What I've Been Reading, January 2018

Links

These links appear in the order I read them, rather than any more refined sort of organization. You may find some of the best ones are near the bottom—it varies from month to month.

• What to know about the “raw water” trend, by Jen Kirby, Vox
  
• How a hackneyed romantic ideal is used to stigmatise polyamory, by Carrie Jenkins, Aeon
  
• Country's first biotech rice released, The Daily Star
  Bangladesh is the country referred to.
• Opinion: Non-GMO madness by Karen Caplan, Fresh Fruit Portal
  
• Countries Most Dependent On Others For Food, by Lanessa Cago, WorldAtlas.com
  Many extraneous factors such as war, drought, regional conflict, and natural disasters can affect a country's ability to feed itself.
  I found the list quite surprising.
• Why Baltimore Doesn’t Heat Its Schools, by Lester Spence, Jacobin
  In postindustrial Baltimore, low-income residents are treated as expendable — and public services are slashed accordingly.
  And thus the policies of abandonment and exterminism begin to be put into effect.
• Marketing a Mistrust of the Safest Food Supply in History” by Kevin Folta on YouTube
  Separating sense from nonsense.
• 2018: The Year of the BIG ONE? by RE, at the Doomstead Diner
  RE's year end post, looking both back and ahead. Some excellent advice on how to hedge in the light of what appears to be coming down the tubes at us.
• Old Age and Societal Decline, by Richard Heinberg, Post Carbon Institute
• The Potential Pitfalls of Electric Cars, in 5 Charts, by Jack Stewart, Wired Magazine
• Anemia Discovery Offers New Targets to Treat Fatigue in Millions, by NBCV29.com
  Lorrie Delahanty, one of the researchers mentioned in the article is a Facebook friend and fellow member of the Peak Oil Facebook group.
• A Scientist Didn’t Disclose Important Data—and Lets Everyone Believe a Popular Weedkiller Causes Cancer, by Kiera Butler, Mother Jones
  Not exactly the kind of article I would expect from Mother Jones, but good for them.
• The difference between “can” and “can”, by Tim Watkins, The Consciousness of Sheep
  Economic reasons why technically possible things can't be done.
• Would Rural Areas Be Safer In A SHTF Situation?, by Tyler Durden, Zero Hedge
  
• A Gentrification Story with a Happy Ending, by Jon Michaud, The New Yorker
  Problems being solved on a local level. It can be done.
• Art Berman: Like It Or Not, The Future Remains All About Oil by Adam Taggart, Peak Properity
  Chris Martenson interviews Art Berman. Includes some excellent discussion of tight oil and gas (fracking).
• Gail Tverberg: The Coming Energy Depression, by Adam Taggart, Peak Prosperity
  Chris Martenson interviews Gail Tverberg
• Nobody Wants Old Carz, by RE at the Doomstead Diner.
  RE makes some insightful comments on the realities of car ownership.
• Beyond Leviathan's reach: On labor and freedom in humanity's deep history. A "This is Hell" Interview featuring James C. Scott, touching on the subjects covered in his new book Against The Grain.
• Guaranteed Minimum Agriculture by Simon Sarrius, Medium
  Why Basic Jobs might fare better than UBI
• Quit the Glyphosate Conspiracy Theories, by Cameron English, Real Clear Science
  
• The Great Oil Swindle by Chris Martenson, Peak Prosperity
• Composting the Permaculture Way by Mike Stasse, Damn the Matrix

Minimum Wage Increase

Here in Ontario the minimum wage increased from $11.60 to $14.00 on January 1, 2018. Next year it goes up to $15.00. Those are Canadian dollars, of course, so that's not as much money as it may seem, and it still doesn't seem like much. But percentage wise it's a big jump and, predictably, businesses are raising quite a big stink. Here are some links discussing the issue. If they seem one sided, well, OK, but the other side has already been well represented in the mass media.

• Planning for progress: Minimum wage increase is a correction long overdue, by Erica Shaker, Behind the Numbers
• A report that analyzes every minimum-wage hike since 1938 should put a bunch of nonsense ideas to rest, by Nick Hanauer, Business Insider
• If Denmark has no minimum wage laws, should Canada follow suit?, by Tom Parkin, Toronto Sun
  One doesn't expect such progressive ideas in the Sun. (Don't be mislead by the title.)

Books

Not a big month for reading—I spent too much time writing, and shoveling snow.

Fiction

• Crashing Heaven by Al Robertson
  

Non-Fiction

• There's no App for That by Richard Heinberg, The Post Carbon Institute.
  Technology and Morality in the Age of Climate Change, Overpopulation, and Biodiversity Loss. Great stuff, which I can highly recommend. Not technically a book, but I printed it out to read at my leisure rather than sitting in front of the computer.

And to fill out this month, here are some gems from my bookshelf, aimed at those of us in the northern hemisphere who can only dream about gardening at this time of year.

• The Resilient Gardenerr by Carol Deppe
  Food Production and Self-Reliance in Uncertain Times, including the five crops you need to survive and thrive—potatoes, corn, beans, squash and eggs.
• The Tao of Vegetable Gardening by Carol Deppe
  Cultivating Tomatoes, Greens, Peas, Beans, Squash, Joy and Serenity.
• The Truth about Garden Remedies by Jeff Gillman
  What works and what doesn't and why.