Stefan Molyneux is back, and this time we discuss his fantastic novel The God of Atheists.  I had a ton of fun talking about this book with Stefan, and if you’ve not yet read it, don’t worry, this episode does not contain any spoilers.

And if you’ve not yet read The God of Atheists, I have to ask why not?  This novel is truly a masterwork, the most important work of fiction since The Fountain Head.  You’ve got to read this book!

The paperback version can be found here:

http://www.lulu.com/shop/stefan-molyneux/the-god-of-atheists-softcover/paperback/product-1775028.html;jsessionid=E620D82D6A8242A91415F77BAECF6534

PDF and audio versions of the book are available for gold donors on Stef's website: 

http://www.freedomainradio.com/Donate.aspx

Bumper music:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6j1sxvun384

Steve Patterson co-hosts with me as we talk to Alfie Kohn, the best-selling author of many books on parenting and education.  We spend a large portion of the show discussing how using punishments and rewards, carrots and sticks, teaches children that they are only loved under certain conditions, they are only valuable when they do good.   There are many ramifications of this approach, none of which are desirable.  We also discuss some of the flaws of the public education system, how it crushes the natural desire of children to learn.

Find more from Alfie Kohn here:  http://www.alfiekohn.org/index.php

Bumper music:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0H3RlaQVrM

In this show I speak with Seth Andrews, author of Deconverted: a Journey from Religion to Reason, and founder of the website and podcast The Thinking Atheist.

We talk about Seth’s journey from being a Christian radio DJ to being a public advocate for truth, what proof is required to believe in a deity, free markets, and more!

Please visit Seth’s wonderful site and buy his book:

http://www.thethinkingatheist.com/

Bumper music:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xA84aIAWEk

Andrew Horowitz joins me to discuss investing in the financial markets.  He talks about his journey working in the industry the last 20 plus years and how much things have changed.  We discuss the economy, and learn what do you do when the economy and the market send you different signals. 

Find more from Andrew here:

http://www.thedisciplinedinvestor.com

Bumper music:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAdQzCq53XE

With Mother’s Day looming, there is no better time to have on one of my favorite mothers, Adele Faber.  In this show, we both share stories about our experience as parents.  Adele talks about the new edition of her best seller How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids will Talk and provides us with scores of sage advice.

You can find Adele here:  http://www.fabermazlish.com/

And her books here:  http://www.fabermazlish.com/publications.php

Bumper music:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHjpOzsQ9YI

Sean Croxton teaches us about JERF, Just Eat Real Foods.  We learn exactly what real food is, how our friends sabotage us when we’re trying to lose weight, why it’s important to have good reasons to get healthy, the importance of sleep, and how Sean gained a fear of planes!

You can find Sean below:

http://undergroundwellness.com/

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/btr-underground-wellness-show/id296766401

http://www.youtube.com/undergroundwellness

https://twitter.com/ugwellness

https://www.facebook.com/undergroundwellness

Bumper music:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0H3RlaQVrM

I welcome back Pete Gerlach to discuss psychology and self-help.  We cover his great article “Five Epidemic Personal, Marital, and Family Hazards”:

http://sfhelp.org/hazards.htm

Here is the link to his free 7 lesson self-improvement course mentioned during the show:

http://sfhelp.org/pop/course.htm

Pete’s youtube channel:

http://www.youtube.com/user/gercacn/videos?view=1&flow=grid

Pete provides phone consultations: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xznYTHZGjps&feature=player_embedded

Or find a local therapist who specializes in IFS therapy (Inner Family systems):

http://www.selfleadership.org/find-an-ifs-therapist.html

An interview with Dr. Faye Snyder about RAD (Reactive Attachment Disorder):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MrVq-3UviY

Bumper music: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHjpOzsQ9YI

Two Beers with Steve has now become the Choice Conversations podcast.  In this show we learn about the host’s journey; how he unplugged from the matrix.

Below are links to several items mentioned during the show.

Peter Gerlach’s “Break the Cycle” website:  http://sfhelp.org/pop/course.htm

Wes Bertrand and Complete Liberty:  http://completeliberty.com/

The Market for Liberty free audio book:  http://podiobooks.com/title/the-market-for-liberty/

True News 13: Statism is Dead - Part 3 - The Matrix: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P772Eb63qIY

“The Law” by FRÉDÉRIC BASTIAT:  http://mises.org/books/thelaw.pdf,  http://mises.org/media/2648/The-Law (audio version)

How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World by Harry Browne:  http://www.amazon.com/How-Found-Freedom-Unfree-World/dp/0965603679/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1366068892&sr=1-1&keywords=how+i+found+freedom+in+an+unfree+world  

Nathaniel Brandon sentence completion exercises:

http://www.nathanielbranden.com/exercises/

http://www.nathanielbranden.com/exercises/sentence-completion-i/

http://www.nathanielbranden.com/exercises/sentence-completion-ii/

Bumper music:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xA84aIAWEk

Our guest this week is Andy Craig, CEO & Founder of Plain English Finance.  We talk about his book “Own the World,” which is about the importance of learning to invest; why everyone can and should manage their own money.

Learn more about Andy at his blog:  http://plainenglishfinance.com/

Here are links to the free newsletters Andy mentions during the show:

http://www.stansberryresearch.com/products#podcasts

http://agorafinancial.com/

This show is a short conversation Steve and I had while waiting to interview Andy Craig.  We talked about parenting, specifically Alfie Kohn’s great book Unconditional Parenting.  Since the topic of this opening discussion was dramatically different then the topic of our interview of Andy Craig (which was finance/investing), I decided to break the discussion up into two separate podcasts. 

Here is a link to Wes Bertrand’s reading of the book Unconditional Parenting, as discussed during the show:

http://completeliberty.com/magazine/read/episode-137---unconditional-parenting-part-one_143.html

This week Dan Carlin joins us to mix a little history into the discussion.  Dan is the host of a political podcast called Common Sense, as well as one on history called Hardcore History.  On the latter, he recently did a series on the Mongol empire, and that is the discussion for today’s show. 

I had a blast doing this show, getting to pick Dan’s brain on a variety of points about the colorful story of the Mongols.  Check out his web site for more:

http://www.dancarlin.com/

In this week's show we revisit a question from the last podcast, is society truly progressing?  To help us answer the question we have a round table discussion.  Hosts Steve and Chris are joined by previous guests Wes Bertrand of the Complete Liberty Podcast and Brett Veinotte from the Schools Sucks Project.  Listen to the show to discover why we almost titled this episode "The Philosophy of Hookers." 

http://schoolsucksproject.com/

http://completeliberty.com/

Steve returns from vacation to engage in one of the more unusual podcasts we have ever done. Steve subjects Chris Stefanick to a scenario in which he changes the incentives of the scenario through a series of questions. 

Recently Steve has been experimenting with this series of questions in an effort to expose the perverse incentives behind government redistribution. Obviously the experiment is still evolving and Steve would gladly accept different scenarios and questions to add to his experiments. If you are interested in helping out just contact us at twobeerswithsteve@hotmail.com

On today’s show we talk to Dayna Martin, the UnNanny.  We discuss her book, Radical Unschooling, and the odyssey she has been on with her family living the life style.  It was amazing to hear how different life can be if you do not follow the main stream paradigm.

I encourage you to check out more of the great work she is doing:

http://daynamartin.com

This week’s guest is Wes Bertrand from the Complete Liberty podcast.  We cover psychology, ethics, parenting, statism, nutrition; seemingly no topic is off limits! 

Wes is so well rounded he has four different websites, each with a different focus.  I encourage you to explore them.

http://completeliberty.com/

http://happinesscounseling.com/

http://healthymindfitbody.com/

http://logicallearning.net/

Brett Venoitte of The School Sucks Project joins us to discuss the reason why he does not call our school system the 'Education System', the chief reason is that education is not the goal of our current school system. Brett elaborates on how he does not think reforming our current system will do any good. 

Along with many criticisms of the current public school system Brett also gives his vision of restoring critical thinking skills into a truly educational system, something our current system lacks. 

We invited Peter Gerlach to talk about his 7 Self-Help Improvement Lessons. 

  1)  Free your wise resident true Self and reduce two to six "wounds."

   2)  Learn effective thinking and communication basics and skills

   3)  Learn to practice healthy three-level grief

   4)  Learn how to choose and maintain high-nurturance relationships

   5)  Learn how to evolve and maintain high-nurturance families

   6)  Learn kids' needs and effective parenting basics and skills

   7)  Use lessons 1-6 to evolve a high-nurturance stepfamily

On today's show we talk to Judy Pardo, a psychotherapist and certified P.E.T. instructor.  She tells us about the parenting method's presented in the wonderful book by Thomas Gordon, Parent Effectiveness Training, and the work she does with parents and children in New York City.

You can find more about Judy here:  www.villageparenting.com

Gordon Training International's website is a great resource for the P.E.T. method:  www.gordontraining.com

Tom Woods the historian, economist, and political analyst joins Chris and I on Two Beers With Steve to discuss his latest venture The Liberty Classroom. A first of it's kind on-line education forum that aims to educate Liberty-minded individuals while at the same time arming the students with tools for debating.

Tom refers to Liberty Classroom as teaching the Real Version of history and the Real Version of economics and when I challenged him on what he was implying Tom responds that he is not implying anything at all, that instead he is explicitly stating that the current narrative taught in public schools and universities is flawed and incorrect at times and goes unchallenged. 

The co-hosts of the popular Zen Parenting Radio Podcast join Chris and I for a hearty discussion on Parenting. Cathy and Todd Adams discuss their particular way of being self-aware parents and how they overcome the daily challenges of being responsible parents.

Some takeaway points from this podcast are:

-Parenting is "simple... but not easy"

-Steve provides a really bad sports analogy

-How to handle not becoming "offended" when a child yells back at you or disrespects the parent

-We spend a good bit of time talking about the partnership of parents and how important that is, and also how to manage that relationship in a healthy way

Steve's Aftershow Deep Thoughts:

Oddly (but not so oddly), I walked away from this interview noticing a parallel between 'Parenting Podcasts' and 'Business Management Podcasts' because they both share the same language and structure. Both topics are about empowering the individual who is being managed to be free and creative but yet there is always a need for safe boundaries. Both topics tackle the issue of establishing order. Both topics understand that a reward system is necessary. Both topics understand that discipline must be catered to foster learning from the example (the fear of punishment is a powerful motivator to curb behaviors but not so much a motivator to be innovative).

Management and parenting may just be one in the same. Is there a relationship between how we treat children and how we treat adults? Are there universal behaviors and treatments that can be gleaned from one topic and transferred to the other topic?

Obviously, I will concede that this may not always be the case (diaper changing for example) but in most situations you can transfer a success/failure example in the parenting realm and achieve a relative success/failure in the business realm. It certainly is worth noting and experimenting with in your personal life. 

Until next time... take care. 

Steve

Stefan Molyneux joins my co-host and I for a discussion about injecting philosophical morals and ethics into our parenting. Stefan introduces and describes what it means to be a 'Philosohical Parent' and reminds us that the relationship between the parent and child is unique in it's structure and therefore we must recognize this disparity of power and respect it. 

After a short introduction to the topic I quiz Stefan on how he would handle this situation and that situation in which Stefan responds with several tools that he uses. After a few short discussions of 'how-to's' Stefan realizes that not all tools are fool-proof and universal and will require preparation on the part of the parent, thus requiring a parent to be vigilant and aware. Stefan then brings the discussion back to the morals and ethics of these examples.

We end this episode strangely enough, gushing and fawning over the work of Stefan Molyneux. He is afterall the 'King of All Content' and has recorded thousands of hours of media, which could easily dominate one's thinking and spare time. Maybe I should have quizzed him on his rise to the position as 'Cult Hero' in the Libertarian scene, but I failed to do so... maybe next time.

Cronyism + Capitalism = Crapitalism.

Chris and I recap the election briefly and talk about the future of the Republican Party.

Once every four years I became fully engaged in the "political super-cycle" and this time around is no different. In this episode I focus my energy on the topic of debating. After my interest was picqued through the Presidential Debates I went searching for other debates and found this debate "Stefan Molyneux vs. Sam Seder" and decided to record a podcast on the material brought up in the debate.

In this debate Molyneux and Seder debate Libertarinism and in my opinion Seder is the victor, though his victory was purely a victory of debating "style" rather than "substance". Seder was able to disarm Molyneux from some of his more effective arguments before he had the chance to fully engage them. 

For this reason of losing on style rather than substance I decided to discuss the common pitfalls of defending Libertairinism and how to counter the arguments.

How could we not talk about the debates? The political season is upon us and which war-monger shall we choose?

You'll hear my synopsis of the past two debates and why none of it really matters. Also, should I vote or should I not vote?

Beyond our discussion about the debates we also talk about my book recommendation Albions Seed and why I chose this particular novel to read. The discussion surrounding the book brings us to a larger discussion about the founding of this country.

After an extended break I (think I) will be back on a semi-regular basis putting out shows. I've reformatted the show down to 30 minutes (or so) in an effort to get me back in the podcast-o-sphere.

This episode is a meandering conversation with Chris Stefanick on various topics. As you might imagine I am a bit rusty on podcasting but I will get back into the swing of things before long.

Steve

A while has passed since our last podcast but after a long break I'm back with a podcast about Bit Coin.

Bit Coin is a digital currency that is not affiliated with any person, country, or nation. It is an independently operating currency that is very much still in it's infancy after almost four years of being circulated. But in this interview Brian Nugent explains that Bit Coin is not just some passing fancy, it is actually an emergent technology that has the momentum to upend the current monetary system... or to out it more bluntly, the current monetary regime. 

This interview is an eye-opening look into what could very well be the future of money. Please don't miss this informative podcast.

Open a BitCoin Account

Donate to my BitCoin Wallet - 14ZF5Vpz9SSwdXkJAsDtHcRsUYSJAF2R16

Interesting Data about BitCoin

Why is it that I've focused the last two podcasts on the Trivium (and soon to be three podcasts)?

The reason is that I think it is vitally important to understand this ancient form of understanding so that we may better interpret the world around us. The Trivium teaches a systematic and methodical approach to learning.

Whenever we come upon new information our minds intuitively begin dissecting it, but can our intuition (or gut feeling) be trusted? Are we wired correctly? Where did we receive our intuition? These are questions I cannot answer completely. Is it our culture? Is it our education? Is it genetic?

The Trivium is a conscious thought based approach to overcome our built-in programming. We can consciously make a choice to re-wire our intuition so that we categorize information and then dissect it from a more methodical standpoint. 

This is mind-altering stuff, yet it seems so simple and basic. I know that many listeners feel the same way because after the last show with Jan I received more thank-you's than I have ever had about a podcast. Many of the comments were similiar to mine, the Trivium is simple and basic yet mind-blowing.

Steve

Jan Irvin, host of the popular Gnostic Media podcast stops by to talk about the Trivium education. This podcast covers a general overview of what the Trivium is and how a knowledge of the Trivium can help you discern what is 'true' from what is fallacious. 

The Trivium is an ancient method of critical thinking that has three components; grammar, logic, and rhetoric. These three components make up the only three of the seven Liberal Arts. The other four concepts are covered in the Quadrivium (but we did not cover that in this episode).

Jan explains how the sophisticated class (the elites, the sophists, the powerful) has employed the Trivium to use mind control over the lower classes of society. Due to the fact that the educated class has access to better critical thinking skills they employ techniques to manipulate the minds of the less educated. Think of advertisements, campaign slogans, and government propaganda.

With a knowledge of the Trivium (which can be self-taught and is easily accesible) anyone can quickly learn techniques to identify logical fallacies and propaganda. 

An introspective podcast into the results of what happens when I tell myself the story of 'how bad things could get'. Is this a dangerous activity? Will I follow the path of the Unabomber? Can I be a functional member of society?

This week I interview Aaron Hawkins of the website Waiting For The Storm. 

I don't know how I came upon Aarons videos and website but I am glad that I did. Aaron does what few revolutionaries are capable of doing; condensing their complex message down to a 3 minute video that is Facebook-able (ie. pasting the video into Facebook and having people actually watch it). 

Where this interview was intended to go is not where it ended up and I'm glad we discussed what we did... but... there is still plenty to talk about with Aaron (am I hearing a part two?). We eventually settled upon the topic of awakening people to Aarons message and whereas I am sceptical of claims of internet videos making a difference, Aaron defended his position that it is possible and desperately needs to be done, albiet it needs to be done correctly.

The book 'The Crowd' by Gustave Le Bon is available for free download on Amazon for your Kindle or E-Book reader.

Chris and I once again analyze the book Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlett.

We don't complete the entire book but after three episodes we felt the need to move on to more current topics. Besides, I finished this book weeks ago and I want to discuss other things (selfish, I know).

Chris and I once again dig into Chapters 4 & 5 of Hazletts book 'Economics in One Lesson'. 

This episodes voice quality was lower than usual but it will be repaired for our third installment of this book review.

I apologize for the long lag between episodes but I am currently very busy with many different projects and have little time for accomplishing everything that is on my to-do lists. 

Please email all comments and suggestions to twobeerswithsteve at hotmail.com

Steve

I am trying something new here by examining the book 'Economics in One Lesson' by Henry Hazlett.

My guest, Chris Stefanick, and I dissect this book chapter by chapter and make commentary on the One Lesson presented by Henry Hazlett.

This podcast is meant to be educational while also keeping in the tradition of Two Beers of Steve, which means I have to be entertained as well. 

You can either listen along without having read the book or you can pick up a copy and join in the conversation by writing into the show... we'd love to hear from you.

{I'm writing my email this way to avoid an insane amount of spam}

twobeerswithsteve (at) hotmail dotcom

I hope you can decode my email.

Steve  

EAT TO LIVE by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. That book and that doctors name have been uttered around this house so many countless times. That book changed the way we eat, the way that we view food, and the way that we view our bodies. Now is he the Guru of Health and Diet? I would argue that he is not and decades (maybe even generations of study) are needed to determine why he is right and why he is wrong.

In this short vignette I open up about the way that I eat and the reasons we do so. I also admit the possibility that the way we eat may not be the optimal diet... but... I argue that we are headed in the right direction.

Take care, have a happy new year, and if you have questions about the Eat To Live diet, my wife and I would be glad to respond.

I discovered Lee Camp on the aggregator site, Knowledge is Asking the Right Questions, and for a few months I caught his videos when they were posted. His videos were aptly titled 'A Moment of Clarity' because of the fact that he shreds apart the Logical Fallacies so evident in politics and the media nowadays. Comedians like Lee Camp (and to an even greater extent, Jon Stewart) are rightly raising their eyebrows at the rhetoric being pumped out of the Big Brother speakers.

Lee Camps Moment of Clarity Videos and Podcasts

Lee Camp on Fox News 'A Festival of Ignorance'

Another vignette that was recorded as I was driving down the road. I announce that I will be interviewing comedian Lee Camp who is morally responsible for the excellent YouTube video series 'The Moment of Clarity'. I discovered his work through some postings on the aggregator site. Knowledge is Asking the Right Questions. 

Just me and my Iphone App, recording a vignette as I sit in my office.

The argument I am making, "The Tea Party is Based on False Premise", is one that I make often to people who associate themselves with the Tea Party. Needless to say, I don't get invited back to Tea Party parties. 

The song I chose for close out the show is 'The Debtor' by Miles Benjamin Anthony. His entire album is great but this song in particular stands out above the rest.

Dr. Michael Labossiere joins me in a discussion concerning Logical Fallacies. For the unintiated Logical Fallacies are, roughly speaking, an error in reasoning.

My interest in this topic came from a passing comment made by a guest on another podcast I was listening to, he mentioned that logical fallacies are ever-present in commercials. This piqued my curiosity and I explored the topic further including Richard Gula's excellent book 'Nonsense: A Handbook for Logical Fallacies'. 

I then sought after a guest that could come onto my show and illustrate the logical fallacies that we most commonly come across; ad hominum, appeal to emotion, appeal to the crowd, the fallacy of confidence, etc.. My search led me to Dr. Michael Labossiere, professor of Philosophy at Florida A & M and also author of two book on logical fallacies; '42 Logical Fallacies' and '30 More Fallacies'.

In this episode I wander over to Occupy Chicago and talk to a few individuals about the Occupy Movement. It was a great time and I recorded an interview with a flag waving veteran. I also spoke with some young gentleman which were a few of the folks that I had hoped to see at the Occupy movement; young, vigilant, curious, capable of listening and learning. That conversation was not recorded. 

Once again Mandy Henk joins me on the show and once again I am talking about my guilty pleasure, discussing Occupy Wall Street. I was knee deep into the Tea Party activism, even with it's many flaws, but this time I'm head over heels for Occupy Wall Street, even with it's many flaws.

Mandy has Occupied Wall Street (via Zuccotti Park) on three seperate visits. Having been someone who has seen the movement grow into now what may very well be a revolution, I thought she would be a great guest to discuss the issue. Mandy illustrates the daily goings-on and what the feel of the crowd is. We discuss the logistics of going to the bathroom as well as describing the soap-boxing that goes on.

Nathan Martin joins me to discuss why he is supportive of Occupy Wall Street yet he thinks their focus should squarely be on the ownership of wh gets to control the production and distribution of this country's monetary unit.

100 episodes. That is alot of episodes.

Part 1 of 2 is The Great Big 'I Don't Know' and Part 2 is What Can Be Wrong About Resiliency

This is a two hour conversation split over two episodes, unedited, uncensored, and thoroughly entertaining. It was a return to our roots of having roundtable discussions about anything we damn well feel like talking about. It is what I like to call the Zen of Two Beers of Steve...

Enjoy...

Steve

Protesting the XL Pipeline with Mandy Henk

Oh, how I love doing the podcast! I have missed it over the summer but the tradeoff is that I get to spend almost every free minute with the kids and working in the garden; learning and shaping my knowledge for another fruitful year. I believe that everything that I spend my precious little free time must be used towards creating something of value.

You might be asking how watching Mad Men episodes fit within that 'creating value' mantra. Well, I watch those episodes sitting beside my wife and afterwards we analyze the episodes and discuss the traits that each character possesses and what drives them. Those conversations are helpful ways in connecting with my wife on a different level from our careers, finances, or the children.

Everyone can have afford themselves a little fun, you just have to know to use that entertainment to better yourself and your relationships.

In this episode I drink a cup of coffee and tear into the microphone for 40 minutes. I follow that stream of consiouscness that is SO Two-Beersy-like. Comments are encouraged but you'll have to email me directly. My address is twobeerswithsteve (at) hotmail.com.

I'd love to hear from ya'.

Stev e

I know, I know, the world is goig to hell in a handbasket at the moment... the market volatility is frightening! But what are we are going to do about it? What is the best advice that anyone can give you right now?

In this discussion, which was taped on the eve of the market collapse (and then it's eventual snap back up), I talk with Charles Hugh Smith on his new book The Unconventional Guide to Investing in Troubled Times (available now on Amazon in Kindle format). CHS explains the effects that globalization and centralization of power has had on our global economy and how he thinks the pendulum is going to be swinging in the other direction... and soon. Maybe not this week kinda soon, but within this next decade kinda soon. So how do you prepare for that?

CHS gives probably the best advice one can give during these uncertain times, invest in yourself. Sounds easy right? But what does it mean to invest in yourself and what must you consider when you make such a bold move. There are consequences to investing in yourself that need to addressed... and I can't wait to read all about it in his latest book

The enticement of CHS's latest book (since it is only in Kindle format at the moment) pressured me into purchasing a tablet reader, and so I am one of 'those guys' now. Et tu Steve, et tu?

Steve

This is the second part of my listener conversations. This time my guest is Tim Flood of El Paso, TX. Tim is a long time listener of Two Beers With Steve and fellow Chris Martenson Forum contributor.

In this episode we focus in on how a regular Joe Six Pack has taken preparations in his own life to preparre for an uncertain future. We discuss gardening, investing, food storage, water filtering and home brewing.

After a long break, I was able to catch up with Nelson Lebo. After a long monologue introduction by yours truly we launch into a discussion about building raised the beds the fast, cheap, and easy way. Hidden in this episode are a boatload of helpful hints on backyard gardening and homesteading.

Enjoy the episode, I leave for vacation tomorrow and hopefully I will get back on the horse again and knock out a few great episodes so that I can get to that coveted 100th episode. I think we will have a roundtable discussion with the guys that we first started with... I may also pester my wife to join us. Who knows...

Steve

I finally reached the point at which I feel the need to tell Two Beers Nation that I have taken a long extended leave of absence. I have an episode ready to publish but the editing touches have seemed too much like work in the past month, so I've ignored my internet duties. 

I'll be back and I think the conversation will evolve. I think long time listeners and philosopher kings know where I am headed next... towards the solution, onward and upwards.

At the moment I am clearly way behind the eight ball for which I put myself under. Many of my current projects are firmly in line with the goals of my show and what I've talked about for the last two years. I need to be part of the society pursuing an answer, I don't need to be part of the society that groans and mumbles about what 'they are doing to us'. 

Part of the answer I am pursuing is to immerse myself into building a community that has their eyes on a very different future. It is going to be a very long and slow process and will require alot of me. I apologize for the absence but I have not 'gone away', there are plenty of great podcasts to keep you busy until I get my groove-on again.

C-Realm

KunstlerCast

Freedomain Radio

EconTalk

Common Sense with Dan Carlin

Truth About Markets with Max and Stacey

Get back to work,

Steve

In the next couple of episodes I will be talking to members of the 2BwS audience as we approach the 100th episode of the show. I am always interested by the level of honesty and intelligence of the people that listen to this show. A few times a week I receive emails from listeners where they detail their life, it always fascinates me. it reminds me that my show goes out into the internet cyberspace but yet lands into the Ipods, MP3 players, computer speakers of real people, who seem to think along the same lines as me.

In this episode I speak with sculptor Bill Hopen of Hopen Studios. Please check out his website for images of his work. I was blown away by the quality of his works, if I had known the scale of his works I would've spent more time discussing his body of work. Guess we'll have to talk to him again...

I also speak with Chris Stefanick in this episode, an IT manager from Durham, NC. Chris is a long time listener who I met up for lunch one day while I was in NC. Not so great food but the conversation was hard to pull myself away from. I always like to engage with listeners. Chris is a fellow peer who is raising children during this period of massive social change. His constant reminders that I should consider a guest on education are finally starting to throttle me into action. I think he's right on about that.

In this episode I talk about how I had my car broken into and the valuable contents inside were stolen. I move frlom talking about the physical possessions to the psychological effects of having been violated. I also expand the discussion into talking about how this is the world into which we may see much more of this type of crime as more and more people become desperate to make ends meet.

I read listener emails and make comments based on their thoughts. A listener asks me to talk about the farmers market and I talk at length about how things are going and some of the problems I have had thus far. I expand that discussion into talking about how I am going to start giving speeches about 'intentional communities' (knowing full well that hippies from the early 1970's used that same term to describe their utopian dream-states).

This is a very unpolished and raw edition of Two Beers With Steve. I wish that I had a more polished approach to talking about topics at length, but I simply don't have the training and I don't have the time. Once the record button is hit, no matter how much I want to try to get my speaking pattersn clear, the um's and the ummm's and the ya' knows just come naturally out of my my mouth. Take my speech patterns with a grain of salt and enjoy...

After a few weeks away from podcasting I return with Gonzalo Lira for a random conversation where we cover many topics such as Silver, Osama, Homeland Security, Freedom, and Generational Breakdown.

You may have already noticed but I disabled comments for my show because I was recieving between 30-40 spams daily. Since few people even used the feature ( I appreciate those that did, and I ready every comment) I felt the feature ended up being a big time waster for me (having to delete all those junky ads). If you want to contact me you can do it directly at twobeerswithsteve at hotmail.com.

Enjoy the show as much as I did recording it. I love to engage in conversation like this anfrom time to time as a way to post a great show in very short time period.

This week I speak with Darcy Menard, host of the podcast Stumbling Homestead. We center our discussion around Darcy's transition from a career minded professional to a sustainable farmer (in training). In our conversation we hit many of the high-points that many people wrestling with the transition often go through; talking with the spouse, relating with friends and peers, dealing with children, etc..

We also discuss home schooling, Excalibur dehydrators, and Berkey Water Purification Systems.

Chris Martenson returns to Two Beers With Steve to talk about his new book, The Crash Course. The new book provides a much needed update to his video series by the same name but also delves deeper into the subject matter and the book includes many more topics not discussed in the video. 

Since Chris' website is the first website that I have ever have posted a comment on, I must admit that I am preferential to his audience and to his content. Be that as it may, I think in this interview I was able to steer Chris away from many of the talking points to which I know that he has grown accustomed to talking about. This diversion into topics such as his thoughts on the effect of the growth based paradigm have on our culture and his feelings towards complexity prove to be some of the best moments in the interview.

Listen to the podcast, buy the book, pass it on to a friend who is just starting to question r'eality'.

Steve Crower and Erik Townsend come together in a two part episode that looks at the energy industry and how it will come when we have gone beyond Peak Oil.

This week I am joined once again by Gonzalo Lira to discuss his theory of the Lira Principle.

I am joined this week by Paul Wheaton. Paul Wheaton is the host of the largest permaculture website in the world, www.richsoil.com

This episode is filled with useful tips from the permacultural front. During the podcast, Paul talked about his lawn care philosophies, permaculture and diatomaceous earth. He gives a quick overview of his articles on ants and aphids, Sepp Holzer, hugelkultur and flea control

In addition to the helpful info you will acquire by listening to this podcast, listeners may also be thrilled by the amount of chops-busting and hard-times that Paul and I gave each other. I don't know how that happened, it just seemed natural for both of us to take playful jabs at one another. We actually got along famously... I think.

Like most of my guests, Paul is a guest I will have to have back on in the future. I was fascinated by the seminars he hosts that highlight how a permaculturist can make $200,000 by working the land and his/her livestock properly. Amen to that!

Low and behold I run in with one of the worlds most powerful and feared men... and I just wanted to pick him up and squeeze him like a child's teddy bear. He certainly has a media persona that does not match the man himself.

In this episode, which is more of a back-and-forth dialogue between Gonzalo Lira and myself, we discuss my chance encounter with the f*ck#ng mayor of Chicago and meander into side topics that add color to the main discussion.

To see the pics of Rahm, my wife, and me you can visit the Facebook fan page for Two Beers With Steve.

Anybody who is familiar with this podcast knows that I have investigated at great length the problems that we face. But eventually there came a time in which I had to do something and move forward and start looking at realisitic solutions. In this episode and in past episodes and alos in upcoming episodes I want to highlight the people who are going out there and making a difference at the local level.  I want to know why they do it and how they do it. I want to know what they are doing and who is doing it with them. I think these podcasts can be an invaluable treasure for those interested in getting involved.

I was introduced to Aaron Wissener through Chris Bedford. Chris mentioned multiple times that Aaron was a go-getter and someone I definitely needed to talk to. He is the founder of a local organization in Muskegon, MI called Local Future. The mission of Local Future is to create local resilient communities but the organization really sprang out of Aaron's realization that Peak Oil was a reality and that the reality of Peak Oil would have real world implications. Therefore Aaron saw a need to organize people around the idea of resilient communities.

In this episode Allan Balliett introduces me to the new term BioDynamics(or is it an ancient term as old as civilization itself?). Biodynamic agriculture is a method of organic farming that treats farms as unified and individual organisms, emphasizing balancing the holistic development and interrelationship of the soil, plants, animals as a self-nourishing system without external inputs insofar as this is possible given the loss of nutrients due to the export of food.

Allan Balliett mentions the book Ideal Soil: A Handbook for the New Agriculture by Michael Astera numerous times and presents the book as a manual on how to create plants that are both healthy and nutrient dense. The idea that we can just add more compost to solve many of our gardens problems may be flawed because the soil is more dynamic than what conventional wisdom would have you believe. In some cases soil samples may be necessary to identify missing nutrients.

I have been recieving this once-a-week email newsletter from a listener for quite some time, nearly 6 months. The name of the newsletter is 'Knowledge is Asking the Right Questions' and it is an aggregation of the best videos/podcasts/blogs/articles/cartoons on the web and it is all assembled by just one guy.

I have used this newsletter to stay up to date on current events that I missed during the week and to find new guests for the show. I asked the newsletter creator if he would be fine with me forwarding along the newsletter and he said it would be fine.

If you are interested please email me at twobeerswithsteve (at) hotmail.com. Subscription would be free.

Just when you didn't need one more thing to be concerned I bring forth unto you another civilization-stunning problem that threatens our modern living and is by it's very nature the issue is a political pariah. The issue is about water, and why we need to educate ourselves on how we use this valuable resource and realize just how scarce fresh water is.

'Water, water everywhere

Nor any drop to drink.'

My guest was Robert Glennon, professor at the University of Anizona and author of the book Unquenchable: America's Water Crisis and What To Do About It. In this interview we discuss the amount of freshwater available vs. the amount of water on earth and how the hydrologic cycle has supplied our earth with freshwater since... well... the beginning of the hydrologic cycle.Since that time, we have had the same amount of freshwater as the dinosaurs but we use freshwater in many different ways that are important to our modern living. Some of which are destroying the freshwaters ability to used for human consumption. It doesn't take more than a passing glance at the statistics of water to be concerned. Robert Glennon does more than just glance at the stats and delves into some serious issues that we face when it comes to freshwater use and it's longer term threat. Robert goes as far as to say that we face a Crisis.

Foss and Lira will be debaing deflation vs. hyperinflation on February 10, 2011 at 9PM EST. The live event will cost you about $45

I love this idea and would like to see more of this info-tainment going into the future. It brings together smart bloggers in a WWF smack-down style debate. It may not tickle your feathers quite like mine, but I think you'll see the very beginnings of a new format of internet media, The Main Event.

Register Here to participate.

My guest this week was Aaron Lucich, the film-maker of the upcoming film 'We Are What We Eat'. Aaron also is a public speaker on the subject of Organic Food.

In our interview we, of course, covered many topics but mainly centered the ideas that are in his film. We talked about the need for more sustainable and natural growing of food rather than the industrial model of farming which is wasteful and ultimately unsustainable. We talk about the best methods of reaching out to the masses and consider options that could be used on a large-scale (beyond the small pockets of already aware citizens). We also talked about eating lifestyles such as Weston A Price and Vegan.

At the end of this podcast I added on another seperate podcast that is just of myself, Steve Patterson, that you will enjoy. I rant and rave like a madman, but not really. I just jotted down a few things I wanted to say, turned on the microphone, and riffed for a good 35 minutes. Let me know what you think of my random thoughts, and if you feel it necessary you can email me at twobeerswithsteve(at)hotmail.com.

Bob Cannard Video Interview From the Aaron Lucich Facebook Page... a must see.

For whatever technical reason my hosting service changed a feature of my podcast that only allowed the past 10 episodes to be posted on my RSS feed. Well, with the help of my new website designer I was able to fix that.

So if you are one of the many who have complained, you can now go to my RSS feed you can download all 81 episodes.

Thank ya, Thank ya...

On a side note, I have been hangin' out at Gonzalo Lira's 'Hourly G' blog where he kicks out quick tidbits about current events a few times a day. They are short and interesting news items that he comments on. The amount of time to eat up each article is really low and the information is newsworthy stuff. Just thought you might be interested.

Johnny Max of the website Heirloom Seed Swap joins me  to talk about how you can save your seeds and engage in seed swapping (he also has his own podcast, Self Sufficient Homestead and BeerTalkRadio, interestingly enough).

We go over the basics of seed-saving your own seed from the crops that you grow in your own garden. Then we discuss how you can take those seeds and trade them for a wide variety of different seeds on his website www.heirloomseedswap.com

The discussion also goes over how to cultivate your own species of a vegetable variety. There is some pretty gardening questions put forth by myself (I'm a newbie at this gardening thang) but much of it will have value to even the seasoned gardener.

This week I talk with Stefan Molyneaux, host of FreeDomain Radio. Not only can you get this episode as a podcast but you can also watch the video of Stefan’s Youtube channel, here is the LINK. You can see ol’ Two Beers in action in this video as he interviews a guest, I have to admit that staring into a camera is not the most comfortable experience in the world but it is a new challenge that I hope to overcome. In fact, if you find me terribly dreadful in this interview (which upon review I think is the case) then you can blame it to the fact that it was the camera in my face.

Like every episode on this program we discussed a multitude of topics, some of which were free markets, healthcare, public smoking, the initiation of force, Alex Jones, why I (or Stefan, or anyone looking to make a difference) will never run for office, etc..

As always with Stefan, if you don't agree with him then at least be entertained by his info-tainment, it is truly some of the best out there.

Chris Bedford returns to talk about what is going on since we last talked. In that time frame he has continued work on his local farmers market, worked as a community activist, and is currently working with a committee on bringing a TED Conference to a nearby college.... what have you been doing since Chris was last on our show?

We also wander off into many other topics worthy of discussion, of course, the most notable side discussion is our chat about the Governor of New Jersey Chris Christie. Chris Bedford shared some insightful analysis from someone who was a union activist for many years.

By far the most requested guest from listeners is John Michael Greer and I am pleased to have finally have him on as a guest. Although at first glance I wondered why listeners were so enamored with this gentleman with the long beard who writes for the blog The ArchDruid Report, but I soon found out that JMG's perspectives on many subjects pertaining to economic, techno-industrial, and Peak Oil concerns were in-line with typical guests on Two Beers With Steve.

In this discussion we delve into many topics starting with Druidry and then moving into Peak Oil and the ASPO conference. Interestingly enough JMG was a guest speaker at the ASPO conference and details that difference between the 'suits' and 'sandals' crowd. We also talk about the impact of a world affected by oil shortages and I ask John Michael if he holds out hope for any new technologies that will fill the gaps left by diminishing oil production (and I asked that question with a straight-face mind you).

For the hardcore crowd who can't get enough Two Beersy talk I added on a five minute after-interview discussion I had with JMG that I thought would be interesting to anyone listening. Just let the music play and the credits roll at the end of the podcast and you'll be rewarded.

Patrick of Patrick.net stops by to discuss the housing market. Much of what we discuss has been talked about before concerning housing but in this discussion we have the benefit of a long period of hindsight. We trace the housing crash from its origins through today and then Patrick offers his version of what the future holds for us. Patricks forecasting of the future is insightful because he incorporates the failures of other nations that have faced the same dilemma as the US (mainly Japan) and we are just re-tracing their steps.

Patrick.net

Never before has this program, Two Beers With Steve, had a guest who was as far into the Mainstream Media Culture as Jeff Cohen has been. Jeff Cohens bio reads like a guest on the McLaughlin Group, not this ol' shabby program... but please, nobody tell Jeff.

I thoroughly enjoyed interviewing Jeff Cohen and I also thoroughly enjoyed his book Cable News Confidential (2006). Even though people have made the criticism of Jeff Cohen that he is a typical left-wing liberal I think his book and his rhetoric go beyond the two-party paradigm to expose something larger; corporate control. He speaks as though he has no mainstream media career to protect anymore and that may be true since he has established himself firmly in the alternative media system.

This show was a departure from traditional topics but still is fascinating and worth a double-listen. Take care and let me know what you think about this topic... I'd be interested in knowing.

I've had some difficulties loading up this podcast so please bear with me, the recording of this podcast also had some irregular difficulties. Someday I'll eventually figure this all out.... someday.

In this episode KMO of the C-Realm Podcast stops by to talk about his recent book (Conversations On Collapse), his Podcast, and the Eco-Village. We also explore many other topics including talking about KMO's tales of the road as he has been couch-surfing while promoting his recent book. The conversation also veers into talking about technology and Kevin Kelley's recent book 'What Technology Wants'.

In my first ever interview with Gonzalo Lira we cover a multitude of topics, many of the topics are applicable to the current events that our world now faces and a few other topics are thrown in for good measure and a whole lot of fun. But ultimately, the conversation was informational and important.

The reason we came together to talk was the events surrounding the Irish Banking Crisis that is unfolding in real time. The domino's are slowly starting to fall across the Euro-Zone area and the solutions. GL makes many predictions as well as a defined commentary on the events that led up to the crisis.

Probably the 'gem of the show' was GL's take on the movement of money into commodities and the reasons why. During the editing process I picked up on a few comments he made that I hadn't fully comprehended.

Steve Crower returns to give his latest insight on Peak Oil, or rather the introduction of the term 'Plateau Oil'. The Plateau Oil term refers to the introduction of both new technologies that increase the existing oil fields (marginally improving the yield) and new technologies that bring shale oil to the market. The effect will be a plateau-ing of oil production or, to put it differently, oil supply. The demand part of this equation remains a question mark but we spend most of our time in this interview discussing the supply side.

Thanks for the generous donation from Peak Oil Medicine, here is the website. www.PostPeakMedicine.com

Josh Kosman returns to once again talk about the Private Equity industry, an industry many of us have little knowledge of and an industry that greatly impacts all of us.

The facts are that the number two private employer in this country is a Private Equity firm, KKR, and among the top ten private employers in this country five of those companies are PE companies. There is no question that PE firms have a direct impact on our economy and thus should be on the radar screens for anyone following the economy.

I asked Josh Kosman to come back on the show to give us an update on PE since we last spoke and to my surprise they are making a dramatic comeback. The reason is simple, with the Federal Reserve keeping interest rates far below the natural rate of interest the investment managers at pensions and mutual funds are looking for some yield to meet the hurdle rate (minimum acceptable rate of return) that is mandated by the fund.

In effect, the Fed is pushing money right into the hands of the very PE firms that saddle good American companies with debt while gutting the infrastructure at the same time. It is a deal that leaves the companies unable to compete internationally and makes the US less competitive as a result. Hopefully Josh can give us some good news that things are changing...

Buy the book "The Buyout of America" by Josh Kosman

Dave Pollard, author of the How To Save The World blog, joins me in an episode dedicated to our Culture of Dependency and how our civilization has evolved into a highly complex system that lacks the resilience to handle the multiple crises that we now face.

This episode examines the structure of our complex society and how it has been a product of an era of abundant cheap energy (ie. petroleum oil). We also discuss overshoot and what that means to future societies. Along those same lines we talk about a transition to steady-state economics (while hashing out the probability of it ever being implemented).

A truly enjoyable guest and a great episode. Thank you all for listening. Towards the end of this podcast we talk about how the listening and reading community is as much a part of the New Revolution as the speakers and writers.

-Ol' Two Beers

Download Podcast Through Itunes

Books mentioned:

Dave Pollards Book Finding the Sweet Spot

The Upside of Down by Thomas Homer-Dixon

Nelson Lebo, one of our previous guests and Mr. Permaculture extraordinaire, contacted me yesterday concerning a project worthy of the attention of the Two Beers With Steve crowd. I can't help myself but just forward the information on because Nelson has provided me with some of the best episodes I have done (Full Disclosure: I say this about ALL my guests).

From Nelson:

my wife and I have started our 'Do-Up Down-Under.' We will be doing a full permaculture installation
on a property that was full of rubbish and a house that could have
ended up condemned. This is no exaggeration. Please see:

www.theecoschool.net
http://ecothriftydoup.blogspot.com/2010/11/nature-as-model.html
http://ecothriftydoup.blogspot.com/2010/11/let-sun-shine-in.html

Our goals are to provide the highest quality, low cost sustainability
education possible, and to make learning about sustainability
entertaining and fun. Our motto is 'Act Locally, Share Globally.' The
sharing will be through regular blogs, podcasts and short videos.

We'd like to get our message out to as wide an audience as possible.

In the absence of a guest I pick up the microphone and go the distance by myself and recount the events that occurred while on my trip to North Carolina. Oh... the things I learned. It was certainly an eye-opening experience and I share my experiences in this episode.

I also tell the tale of what it was like to be inside the halls of one of the nations best B-Schools, Duke University's School of Fuqua. Interesting stuff and worth a listen (or two).

Towards the end I give my rebuttal to the argument that Ol' Two Beers is against Progress. It is utter nonsense that I want to return to the days of yore and I defend myself against such a simplistic view. I think anyone who confronts this very same argument will be armed to the hilt with counter-argument weaponry that is the equivalent of ICBM's just by listening to the last 15 minutes of this podcast.

Many of us know the proponents of hyperinflation; Marc Faber, Gonzalo Lira, the National Inflation Association, and maybe even Peter Schiff falls into this category. When we look to countries that have experienced hyperinflation in modern times we can see direct parrallels between their monetary policies and that of the US's in the past few years and we can draw a quick conclusion that we will experience hyperinflation as well.

In this interview with Erik Townsend, enterpeneur and private investor, Erik argues that this conclusion is too simplistic and does not take into account the 'Five Fundemental' differences between the US Dollar and those currencies mentioned as examples of hyperinflation. 

Erik Townsend

Gonzalo Lira

Are you going 'Sane' in a Crazy World? Are you having difficulty relaying to your spouse the predicament that we face as a nation, or as a planet?

In this episode we examine the pysche of what it is like to unplug from the Matrix and see reality for what it is, not what we want it to be. Kathy McMahon, a certified psychotherapist who specializes in clients who suffer from anxiety, fear and depression brought on by the realization of how real our reality is. Kathy is a therapist who 'gets it', she has done the research, is brilliant enough to know that you cannot a finite resource ad infinitum, and realizes that we may be near or past Peak Oil.

This episode was at the same time a departure from our normal topics yet very necessary and relevant to what we discuss. Many of the insights Kathy said had me saying 'that happened me too'. I think this a must-listen for everyone aware of Peak Oil.

Peak Oil Blues

Another episode with well known blogger Charles Hugh Smith of www.oftwominds.com. This time around it is less of an interview and more of a disucssion about reasons to be optimistic and a few solutions that you can implement in your life that will make a large difference. This discussion eventually evolves into a conversation about the way that I (Steve) eat at my house and the diet my wife and I follow.

To be truthfully honest about this episode, I really couldn't hold my tongue and be the one asking questions when the topic crossed over into diet because it is a topic that is near and dear to my heart. I may not be a physician or nutritionist but I have plenty of anectdotal evidence, plenty of self-education, and plenty of logic to back up my case that the American Diet is the culprit for the worlds most expensive healthcare system (although I don't call it a healthcare system because they never actually discuss health when politicians argue over which system is best).

I apologize for the speed in which I talk when I get excited... holy crap. I was speaking at a pace that I have never heard before. Wow, I really wanted to cram a whole lot of information in a matter of seconds. During the editing process I realized just how blinding my speech cadence was. I can't imagine a trained host performing any such stunt, it is truly us amateurs doing the quick-talking.

Most notable links to check out:

Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman

CDC's Obesity Epidemic Map Awesome Link!

Simply Raw Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days!

Fresh: The Movie

Food Inc.

Joel Salatin

King Corn The Movie 

Yes, yes, I know... my website sucks! I am quite frank with all those that say this (albiet more politely) and say that I don't care, the website is my shoddy storefront in an abandoned alley that no one ever visits. So tell me why I need to invest my time/money into a better experience for those that venture onto my site?

The truth behind my scruffy facade about not caring is that I actually do care. The barrier between me and having a site worth visiting and spending time is a barrier of knowledge. I don't know how to make a better site and I am reaching out to those that can help me put together something you wouldn't be ashamed of. I have ideas all the time about things I would like to include on my website but that idea never materializes because the barrier of knowledge stands in my way.

I have gotten this far along with my podcasting but reciting to myself 'necessity is the mother of invention'. Which means that I figured out how to podcast only after I had the desire to podcast. Now I have the desire to build a decent website and now comes the follow-through.... I'm asking for your help.

If you want to help, email me at twobeerswithsteve(at)hotmail.com. Replace the (at) with an @.

Thank you,

Steve

A great conversation with the author/blogger Charles Hugh Smith who writes for the OfTwoMinds blog. We cover topics such as the financialization of our economy, the wealth and income gap, social and political subjects, and the various definitions of capitalism.

Although CHS and I weave in many topics into this episode we ran out of time to hear CHS's opinions on why we should be optimistic and hopeful of the future. That is why next week I will be inviting CHS back for another hour long discussion on Survival Preparation, Health, Diet, Organic Gardening, etc.. Should be another great chit-chat. Stay tuned.

Survival+: Structuring Prosperity For Yourself and the Nation The 5-Star rated book by CHS, available on Amazon

Click on this link to go immediately to Itunes for download (you can also subscribe to 2BwS here).

Ferfal IS... the INconvenient Truth. Within the realm of possibility is the scenario where chaos erupts and social unrest leads to a violent chain of events. Also within the realm of possibility is the scenario where very little happens and crime just ticks up just a bit. Nobody knows the future and everyone's view of what will happen are mere probabilities at the moment (although some probabilities have much higher chances of being realized).

In this podcast I lay the groundwork for why I think we will suffer a collapse of some sort, either a big or small one. Then we delve into what happens, how to prepare, what being 'one minute too late' means, and other topics. It was a great discussion and I welcome everyones input as to what they think will happen and why.

Ferfal's book Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse which has a rating of 4.5 Stars on Amazon.com

You can email at twobeerswithsteve(at)hotmail.com, replace the (at) with an @ when emailing, this is my way of averting thousands of spam emails.

Rioting, protesting in the streets, chaos, political and social unrest.

This describes the collapse of the Argentinian economy and the hyperinflation of its currency. In 2002 the people of Argentina experienced such a scenario and I talk with Fernando Aguire who blogs from Buenos Aires about what is was like to experience it firsthand and what he thinks are similiarities and differences in our situation in the US.

Surviving in Argentina Website

Ferfal's book Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse which has 4.5 Stars on Amazon.com

You can subscribe to Two Beers With Steve through Itunes and receive automatic downloads by following this link

It's been too long between podcasts and I couldn't nail down a guest so I decided to go it alone this time. The reasoning behind this title is hidden inside the dialogue of this episode and in short, this podcast serves my selfish need to have good conversations more than I would hope it serves my audience... I'm sorry, I'm deeply sorry. (You know that I am just kidding, right?)

I cover a few topics such as having coversations with folks about the issues discussed on Two Beers With Steve, Wall Street 2, Gold at 1300, the collapse of Argentina.

Enjoy.

A Two Beers With Steve 'Jam' Session where Nathan Martin of Nathans Economic Edge discuss many topics; propaganda, koran burning, net neutrality and Jim Puplava of Financial Sense Newshour.

Phil Davison Nomination Speech - An epic fail video.

For those that may have already heard, the profits from the sale of the Two Beers With Steve T-shirts went to fund Dave Gardners film Hooked on Growth, which is very close to beocming a reality. Our $200 donation is a drop in the bucket in terms of the costs associated with the film.... but it is a healthy start for the Two Beers With Steve Charitable Foundation (hahaha) and what I plan on doing with this show.

Here is the email I just received from Dave Gardner

Steve,

I'm not sure if I've acknowledged your $200 contribution or thanked you for that generous contribution to the GrowthBusters non-profit documentary project. Things have really been hopping here, as we work night and day to wrap up production and try to finish the film by early 2011. Your support will help us cross that finish line.

If you haven't already, I encourage you to subscribe to our email newsletter to keep you informed as we approach release of the film.

Meanwhile, thanks for spreading the word about this project. Feel free to keep it up. We need tens of thousands of GrowthBusters around the world to get this film seen!

Also, please consider clicking on the icons below so you can "like" our fan page on facebook, follow us on Twitter, or subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Again, thank you. Very much! And stay in touch.

Dave Gardner, President, Citizen-Powered Media
Producing the Documentary,
Growth Busters
presents
Hooked on Growth: Our Misguided Quest for Prosperity

Join the cause at www.growthbusters.org
760 Wycliffe Drive
Colorado Springs, CO  80906  USA
+1 719-576-5565

Interview with Ana Sofia Joanes, director of the new film Fresh.

The newly released film Fresh once again uncovers the dangers of monoculture farming and consolidated animal feeding operations. Nature has fought began fighting back and it is becoming evident that industrializing our food system was a bad bad idea. But can we abandon it and if we could how would we ever be able to feed ourselves.

Ana's film isn't Malthusian doomsdaying, it is quite the opposite. Fresh meets with sustainbale and organic farmers who are making a difference, farmers who have solutions. The solutions they offer make environmental sense while at the same time making economic sense.

I purchased the movie Fresh for a personal home screening where I invited fifteen people from my community for an evening of good food and an important documentary. You can do the same thing in your community.

Will Allen - Growing Power

Joel Salatin

Mike "Mish" Shedlock stops by for two beers but I only get a chance to polish off one beer because unfortunately we only had 30 minutes.

Although the interview was a brief one I stayed out of Mish's way while he talked about deflation, Helicopter Ben, college students, walking away from home mortgages, and everyone's favorite question 'what should the average investor do?'.

We will definitely be talking with Mish again in the future and getting a little bit more behind the scenes on when he thinks all this debt will eventually matter, meaning does he think that kicking the can down road eventually ends? Trillions have been promised in entitlements but where is the money coming from? Lots of lots left to be asked.

For those of you looking to get a better sense of the inflation vs. deflation argument I would urge you to make a donation of $1 or more and get my inflation vs. deflation newsletter where many of the basic arguments are made for both cases and what the probability of both cases are.

Thanks for listening,

Steve

This is the second podcast in a series of podcasts that we are having with Nelson Lebo about tools for the thrifty gardener as well as the Post-Peak-Oil Farmer (both are very simliar as we discuss in the podcast).

We manage to chat about three more tools in this installment; the tine rake, the hoe, and the scythe. But as we bring up each tool we then contintue into a conversation surrounding the Tool, Timing and Technique (TTT, popularized by Nelson himself) that provides the listener (and myself) with a great deal of knowledge. Other side topics include composting, raised beds, and mowing your lawn a scythe!

What is an Austrian School Economist? What principles do they believe in and what do they think of our current situation?

I've heard on many podcasts and interviews someone refer to themselves as an Austrian Economist and wondered what that meant. Sure, I understood those from the Austrian School were non-interventionalists and anti-bailout but what else do they stand for?

In this interview Douglas French, President of the Ludwig Von Mises Institute stops by to talk about the Austrian School of Economics. We discuss many issues concerning Austrian Economics including libertarianism, liberalism, and free markets.

If you have never been to the Mises.org website then please spend 4-5 minutes cruising the vast resources of excellent material. You'd be amazed at the amount of information that is availbale for free on their website, and don't forget to pick up a Rothbard Flask in the Site Store, Two Beers Approved!

Ian Gordon gives me an education on the Kondriatev Cycle and what it means to our current economy. The kondratiev Cycle is typically divided into four seasons with each season signifying a phase in the natural cycle of a capitalist economy. A spring signifies a rebirth of the economy and winter signifies a difficult period of purging all the bad debts from the economy. Winter Cycles are usually when the economy experiences a depression.

A more sensational title to this podcast could have been 'Ian Gordon predicts Dow 1000!' but I chose not to and instead chose to make the Kondratiev Cycle the focus of this podcast. Ian Gordon surely makes the profound statement that the Dow will grind down to 1000 as the equity markets are purged of bad debts and malinvestment. To learn of possible investment safeguards against such a deflationary event tune into this great episode.... and yes, we do talk about gold and cash.

The Longwave Group

Work by Ian Gordon and the Longwave Group Free to view but you must create an account... quick and easy.

The Kondratiev Cycle on Wikipedia

I talk with Nelson Lebo about essential tools of a post-petroluem world... or for whatever world you live in (a modern world, a world where credit has dried up and food deliveries are erratic, a world where you care about the food you eat and where it comes from, a world where you realize that anything that ends with a -cide means death).

We only get as far as talking about one essential tool but we learn about many of the techniques that Nelson uses to preserve that tool and how to be the most effective with it.

Jack Spirko of the Survival Podcast stops by to educate Ol' Two Beers on Modern Survivalism. We also talk about Jacks background, the beginnings of his podcast, and where the future may very well lead us.

Both Jack and I spend alot of time talking on this podcast about many of the shortcomings of our modern society and how our ability to handle crisis is limited. Jack also details the differences of our grandparents ability to handle the Great Depression differs from our current generation, and how this particular financial bomb will have more of an impact on our society...

But the episode is not all Fear and Loathing in 2010... the episode is actually uplifting and optimistic. Jack speaks as though he's come from the future and he is here to spread the good news... that we all live in the end, and we manage to lean on our brothers in hard times and we get through this.

T-shirts are finally here and as my buddy Rip commented upon first sight of these amazing shirts he said 'Those are Ahhhh-some'. He was impressed to say the least.

I'm not a T-shirt aficionado but I took the time to buy a T-shirt of high quality and I used a hi-tech form of screen-printing (no sense in having my mug disappear after ten washes). i went the distance on these T's to get the best.

I'm charging $20. You can purchase by clikcing on the BuyNow Paypal link on my site. That includes shipping for all US customers (those outside the US can contact me directly and I'll see what I can do).

I hope to have a good bit of money left over after costs to use for a donation to the film 'Hooked on Growth' by Dave Gardner. I'd like to see our show listed in the credits...

Supplies are limited and I don't think I want to get into the T-shirt business so first come, first serve and when they are done... they may be done.

Steve

After a few years of consuming and digesting massive amounts of information pertaining to our current financial/energy crisis I find it rare that I consume a 'game-changer'. So it was exciting to have an MP3 forwarded to me that provided me with that game-changing moment.

Now, when I say game-changer, I'm not talking about What will happen, but rather How it will happen.  The How is focused on the debate about whether deflation or inflation will win the day. Because to get from where we are, (a debt-saturated global economy) to there, (historically normal debt ratios), we have to go down either one of two paths; inflation or deflation. For the most part I really don't care, the outcome of both still means that I need to move up the learning curve on my gardening skills, start building a local community, and continue to keep educating myself on all matters that pertain to self-sufficiency.

Where inflation vs. deflation matters to me is how should I react with my investing strategy. This is why the debate has importance to me and probably you. In this interview Nicole Foss of Automatic Earth makes a compelling case for deflation, probably the best I've heard as of yet.

The title of this episode comes from the fact that Nicole is criss-crossing the globe in an effort to prepare those that are ready to hear her message that something life-altering is coming. Just as Paul Revere rode through Lexington to warn the patriots of sudden attack, Nicole is globe-trotting to warn the patriots of sudden collapse.

Automatic Earth