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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).
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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.
SPRING 2012 [FEB MAR APR] READER MAGAZINE OF REDLANDS 5WWW.READERMAGAZINE.NET
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
6 READER MAGAZINE OF REDLANDS SPRING 2012 [FEB MAR APR] WWW.READERMAGAZINE.NET
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)
• 5th billion in 13 years (1987)
• 6th billion in 12 years (1999)
• 7th billion in 12 years (2011)
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.
8 READER MAGAZINE OF REDLANDS SPRING 2012 [FEB MAR APR] WWW.READERMAGAZINE.NET
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”
SPRING 2012 [FEB MAR APR] READER MAGAZINE OF REDLANDS 9WWW.READERMAGAZINE.NET
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.
10 READER MAGAZINE OF REDLANDS SPRING 2012 [FEB MAR APR] WWW.READERMAGAZINE.NET
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.
SPRING 2012 [FEB MAR APR] READER MAGAZINE OF REDLANDS 11WWW.READERMAGAZINE.NET
CONTINUED ON PAGE 17
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
SPRING 2012 [FEB MAR APR] READER MAGAZINE OF REDLANDS 13WWW.READERMAGAZINE.NET
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
14 READER MAGAZINE OF REDLANDS SPRING 2012 [FEB MAR APR] WWW.READERMAGAZINE.NET
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
SPRING 2012 [FEB MAR APR] READER MAGAZINE OF REDLANDS 15WWW.READERMAGAZINE.NET
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
16 READER MAGAZINE OF REDLANDS SPRING 2012 [FEB MAR APR] WWW.READERMAGAZINE.NET
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
CONTINUED ON PAGE 20
SPRING 2012 [FEB MAR APR] READER MAGAZINE OF REDLANDS 17WWW.READERMAGAZINE.NET
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.”
COVER STORY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11
CONTINUED ON PAGE 29
18 READER MAGAZINE OF REDLANDS SPRING 2012 [FEB MAR APR] WWW.READERMAGAZINE.NET
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.
SPRING 2012 [FEB MAR APR] READER MAGAZINE OF REDLANDS 19WWW.READERMAGAZINE.NET
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
20 READER MAGAZINE OF REDLANDS SPRING 2012 [FEB MAR APR] WWW.READERMAGAZINE.NET
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
SPRING 2012 [FEB MAR APR] READER MAGAZINE OF REDLANDS 21WWW.READERMAGAZINE.NET
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
Mar 4Kimberly Crest House & Gardens presentsA Bridal Open House@ The Carriage House Noon-4pm. 2 for $5909-792-2111 or
kimberlycrest.org
Mar 761st Annual Camellia Luncheon Assistance League of Redlands 7 of the most beautiful homes inRedlands host Noon – 2pm enjoy hors d’oeuvres,door prizes & luncheon RSVP 909-798-2562
Mar 8 - 25Redlands Footlighters presentsQueen Milli of GaltRomantic Comedy by Gary Kirckham,a true and witty tale of unexpected love Directed by Mel Chadwick909-793-2909 orredlandsfootlighters.org$15 Students - $10 Group RatesLook for the $3 OFF Voucherin this Reader
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
Mar 17Collective Journey: Irish to Create!Scrapbooking EventLearn layouts & techniques,swap ideas & get inspired!10-1pm Class Fee $15 includesclass kit & use of tools.RSVP 909-793-2200.Full list of classes @collectivejourney.com
Mar 17Silver Clay Jewelry Workshop@ Redlands Art Association 1:30-5:30$50 Members & $55 Non-membersRegister: 909-792-8435or redlands-art.org
Register by Mar 21 forMar 24 R.U.F.F. Ride
5/10/31/62 mile8am @ corner of Citrus & 5th
proceeds maintain & improve theRedlands Dog Parkredlandsruffride.comDonations $10-$60
Mar 22 - 2528th Annual Redlands Bicycle Classic The largest road cycling event in theUnited States. Featuring prizes in
excess of $50,000909-748-0637 or redlandsclassic.com
Mar 24 & 25Community Pancake Breakfast atthe Redlands Bicycle Classic
7am-11:30am. $5. 909-748-0637
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SPRING 2012 [FEB MAR APR] READER MAGAZINE OF REDLANDS 23WWW.READERMAGAZINE.NET
SEND YOUR EVENTS TO: [email protected]
Register by Mar 25 forApr 25 20th Anniversary EventFOUR-D College Celebrates 20 Years
of Success Stories 6-pm @ Ontario Convention CenterProceeds benefit anysoldier.com909-783-9331 or 4DCollege.edu
Mar 26 - 30Dynamic Thinking & Study SkillsWorkshop for Jr. High & HS Students@ Above The Baroff of Hospitality Ln in SBRegister: 909-890-0111or abovethebar.com
Mar 306th Annual Crab N’ JazzEnjoy beer tasting, live & silent auction,all-you-can-eat Alaskan King Crab Legdinner, New Orleans-style Jazz &dancing. 6pm at Edwards Mansion. $90909-335-1941 or crabandjazz.com
aprilApr 8EASTER SUNDAY
Apr 5 - 7Breathe Yoga RetreatAllow the Goodness and Wellness toFlow... @ Joshua Tree Retreat Centerall-inclusive; details & to register:BreatheRedlandsYoga.com
Apr 13 - 27Academic Excellence Workshopfor Grads & Undergrads@ Above The Bar off of Hospitality Ln in SBRegister: 909-890-0111or abovethebar.com
Apr 1427th Annual Red Wine & BluesOrton Center at University of RedlandsEnjoy a tasting from dozens of premierwineries, door prizes, live & silent auc-tion, and live jazz. 5pm-8pm909-793-4806 or RedWineAndBlues.com$60; $70 at the door
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
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CONTINUEDFROM PAGE 23
SPRING 2012 [FEB MAR APR] READER MAGAZINE OF REDLANDS 25WWW.READERMAGAZINE.NET
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
26 READER MAGAZINE OF REDLANDS SPRING 2012 [FEB MAR APR] WWW.READERMAGAZINE.NET
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
SPRING 2012 [FEB MAR APR] READER MAGAZINE OF REDLANDS 27WWW.READERMAGAZINE.NET
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
CONTINUES ON PAGE 28
WE ARE COMPETITIVE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12
28 READER MAGAZINE OF REDLANDS SPRING 2012 [FEB MAR APR] WWW.READERMAGAZINE.NET
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-
WE ARE COMPETITIVE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 27
CONTINUES ON PAGE 31
What really matters toconsumers is value—and local businesses
excel at providing value.
SPRING 2012 [FEB MAR APR] READER MAGAZINE OF REDLANDS 29WWW.READERMAGAZINE.NET
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
COVER STORY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17
CONTINUED ON PAGE 32
30 READER MAGAZINE OF REDLANDS SPRING 2012 [FEB MAR APR] WWW.READERMAGAZINE.NET
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
SPRING 2012 [FEB MAR APR] READER MAGAZINE OF REDLANDS 31WWW.READERMAGAZINE.NET
WE ARE COMPETITIVE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 28
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.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 36
32 READER MAGAZINE OF REDLANDS SPRING 2012 [FEB MAR APR] WWW.READERMAGAZINE.NET
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
COVER STORY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 29
CONTINUED ON PAGE 34
SPRING 2012 [FEB MAR APR] READER MAGAZINE OF REDLANDS 33WWW.READERMAGAZINE.NET
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.
34 READER MAGAZINE OF REDLANDS SPRING 2012 [FEB MAR APR] WWW.READERMAGAZINE.NET
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.
COVER STORY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 32
SPRING 2012 [FEB MAR APR] READER MAGAZINE OF REDLANDS 35WWW.READERMAGAZINE.NET
36 READER MAGAZINE OF REDLANDS SPRING 2012 [FEB MAR APR] WWW.READERMAGAZINE.NET
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.
WE ARE COMPETITIVE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 31
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.
SPRING 2012 [FEB MAR APR] READER MAGAZINE OF REDLANDS 37WWW.READERMAGAZINE.NET
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.
38 READER MAGAZINE OF REDLANDS SPRING 2012 [FEB MAR APR] WWW.READERMAGAZINE.NET
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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