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crash course

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-seven years and one million words

Tokyo, 2009.02.10

One of the reasons I moved to Japan a few years ago was my dismay at what humans have made of North America. I'd been doing a fair bit of disturbing reading, and came to the conclusion that North America's rampant consumption and fractally bizarre choices (driving 150 kilometres to work; living in vast suburban paved panoramas; remaining stubbornly unable to save money; exporting all productive industry) were going to impoverish and imprison everybody.

It turned out that Japan was possible, so here I am.

About a month ago, a friend of mine who went through something of a midlife political awakening passed on a link to a series of videos that neatly summed up a few of the books and other sources I'd been reading and added to it a much better understanding of how the US monetary system "works". I finally got around to reading it, and find it irrefutable (if gut-wrenching). It's called, simply, "Crash Course" and is available from its creator, Chris Martenson.

Viewer beware!

rand()m quote

There's nothing more difficult to handle, more doubtful of success and more dangerous to carry through than initiating change.

—Niccolo Machiavelli