Welcome to the Earthsharing Australia email newsletter. Land and natural resources are the birthright of all.
Anatomy of the GFC
Thurs July 23rd
6.30pm
1/27 Hardware Lane
Did anyone mention Greenshoots? Whilst most commentators are doing their best to massage over the latest unemployment figures by saying that the worst is over, Bryan Kavanagh has a more grounded analysis. Bryan will detail why and how big this boom bust will be. Can Melbourne's property prices continue upwards forever? What caused this Global Financial Crisis?
Bryan is one of our best presenters and will be sure to provide insights that few others can match. With ABS data revelaing a 22.4% drop in new house approvals and a 57.5% drop in multi-unit dwellings, one wonders what sort of housing affordability crisis this is?
RSVP to assist our preparations of nibbles n snacks
Apologies to our interstate supporters...
Professer Hudson knocks back UN to tour Australia
Professor Hudson advised last week that he had informed the UN General Assembly's auspicious 'Future of Globalisation' conference that he was pre-booked.
In preparation for his October tour, spice up your life by listening to his Renegade Economists interview: Grand Theft Monopoly .
His frenetic output is a challenge to keep up with, but check out the Hudson tag on both websites. (Tags to your fave topics/ authors can be located below the article title and clicking on 'Hudson' for eg)
We have a number of high profile presentations firming up for him, including three to Federal MP's and bureaucrats. A growing number of Hudson suporters are helping coordinate the tour of their own volition - listen and you will understand why.
FYI - you can now subscribe to the Renegade Economists podcast by searching for it in the Itunes 'online store'.
Brumby's Sprawl - Submissions required
July 17th is the cut off date for submissions in response to the Brumby - Madden plan to expand Melbourne by the size of Canberra. Looking at the comments on our website, the manner that they are to fund the sprawl is causing controversy.
Related commentary on our websites:
Madden's Economic Snubbery
Scottish Look to LVC to Fund Infrastructure (via the Economist)
and the latest post re 1000 extra homeless per year the by-product of our boom years: Economic Growth Fails Us In More Ways Than One
Phil Anderson's whirlwind continues
Phil Anderson is the author of The Secret Life of Real Estate and has given some compelling presentations for us of recent.
He is speaking alongside Daniel Grollo, one of Melbourne's pre-eminent developers at the Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce (Mon July 27th). If you would like to attend, our colleague Joe Siegel is making up a table.
Phil is also speaking at an invite only event alongside Steve Keen and some of the big wigs from the daily economic newsletter The Daily Reckoning.
**** BUT WAIT - Phil needs our help - can you vote for his book at the People's Book Awards, a highly respected award.
Behind the Scenes
We've recently held a strategic review, where volunteer Tohm Curtis improved our skills and helped sow the seeds to more effective planning.
Bookmark this date - Tuesday September 1st - The 118th Annual Henry George Dinner - more details coming.
***** New I Want to Live Here Film Comp website launched - Play the gentrificiation game on our new interactive website, themed to focus on how 'artists create the scene, speculators wipe it clean'. Registrations are already building.
Speed Renting is now held monthly, on the fourth Tuesday of every month, in Lygon St (north) - next Tues July 28th.
New members are growing, why not join for just $30?
Reading of Interest:
800 US Bases for 193 countries? - No wonder some allies are jacking up the rents by 300%!
Seized: the 2008 land grab for food - mountains next with climate change?
Google Muscles in on Real Estate Search Biz (check the bottom of the Oz Google Maps images - the rights have been sold to Sinclair Knight Merz)
Background Briefing on Australia's Ocean Territory (recently expanded such that we 'own' more marine than land)
NZ's new oil find ? - more oil than Saudia Arabia (PDF) - who will claim the bounty - the people or the MNC's?
I will be presenting to the Council of Georgist Organisations in early August and doing a number of public talks whilst in the US.
we look forward to seeing you at the Anatomy of the GFC presentation on the 23rd,
K2 and the office team