truthful farming system that can dramatically reduce the capital intensity of farming while building living systems.

 

// Links and News Items

Joel Salatin Keynote video
Marco Vangelisti video
Woody Tasch - Opening Keynote Video
Mary Berry - Keynote Video

Dead malls: Half of America’s shopping centres predicted to close by 2030

‘Not Mayberry anymore’: Oil patch cops scramble to keep up

// Books

Inquiries into the Nature of Slow Money: Investing as if Food, Farms, and Fertility Mattered by Woody Tasch

Folks, This Ain’t Normal: A Farmer’s Advice for Happier Hens, Healthier People, and a Better World by Joel Salatin

// Extended Clips (in order of appearance)

[Break]

Slow Money 2014 Highlight Video

[End]

Christine Lagarde on facing strong headwinds in the global economy

// Music (in order of appearance)

Caribou - Back Home (umami edit) via Soundcloud
Hayasua - Farewell Blues via IndieShuffle
Daniel Martin Moore - Live from the Slow Money 2014 Gathering
Huon Kind - Feel Like This via The 405
Shakarchi & Stranéus - Hissmusik (HNNY Edit) via Soundcloud

// Production Credits and Notes

Our correspondent and editor Kevin via Sustainable Guidance Youtube Channel

Episode #84 was supported by donations from the following generous listeners:

Ekaterina in Canada
Pete from North Carolina
Eric from Massachusetts

(more…)

[ Episode #79 // Money System Mayhem? ]

Over the last hundred years, the international money system has unraveled every few decades with surprising regularity. With the current US-based system reaching the end of its useful life for newly rising economic powers, will campaigns of financial warfare push countries to abandon the dollar denominated financial regime? How does human nature and behavioral psychology drive reactions to episodes of financial euphoria and fear?

In Extraenvironmentalist #79 we first speak with Jim Rickards about his new book, The Death of Money: The Coming Collapse of the International Monetary System. We ask Jim about how a potential failure of the US dollar based international financial system would play out. Jim describes how previous money system failures may shape expectations and reactions to the next crisis. Then, we discuss the neuroscience of bubbles with behavioral economist Colin Camerer. Colin tells us about his recent research that maps the human brain as financial bubbles form and crash.

// Books

The Death of Money: The Coming Collapse of the International Monetary System by Jim Rickards

// Links and News Items

Firefly 2014 video on timber frame construction
Video from CommonBound 2014 hosted by the New Economy Coalition

// Extended Clips (in order of appearance)

[Break] - 26m

Christine Lagarde on money & the pending global reset
US dollar losing hold as world's reserve currency
Paul Krugman: We need $8 trillion to $10 trillion of QE
World Bank whistleblower: Dollar valueless, about to crash
Inside financial warfare
Jim Rogers on US dollar collapse
Paul Krugman: Fiat money is backed by men with guns

[End]

Finnish comedian Ismo Leikola on Debt

// Music (in order of appearance)

Lowell - I Love You Money via Pigeons & Planes
Snakehips - Days With You ft. Sinead Harnett via Gorilla vs. Bear
Dick Boyell and Orchestra w/ Don Shelton - Oh Sweet Bubbles, You Make Me Feel So Good via WFMU Beware of the Blog
The Lightning Seeds - Blowing Bubbles via Editor Kevin
Mungo's Hi Fi - Serious Time ft. YT
Seun Kuti - IMF

// Production Credits

Our correspondent and editor Kevin via Sustainable Guidance Youtube Channel

Episode #79 was supported by donations from the following generous listeners:

Glen and Barbara in New Zealand
Randall in the noosphere
Steve in BC
Ninh in Idaho
Scott in Alberta
Patrick in North Carolina
Nancy in Colorado

(more…)

[ Episode #77 // Locally Invested ]

As trust is lost in the global financial system and its intermediaries, surplus investment capital seems stranded in ever more risky international asset flows. Are there ways of re-routing investments towards local processes that rebuild communities and food systems? Will alternative investment strategies develop in time to challenge the failing narrative of a standard approach to retirement savings?

On Extraenvironmentalist #77 we talk about developing an investment paradigm for the future that's rooted in local business and healthy food, first with Michael Shuman of Cutting Edge Capital and author of Local Dollars, Local Sense: How to Shift Your Money from Wall Street to Main Street and Achieve Real Prosperity. We ask Michael about ways to invest locally that have the potential for better returns on capital and community cohesion while getting thoughts on the coming revolution in crowdfunding. Then, we speak with Carol Peppe Hewitt about the idea of Slow Money and ways that it can rebuild our foodsheds as detailed in her book Financing Our Foodshed: Growing Local Food with Slow Money. 

// Books

Local Dollars, Local Sense: How to Shift Your Money from Wall Street to Main Street and Achieve Real Prosperity by Michael Shuman
Financing Our Foodshed: Growing Local Food with Slow Money by Carol Peppe Hewitt

// Links and News Items

60 Minutes: Is the Stock Market Rigged?

NYT: Can a Pop-Up Service Fix It? Probably

Extraenvironmentalist Youtube Channel

// Extended Clips (in order of appearance)

[Break] - 21m

Forget gold, buy farmland
Jim Rogers on commodities, the agriculture boom and perilous times ahead
As Farmers Age, Japan Rethinks Relationship With Food, Fields
BBC Report on Farmland Investment in the Ukraine

[End]

Jeb Brugmann - from the upcoming XE miniseries on the built environment

// Music (in order of appearance)

Cuz - Tamatebako via god is in the tv
Robin Schulz - Shyer (Bootleg)
Paperwhite - Got Me Goin (Robotaki Remix) via The Burning Ear
Ghetto Brothers - There Is Something In My Heart (Spanish Gold Cover) via IndieShuffle
MSMR - Hurricane (Goldroom Remix) via Dancing Astronaut
Pharrell - Happy (NEUS Remix // Bobby C Sound TV edit)

// Production Credits

Our correspondent and editor Kevin via Sustainable Guidance Youtube Channel

Episode #77 was supported by donations from the following generous listeners:

Sarah in North Carolina
Hadi in British Columbia
Raul in Illinois
Feargal in Ireland

// Send us a BTC tip for #77

Even .0001 BTC goes a long way!

Donate Bitcoins

(more…)

[ Episode #75 // Positive Money ]

Critics of quantitative easing highlight the absurdity of creating money from nothing to paper over terrible investment decisions. Yet, what about all of the money created by banks before 2008? Incorrect narratives of money have misdirected and befuddled our thinking on finance and currency, limiting our responses to the global financial crisis. Can we learn about the internal dynamics of financial and monetary regimes in enough time to develop a positive response to the next financial crisis?

In Extraenvironmentalist #75 we discuss our global systems of money and finance with Ben Dyson of Positive Money UK and the themes in his new book Modernizing Money: Why Our Monetary System is Broken and How it Can be Fixed. Ben tells us why journalists, academics, economists and citizens have so much difficulty talking in an intelligent way about our money system. Then, Brett Scott joins us to describe the ways he was able to apply an anthropologist's approach to work as a derivatives trader. Brett discusses his book, The  Heretic's Guide to Global Finance: Hacking the Future of Money as he describes leverage points where activists can disrupt global financial flows to support ecological and social initiatives.

// Books

Modernizing Money: Why Our Monetary System is Broken and How it Can be Fixed by Andrew Jackson & Ben Dyson
Where Does Money Come From by Positive Money UK
The Heretic's Guide to Global Finance: Hacking the Future of Money by Brett Scott

// Links and News Items

News Item #1. "Global riot epidemic due to demise of cheap fossil fuels" http://bit.ly/NgG4qD  /via @NafeezAhmed

News Item #2. India's economic growth set to reach near decade-low

News Item #3: Chinese cities outstripping whole countries in infrastructure debt

#4. Richard Heinberg video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIAFRzaHnb4&list=UUTcsCH5wXNwGKTM_tLG8zrQ&feature=share

// Extended Clips (in order of appearance)

[Break] - 23m

George Magnus - The Next Financial Crisis Has Already Begun
Argentina Inflation
China's Suntech Default
China's LDK Solar Default
Debt and Overcapacity in China
Jim Rogers on RT
Venezuelans Struggle with Inflation

[End]

Documentary:How China Fooled the World

// Music (in Order of Appearance)

Why don't you do right - Cab Canavaral feat. Nina K Lucas (Skeewiff Remix)
DEFKLINE & RED POLO VS DANCEFLOOR - Spinning Wheels
JUNGLE. - Busy Earnin' via Stereogum
Colvin Quarmby - Men in the Grey Flanneled Suit via Russell Hill's Country Music Show
Sam Smith - Money on My Mind (Chris Montana Edit)
Bugseed - Puzzlement (en tokyo - four)

// Production Credits

Our correspondent and editor Kevin via Sustainable Guidance Youtube Channel

Episode #75 was supported by donations from the following generous listeners:

Deric in WA
Freddie in MA
Natalie in BC
Nancy in CO

// Send us a BTC tip for #75

Even .0001 BTC goes a long way!

Donate Bitcoins

(more…)

[ Episode #70 // Downloading Responsibility ]

An ongoing economic crash that feels like the onset of a deep freeze is far more exhausting than a rapid implosion. As bubbles are reflated and debts accumulate yet again, the system lurches towards its next financial accident. While the global operating system fails, can the exchange of critical goods and services detach from failing currencies? Does the international financial system retain any value if people no longer need it?

In Extraenvironmentalist #70 we catch up with Nicole Foss and Laurence Boomert on their tour across North America as they speak with communities about preparing for hard times. Nicole and Laurence highlight community initiatives that can help people meet basic needs, even as monetary institutions pursue desperation measures. Then, John Michael Greer joins us [88m] to answer a few listener questions and to highlight the lack of whole systems thinking in internet visionaries after Seth and Justin discuss the money illusion.

// Books

Local Dollars, Local Sense by Michael Shuman
Inquiries Into the Nature of Slow Money by Woody Tasch
The Money Illusion by Irving Fisher

// News and Other Items Discussed

Freicoin - the demurrage based cryptocurrency

// Extended Clips (in order of appearance)

[Break] - 35m

Consum-oholic zombies fed big debt transfusion
Living Debt: Rising costs in UK force millions to borrow
Bartering to survive in Spain
I'm broke, let's barter - Greece's new alternative economy

[End]

Alan Watts

// Music (in Order of Appearance)

Dorothy Morrison - Rain (Bobby Busnach Make it Rain Remix)

Skeewiff - Man of Constant Sorrow
Ed Sheeran - I See Fire (Kygo Remix) via Earmilk
ZZ Ward - 365 Days (Jerry Folk Remix) via Jaqui
Fredico Aubele - Somewhere Else

// Production Credits

Our correspondent and editor Kevin via Sustainable Guidance Youtube Channel

Kevin in CA for the Filter Bubble Wrap at the end

Episode art: Wall Street in 1929, one week before the Black Friday crash. People gather due to high volume of trading.

This show was supported by donations from our generous listeners:

Danny in New Orleans
Patrick in Oregon
Eric in DC

// Send us a BTC tip for #70

Even .0001 BTC goes a long way!

Donate Bitcoins

(more…)

[ Episode #67 // Bubble and Beyond ]

A massive pile of accumulated debts and a global credit bubble are tearing apart our politics and societies. As illusory wealth continues to evaporate, a battle ensues between creditors that lent too much and a rapidly growing class of debt serfs. With the ability for reform appearing increasingly futile, a systemic crisis has created paralysis on the edge of an abyss. What do the examples of previous indebted empires tell us? Can we create an alternative to a neoliberal philosophy that ends in neofeudalism?

In Extraenvironmentalist #67 we discuss the implications of the bursting global credit bubble with economist and historian Michael Hudson. Our conversation covers many of the themes in Hudson's new book, The Bubble and Beyond which covers the process of quantitative easing, neofeudalism and more. Then we speak with Nate Hagens, the former lead editor of the Oil Drum and an expert on global resource depletion. Nate describes why the relationship between energy and debt will increasingly lead to defaults as slowing growth means debts won't be serviced.

// Books

The Bubble and Beyond by Michael Hudson

// News and Other Items Discussed

Michael Hudson's website
Collapse and the Changing Face of Suicide submitted by Robin
Iceland running out of cash to pay foreign debts
IMF's Hilarious forecasts for a return to growth

// Extended Clips (in order of appearance)

[Break] - 30m

Countrywide commercial
Bernanke was wrong
Alan Greenspan on Irrational Exhuberance
Alan Greenspan - "There is no chance of default."
Days away from collapse - US default could bring global chaos
Greg Palast on Max Keiser about Obama
Countdown to US Government Default
Obama - "US Pays Its Bills."

[End]

Clarke and Dawe - Same Special Subject as Everyone Else

// Music (in Order of Appearance)

Jump the Curb - Forever Blowing Bubbles via Jump the Curb
Shania Twain - Ka Ching! (The Simon and Diamond Bhangra Mix)
Monster Rally - Palm Village via Bandcamp
Notorious B.I.G. - Mo Money Mo Problems (Woody's Produce Remix) via Youtube
Imagine Dragons - On Top of the World (RAC Mix) via Oh So Fresh
Bee Gees - Tragedy (Forever Kid Remix) via This Song is Sick

// Production Credits

Our correspondent and editor Kevin via Sustainable Guidance Youtube Channel

This show was supported by donations from our generous listeners:

Ronald in Texas
Sally in Australia (Happy birthday to Maxence!)
Mr. Smith in Massachusetts
Carla in the Quebec

(more…)

[ Episode #62 // Land Grabs ]

A financial sector built on a foundation of continuous material expansion is seeking returns in a slowing global economy. Will investments in global farmland be able to provide the returns expected by pension funds, endowments and future financial claims? Why are investors suddenly emphasizing the same data and charts that environmentalists have been pointing towards for decades?

In Extraenvironmentalist #62 we discuss the global race for farmland with Fred Pearce as detailed in his recent book: The Land Grabbers. We hear about his journey around the world to uncover the secret deals being signed by governments at the expense of their people. Then we speak with Gregor Macdonald about the global energy trends driving this search for innovative returns. Gregor describes why the age of nuclear power is ending as complexity overwhelms large systems and how the global economy has changed dramatically since conventional oil reached its plateau.

// Books

Fred Pearce // The Land Grabbers
Gregor Macdonald // Solar's Rise, Nuclear's Demise - June Issue of Terrajoule

// News and Other Items Discussed

One year away from global riots (from 9 months ago)
6.2% Food Inflation in Saudi Arabia
With electricity and water in short supply, Egyptians grow tense

XE Video with Dennis McKenna
XE Video with Nate Hagens

New Economics Institute ReRoute Summit - July 19th-21st

Beatboxin' Rick Wolff

// Extended Clips (in order of appearance)

[Break] - 23m

Michael Hudson from an upcoming episode of the Extraenvironmentalist
Glen Gary & Ross - A Film About Land Grabs
Jack Alpert from Extraenvironmentalist #11
Brazil - Protests of Discontent

[End]

A clip from our recent video with Nate Hagens

// Music (in Order of Appearance)

Bugseed - Thinking of You via Soundcloud
Shine 2009 - Eurozone (CFCF Remix) via Gorilla vs. Bear
Cosmo Sheldrake - Rich ft. Ana Roo via Pigeons and Planes
Daft Punk - Get Lucky (Beats Antique Cover)
Blackstreet - No Diggity (Bondax Remix) via The Music Ninja

// Production Credits

Our correspondent and editor Kevin via Sustainable Guidance Youtube Channel

Episode #62 was supported by donations from one of our generous listeners: Beccy in Australia

(more…)

[ Episode #55 // Degrowth ]

Decades of material growth have left us with a limited imagination for alternatives. Now that we've hit the point of diminishing returns for additional economic growth, can we decolonize our mind? In the developed world, is it possible to improve our quality of life while decreasing our standard of living? Could it be possible to degrow our economies in a way that creates a happier and healthier society while creating a true alternative for the undeveloped world?

In this epic length episode #55 of The Extraenvironmentalist we cover the Montreal Degrowth Conference from May 2013. We hear from a number of degrowth academics and activists about the ideas in the movement. Through more than twelve interviews we speak with Peter Brown, Michael M'Gonigle, Josh Farley, David Suzuki, Bill Rees, Mary Evelyn Tucker, Janice Harvey, Charles Hall, Gail Tverberg, Juliet Schor, Joan Martinez-Alier and Erik Assadourian. Then, we recap 2012 by hearing from Gregor MacDonald about the IEA's headline grabbing scenario for a United States that produces more oil than Saudi Arabia and Jeremy Grantham's recent eyebrow raising report on resource scarcity. We close out with a preview of our 2013 interviews.

// Index

Peter Brown on degrowth - 6m
Michael M'Gonigle on education - 17m
Josh Farley on money and alternatives to GDP  - 26m
David Suzuki on localism - 43m
Bill Rees on denial - 53m
Mary Evelyn Tucker on a new narrative - 1h06m
Janice Harvey on culture change  - 1h12m
Charlie Hall on energy return - 1h27m
Gail Tverberg on peak oil  - 1h43m
Juliet Schor on working less  - 1h5om
Joan Martinez-Alier on ecological economics - 2h6m
Erik Assadourian on degrowth - 2h15m
Gregor Macdonald on the IEA, claims about US oil production and Jeremy Grantham - 2h38m

You can find the individual degrowth interviews on our video page at http://vimeo.com/extraenvironmentalist

// Music (in order of appearance)

Tor - Glass and Stonevia Earmilk
Electric Guest - Awake (Dennis Rivera Remix) via Soundisstyle
Marvin Gaye vs. Pryda - Too Busy Thinking About Leja via Soundcloud
Marvin Gaye - Anger (Jeremy Sole edit) via Soundcloud
American Authors - Believer via Youtube
Adele - Skyfall (Dorsh Remix) via Indieshuffle
Plastic Plates - Things I didn't Know I loved (Bufi Remix) via Et Musique Pour Tous
Young-Wonder - To You via The Music Ninja
Emancipator - Minor Cause via Earmilk

 

Special thanks to Nathan at Southern Energy and Resilience for transcribing this episode!

(more…)

[ Episode #52 // Market Monsters ]

The monstrosity of capitalism gains new strength as political leaders fight for a return to growth by dissecting society. Though many nations are rising up against the monetary elite, most North Americans are still zombified. Could some of our monster stories describe the feeling of living in a capitalist system? Will the failure of capitalism lead to a zombie apocalypse or a zombie uprising?

In Extraenvironmentalist #52 David McNally joins us for our 2012 Halloween Special to talk about his recent book, Monsters of the Market. David describes how Frankenstein's Monster, vampires and zombies might be metaphors for the monstrosity of the system that has become more apparent since the 2008 Global Financial Crisis started. Is capital itself a vampire? Then, KMO joins us to further detail the zombie narrative and to recommend some films for this Halloween season. Last of all, we make a big announcement.

You can find our previous interview with David McNally in XE #30 and KMO in XE #3.

Also, You can find David's recent article on the zombie apocalypse in Jacobin.

// Music (in order of appearance)

Michael Jackson - Thriller (DJ Ottobot Remix) via Soundcloud
Dead Man's Bones - My Body's a Zombie for You via Soundcloud
Kay Starr - Headless Horseman via Covering the Mouse
Kirby Krackle - Zombie Apocalypse via Youtube
Andrew Gold - Thank You For Being a Friend (Teenager Cover) via Soundcloud
The Rolling Stones - Sympathy for the Devil (Allure Remix) via Earmilk

// Extended Clips (in order of appearance)

[Break] - 36m
Clips from Frankenstein (1931)
Cops petrol bombed as Greeks fume at new €10 bln cuts call
'Germany enforces same austerity that paved way to Third Reich'
EU Facing Complete Collapse
Taming the Vampire Squid

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[ Episode #49 // Developing Breakdown ]

Central banks are undertaking unprecedented actions to keep the monetary system from unraveling. Despite unlimited Quantitative Easing and wealth transfers between Europe's economies, growth has yet to return and debt is demanding to be serviced. This process is stretching the banking system to its limit. What happens when the pretense is dropped and money loses its full faith and credit? As the global economy continues its slowdown, are there people preparing for life after the global credit system falls apart?

In Extraenvironmentalist #49 we speak with Dmitry Orlov about the developing systemic breakdown threatening to destroy the global credit system. Dmitry describes his view of the mortal blow to globalized trading and discusses ideas of how society would transform after it evaporates.  We ask Dmitry about those who may be best prepared for the financial system to go broke. To find out more about people prepared for a world without money, we speak with photographer Lucas Foglia [1h 19m] who tells us what it was like to capture the lives of those dropping out of society for his book A Natural Order. After we hear from the people in Lucas' work, we play a discussion from CNBC with Marc Faber [1h 52m] where he echoes the sentiments of Dmitry and those living off the grid.

// Music (in order of appearance)
The Kooks - Runaway (Lonsdale Boys Club Remix) via Golden Scissors
Richard House and the Five Fellows - You Can Do a Lot of Living on a Credit Card via WFMU
Imagine Dragons - Radioactive via The Music Ninja
POP ETC - Everything is Gone via Et Musique Pour Tous
Corb Lund - Down on the Mountain via Corb Lund
Muse - Unsustainable via Soundcloud

// Extended Clips (in order of appearance)

[Break] - 25m
Andy Zaltzmann on the Global Economy

[End]
Frank as recorded by Lucas Foglia

// Production Credits

Josh Balik // Production Assistance
Chris Hehn // Graphics Work

 

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[ Episode #48 // Urban Minds ]

Human populations have lived a rural lifestyle through most of history, depending on agriculture or hunting and gathering. As abundant oil reserves fueled the rise of modern civilization, urban life grew along with it. In 1800 only 3% of the world's population lived in cities, in 1900 that number reached 14% which increased to 30% in 1950. The majority of our species became urban in 2008 as more than half of humans are now living in cities. Because of petroleum powered agriculture we've supplanted increasingly more humans from food production into other activities. With the exhaustion of our biosphere and the end of cheap oil can we draw on examples from cities of the past to shape the human population centers of the future? Will lessons before economic growth provide a context for life after growth?

In Extraenvironmentalist #48 we speak with archaeologist Paul Sinclair about the Urban Mind project. Paul discusses a new field of archaeological research that is discovering the role of urban gardening throughout history and during wartime in ancient cities. We ask Paul about the role of cities in shaping the way humans think and he tells us how he survived a food crisis in Mozambique. After discussing a world before economic growth, Donnie Maclurcan of the Post Growth Institute tells us how we can start building a post-growth world [1h 14m]. Donnie describes the benefits of asset mapping your community and why you should participate in Free Money Day on September 15th. Last of all, John Michael Greer joins us [1h 58m] to answer listener questions and to talk about David Korowicz's FEASTA study, Trade Off: A Study in Global Systemic Collapse which details how a cascading collapse could lead to rapid end for the global supply chain.


// Music (in order of appearance)
Agnes Obel - Katie Cruel (Feltman & Badutski Remix) via Et Musique Pour Tous
Stevie Wonder - Living for the City (Reflex Stems Revision) via Bandcamp
The Vaccines - The Winner Takes It All (Abba Cover)
via The Pop Sucker
Visitor - Coming Home (Lifelike Remix) via Harder Blogger Faster
Abba - Money, Money (Sebastian Sas Remode) via Soundcloud
Neil Young - Old Man (Sound Remedy Remix) via Et Musique Pour Tous

// Extended Clips (in order of appearance)
[Break] - 32m
Bill Rees speaking at the Vancouver Urban Forum
Ed Glaeser speaking at the Vancouver Urban Forum

[End]
Peter Victor at the Montreal Degrowth Conference

// Production Credits
Kevin M. via Sustainable Guidance Youtube Channel

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[ Episode #45 // Opening Money ]

By failing to question our money system, we've accepted an understanding of finance and fiat that's showing its flaws greater than ever. This globalized currency system draws money out of localities and into the hands of corrupt financial institutions. Can we start recapturing these flows of money to build resilient communities? If the Federal Reserve can print money, why can't we?

In Extraenvironmentalist #45 we speak to Michael Linton, developer of LETS and the Community Way currency system about how to open up our money to emphasize positive aspects of human nature . Michael describes how local currencies can help to overcome the feeling of scarcity imposed by a centralized national currency. We ask Michael if our federal dollars should be replaced or if we should be looking to compliment them through local money. Then, we speak with Jordan Bober who is launching the Seedstock in Vancouver, BC based on Michael's Community Way model.


// Music (in order of appearance)
Chick Bullock - Are You Making Any Money?  via Youtube
Gold Diggers of 1933 - We're in the Money via Youtube
Matt and Kim - Let's Go via Consequence of Sound
The Beatles x Carlos Santana x Griz x Gramatik – Don’t Let Me Change (Ego Mashup) via The Music Ninja

// Extended Clips (in order of appearance)
[Break]
FT - Libor scandal rocks banking
Max Keiser - How Tom Cruise Stole Libor
Michael Hudson - Summit MMT in Italy

[End]
Michael Hudson - Summit MMT in Italy

// Production Credits
Production Assistance  | Kevin at the Sustainable Guidance Youtube Channel

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[ Episode #44 // Evolving Innovation ]

Our understanding of innovation has been shaped by decades of growth in the rate by which we can extract environmental resources. Now that conventional oil reserves are no longer flowing as readily, what does this do to how our modern civilization thinks about innovation? Do the innovations of the future involve faster processors and further advances is silicon materials or will it encompass something entirely different? Can we achieve sustainability through innovating?

In Extraenvironmentalist #44 we discuss the archeology of innovation with Sander van der Leeuw to learn how our complex societies have shifted short-term risks to long-term risks through the application of technologies. Sander explains how our complex societies developed and describes why our previous models of innovation may not address issues of sustainability. We ask if the genius factor can have a role in developing the breakthroughs necessary to preserve our species or if we'll need to look for other models of development. Then, we travel to Salt Spring Island, BC to meet Amy and Larry who innovated in low-energy models of living by living off the grid for fourteen years in California.


// Music (in order of appearance)
C2C - Mack the Knife (Tribute to Louis Armstrong)  via Soundcloud
The Mynabirds - Body of Work via Stereogum
Santigold - The Keepers via Pretty Much Amazing
Hacienda - Don't Turn Out the Lights via The Eargazm
I Am Oak - On Trees and Birds and Fire via Soundcloud
Clams Casino - Swervin (Remix) via Stereogum
Phaeleh - Orchid via Soundcloud
Arcade Fire - Sprawl II (Damian Taylor Remix) via Soundcloud
C2C - Down the Road via Soundcloud

// Extended Clips (in order of appearance)
[Break]
Sander van der Leeuw

[End]
Nipun Metha - Designing for Generosity

// Production Credits
Production Assistance  | Kevin at the Sustainable Guidance Youtube Channel
Cover art via creative commons license

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[ Episode #39 // Debunking Economics ]

Roughly 90% of the world's economics professionals failed to see the current economic crisis forming on the horizon of the early 21st century. Many of them are now striving for stability through policies of refinancing and quantitative easing. While this class of economic thinkers have driven the planet's policies for decades, their faulty logic is being exposed by structurally high unemployment and failing banks. Ben Bernanke and Mario Draghi are using central bank policies to prop up a system that's imploding due to heavy debt burdens by using national deficits for attempts to accelerate private debt accumulation once again. Could one of the few economists that predicted the current financial crash outline a path forward for educating the next round of economists while providing an alternative to austerity?

In Extraenvironmentalist #39 we speak with Steve Keen about how neoclassical economics controls the ways our governments think. Steve draws on themes from the second edition of his book that exposes neoclassical economics and its faulty logic, Debunking Economics. In the first half of the interview, we draw on a technical understanding of where neoclassical economics has gone wrong and where the economies of the Eurozone are headed through following the path of austerity. In the second half, we talk about modern debt jubilees and retooling economics education. After which, Jennifer Baichwal joins us at the 95' mark to talk about her newest film, Payback, based on Margaret Atwood's book about debt and debtor relationships. Last of all, Seth and I recall our recent gig at Jackson Hole.


 

// Music (in order of appearance)
Vacationer - Good as New via The Swill Merchants
Niia - Mad World via The Music Ninja
Mark Foster, Kimbra, A-Trak - Warrior via Hard Candy
Dragonette - Let It Go (The Knocks Remix) via KickKickSnare
Ibrahim Ferrer - Ay Candela (Henry Krinkle Remix) via International Beat Forum

// Extended Clips (in order of appearance)
[First Break] - 35'40"
Austerity Suicides
Greeks in Despair
This is War: Italy Burns Paintings to Protest Austerity
Greek Town Develops Alternative Currency
[Second Break] - 67'40"
Bernanke Impresses Students at GWU
Steve Keen on Ponzi Schemes
Krugman Knocked Out of Neoclassical Orbit by Steve Keen
[End]
Michael Hudson - INET Talk on the Politics and Economics of Restructuring

(more…)

[ Episode #38 // Hard Times ]

Debt is placing a stranglehold on the global economy, restricting the ability for growth to occur at a rate fast enough to prevent the monetary system from unraveling. To delay a massive deleveraging, governments are turning on the central bank taps to fill the system with liquidity. With severe structural issues that continue to avoid inclusion in the political discourse, can ordinary people prepare to maintain control over their assets to ensure success of future decentralization initiatives? How is preparing for this world different for our generation than for our parents?

In Extraenvironmentalist #38 we talk about living in hard times with Nicole Foss of The Automatic Earth. Nicole tells us about the Canadian housing bubble and why the initial collapse might just be faster than the one America experienced in 2005. Seth and I ask about what life was like in the Great Depression and how the process of labor exploitation may continue into the near future. We ask Nicole if misunderstandings about economic collapse could have us preparing for the wrong thing.

Also, we get to meet our blog editor Louisa Clarence-Smith who tells us about WWOOFing and her experiences working on farms in Scotland and Italy.

For more from The Automatic Earth, check out our interview with TAE writer Ashvin Pandurangi back in XE #13.


 

// Music (in order of appearance)
St. Lucia - All Eyes on You via Soundcloud
Cody ChestnuTT - Under the Spell of the Handout via Indieshuffle
Phil Collins - In The Air Tonight (Cosmo Black Remix)  via Hard Candy
Alpine - Hands (Goldroom Remix) via Fader
ANDREYA TRIANA – Lost Where I Belong (Banks Remix) via Aerial Noise

// Extended Clips (in order of appearance)
[First Break]
Sunshine and Eclipse
Rioting Across America During the Great Depression
Stories From the Great Depression
[Second Break]
Making a Difference: Rebuilding From a Tornado
Bill McKibben: Rebuilding Community
[End]
Jiddu Krishnamurti - Fear

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[ Extra // Sacred Economics Film Premiere Q+A ]

After you watch the new Sacred Economics film, tune in for our discussion with filmmaker Ian McKenzie and Charles Eisenstein.

In this special Extraenvironmentalist we speak with Ian McKenzie and Charles Eisenstein about their new short film based on Charles' book Sacred Economics. If you've been thinking about discussing Extraenvironmentalist topics with a family member or close friend, we highly recommend sending them this succinct and moving video summary of the ideas Charles presents in his recent book. We hosted this discussion on our Livestream page and would love to take more suggestions for live events.

Follow Ian McKenzie on Twitter and stay tuned to his work as he moves forward with his next feature documentary project Occupy Love.

You can find our past episodes with Charles Eisenstein at #25 and #33.

 

 

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[ Episode #30 // Austerity + Hope ]

Through the transfer of private debt to balance sheets of governments around the world, we've entered an age of austerity where citizens are experiencing drastic cuts to basic necessities. Civil unrest has resulted from people demanding that corporate greed should be punished instead of individuals. As the Occupy movement reaches a transition point, have we witnessed the spark of global anti-captialist movement or has it just been a brief glimpse of the anger developed from decades of economic injustice? Are there true reasons for hope with an increasing number of youth facing diminished opportunities for participating in the promises that capitalist markets once offered? Is this truly a turning point in history? If so, what does it mean to live in the midst of a global revolution?

In Extraenvironmentalist #30 we speak with David McNally about themes from his book Global Slump: The Economics and Politics of Crisis and Resistance, that draw on examples of successful populist uprisings around the world to demonstrate that in the Western world we too have options for resisting the tyranny of an age of austerity. We discuss the natural evolution of the Occupy movement and the potential to ensure that the movement grows while keeping food on the table and meaningful work available for the unemployed. Have elites secretly been preparing for unrest as they use taxpayers to bail out an unsustainable industry built on the pipe dream of perpetual growth? Are youth willing to accept their role as movement builders instead of iPhone owners?


 

 

// Music (in order of appearance)
Pretty Lights - Finally Moving via Et Musique Pour Tous
Hezekiah Jenkins - The Panic is On  via Ghostcapital
Makana - We Are The Many
Connor Youngblood - Will You Be There (Michael Jackson Cover) via Pigeons and Planes
Aarab Muzik - Let it Go via SkeetBeatz

// Extended Clips (in order of appearance)
America's New Poor Fending for Food Stamps
Doug Stanhope - Fear in the US News Media
Steve Keen on BBC Hardtalk
WBEZ on Oligarchy: How the Super Rich Defend Their Wealth
Public Sector Workers Strike in the UK

(more…)

[ Episode #29 // Creating Wealth ]

Occupy Wall Street has directed our attention to the extreme concentration of wealth resulting from decades of policy designed to trickle down prosperity. Through using a single type of bank debt currency, we allocate our labor and resources to benefit a global elite instead of our communities. Can we engage our local leaders and municipal governments to break this currency monoculture? Can global examples of currency ecology provide a map for improving educational experiences, enhancing the arts and building resilience to the fragility of central bank finance mechanisms?

In Extraenvironmentalist #29 we speak with Gwendolyn Hallsmith and Bernard Lietaer about Creating Wealth: Growing Local Economies with Local Currencies, their recent book on how to implement complimentary currency systems while creating intentional cities with money ecosystems. We cover examples of complimentary currencies in Brazil (saber), the United States (time banking), Switzerland (WIR), Belgium, Lithuania and Uruguay (C3) to demonstrate how alternative forms of money can help to enhance our education, business and sense of community. Could the WIR be the reason for Switzerland's stability? Are there ways to retool education funding that could help us realize our dreams?

Note: Justin's poor understanding of French led to him mis-speaking Bernard's last name, it should be said Liet-ya instead of Liet-air


 

// Music (in order of appearance)
John Lee Hooker - (Money) That's What I Want
The J's - The Sound of Money via WFMU's Beware of the Blog
Sharon Jones - Money via This is Real Music
The Drums - Money (Chad Valley Remix) via Niteversions
Mr. Little Jeans - The Suburbs (Cry Wolf Remix) via The Music Ninja

// Extended Clips (in order of appearance)
Debt Diets and Riots: Euro Lose Lose via RT
Greeks Abandon Cash Resort to Bartering via RT
Annie Leonard - Story of Broke
Enslaved to banks US students drawn to join Occupy
Chris Hedges Speaking at OWS

(more…)

[ Episode #28 // At Growth’s End ]

European economies are teetering on the brink of collapse as low rates of GDP growth are no longer able to justify continued investments in piles of debt. On the other side of the Atlantic, the United States is struggling to acknowledge its ever larger ranks of underemployed and unemployed while managing the world's largest national debt. Now that the American debt to GDP ratio has surpassed 100% can the nation ever return to a state of stability? Is this just a prolonged recession or has our system of economic growth suddenly and radically changed forever?

In Extraenvironmentalist #28 we speak with Richard Heinberg about his most recent book The End of Growth which uses data on global economies and international energy supplies to argue that the paradigm of economic growth has ended forever. Richard says that while our economies will still grow in the future, they'll be constrained to lower and lower rates of growth that won't be able to support money systems and financial obligations. If the global economy follows a prolonged period of contraction driven by depleted energy availability, what will this do to our notions of technology and society? We discuss how global contraction will impact trends of specialization, urbanization and wealth accumulation. Seth and I ask if the end of economic growth has to be fraught with strife or if life after growth can lead to a richer existence.


 

// Music (in order of appearance)
Navet - Leave and Let Go (Niva Remix) via Niva Bandcamp
Bill Cagle and the Spirit of '68 - The Other Ninety Nine  via WFMU's Beware of the Blog
Washed Out - Call it Off  via Pretty Much Amazing
Death Cab for Cutie - Codes and Keys (Yeasaer Remix) via Stereogum
Camo & Crooked - James Bond Theme (Official Rework) via The Music Ninja

// Extended Clips (in order of appearance)
Oakland Revolt: Occupy Cop Crackdown via RT
Oakland-DC-NYC: Occupy dot-to-dot to make big picture via RT
Robert Newman's History of Oil
David Suzuki speaking at the University of British Columbia Chan Centre on November 3rd, 2011

(more…)

[ Episode #26 // The Four Horsemen ]

Is capitalism failing or is it producing an intended outcome? There are a group of people privy to the internal mechanisms of our global economic rationale who are willing to share a vision of how the system really works. Though their original intent was to serve what appeared to be a beautiful machinery of supply and demand, they soon realized how greatly the assumptions of our economy are disconnected from reality. Is economics labeled as the dismal science only because of the way we currently practice it?

In Extraenvironmentalist #26 we speak with Ross Ashcroft about his upcoming film The Four Horsemen which explains how the world really works through interviews with 23 of our planet's leading alternative economists, Wall Street insiders and economic thinkers. Ross describes how his desire to become a farmer led him to understand the problems of international finance and how a career in the film industry provided the catalyst to create a documentary about the global economic system. Ross talks about what he learned from interviewing such a well accomplished group of economic experts and what it was like to be in the same room, talking one-on-one with Noam Chomsky. Will our economy collapse because it is being orchestrated to do so or will finance fall apart because it is based on junk science?


 

// Music (in order of appearance)
TV Girl - Benny and the Jets via Break on a Cloud
Penguin Prison - Don't Fuck With My Money via Hard Candy
Charles Bradley - The World (Is Going Up in Flames) via Quit Mumbling
Shotgun Radio - A Bad Place ft. Mimi Page (Minnesota Remix) via Big Green Beats
Lana Del Rey - Blue Jeans (PatrickReza Dubstep Remix) via Movements and Nonsense

// Extended Clips
Tarek El Diwany on Financial Fallout via Renegade Economist
US Jobless Epidemic Masked by Statistical Shenanigans via RT
USA Might Face a Potentially Violent Revolution via RT
Elizabeth Warren on Fair Taxation via American Spectator

(more…)

[ Episode #25 // Saving Money ]

Is it more practical to learn permaculture than to earn a business degree? As financial markets sell off around the globe and world leaders scramble to prevent national defaults from collapsing the global economy, today's youth are certain to live through a massive shift in the monetary paradigm. An education system that prepared us to receive jobs in a consumer economy injured our ability to truly learn and now we face the insult of entering a bleak job market. Is money real or is it based on societal myths? Can a monetary system built on collaboration rather than competition create a society that amplifies the positive aspects of human nature? As Mike Ruppert says: until we change the way money works, we change nothing.

In Extraenvironmentalist #25 we speak with Charles Eisenstein about his new book Sacred Economics which explains how to save the concept of money from being subject to our outdated understanding of human nature and simplistic mechanistic models of the physical world around us. While the social unrest sweeping from Cairo to Athens to Barcelona to New York is disrupting monetary dynamics can it also create an applicable positive vision? Charles explains how a negative interest currency and an economic model that integrates equity and ecology can end what we perceive to be the human nature emphasized by our current currency. Can we accept that the failure of money isn't the end of the world but that it is an opportunity to reorganize?


 

// Music (in order of appearance)
Zeds Dead - Coffee Break via The Music Ninja
MGMT - All We Ever Wanted (Bauhaus Cover) via Stereogum
Michita - November via Earmilk
HEALTH - Goth Star (Pictureplane Cover) via Gorilla vs. Bear
Beatles - Eleanor Rigby (Butch Clancy Remix) via Dubtunes

// Extended Clips
Fiat Money via Renegade Economist
Trader Interview on BBC
Occupy Boston

(more…)