January 18 - Gail the Actuary has written a wonderful article for the Oil Drum ( http://www.theoildrum.com/topic/economics ). I missed it the first time around, but it was republished this past Thanksgiving. Titled “Thanksgiving: A Time to Think about Gift Economies?”, Gail acquaints us with societies/economies that accord recognition, not to individuals who HAVE a lot, but to individuals who GIVE, or share, a lot. While I am forced to question her wave-of-the-hand dismissal of barter (my brother belonged to a barter organization that allowed him to, among other things, have his lawn sodded and his kids’ cavities filled), and believe it could definitely have a role to play in post-carbon civilization (along with local currency), gift economies have become so far removed from our daily existence in which everything is monetized, I think the idea definitely warrants discussion. Wikipedia’s definition of a gift economy, which Gail quotes in her article, is a good place to start. ...
Understanding the global-warming world: causes and ramifications.