We’d like to talk about capitalism. Late stage capitalism. A highly evolved system in the final throes of exploitation. We’d like to turn it upside down and see what it could look like if we went about it differently. Our free enterprise system today has the look of stalagmites rising from the floor of a Read More
Category Archives: Center for the New Northwest
Clownfrontational
There’s nothing funny about authoritarian systems. But there are clever ways to protest them. Taking it to the streets, clown style here. And it is worth noting that activism roils clowndom, too, as our institutions undergo generational soul searching here.
Cascadia: Prelude II
Some fifty miles off the coast of Cascadia, miles below the surface of the Pacific Ocean and only 10 minutes ago, pressure built up between two massive tectonic plates over more than 300 years finally gave way. Along a 700 mile fault line, the Juan de Fuca plate slipped a few meters beneath the continental Read More
Pay It Forward
The thing about change is that it usually is forced on us. Few of us go there willingly, foregoing the familiar for a venture into the unknown. When truly dramatic change happens, like the world wide pandemic we are suffering, all the pain is readily apparent. But sometimes, too, the sheer magnitude of the disruption Read More
Power Play
It may surprise you to know where your electricity comes from. This state-by-state look at the sources of power generation over the past 20 years is provided by Nadja Popovich and Brad Plumer in The New York Times edition of Oct. 28, 2020.
Cascadia: an excerpt
“So, what’s the deal?” he said. “Deal?” said the bum. “I thought we agreed you’d go away. I gave you money. You said you would!” “I did go away.” “Not for long. Just a few days.” “Had to get back to work.” “What?” “Money ran out. Need some more.” “More? From me, you mean?” Read More
Cascadia: Prelude
It is Tuesday, the 13th of June, 2022, nearly 9 p.m. Flag Day. A full moon has just begun to rise above Mt. Hood. The dark, volcanic mountain silhouetted against the moon and the Willamette River flowing silver in the valley below is a classic snapshot of one of the world’s most beautiful cities. There Read More
How We Move from There to Here
Think about moving things that are valuable. Things we can’t afford to waste. Things like water, electricity, food. Think about how we do it now and how we might do it better. Better Food There are many good reasons why the locavore movement is sweeping agriculture. Food is best that is locally grown, we are coming to agree. It is fresher; Read More
World Population Through History
Our world is rife with problems. Many of them, some would say most of them, are related to the earth’s burgeoning population. A fascinating look at the growth of population world-wide from humankind’s earliest days to the present can be found HERE.
Birthplace of Climate Change Changes
Maybe it’s unfair to call the United Kingdom the birthplace of climate change. The world’s burgeoning population is a factor, too. It is, however, the place where coal was first employed on a mammoth scale to provide energy, powering the Industrial Revolution. And it was an early example, with its soot stained buildings and poisonous Read More