PLUS, A FREE BILLION DOLLAR BUSINESS IDEA
by
Michael C. Ruppert
(C) Copyright 2009, Michael C. Ruppert. All Rights Reserved
Jan 22, 2009 4:30 PM, PDT -- I will be the first to admit that President Obama's got some real egg on his face with respect the revolving door leading into his administration. His noble and absolutely proper decision to control what government insiders do after leaving leaves him wide open now. On the other hand, like I asked once before, who else can you find to run a government as large and screwed up as this except people who've been there before? I think that everyone who worries about this being an omen of things past becoming things future misses a very big landmark on our map.
When an an evolutionary paradigm shifts it is the same thing as the chemical composition of seawater and the atmosphere changing. The same is true in all areas of life, and politics and economics are no exception. We have about 6,000 years of recorded history that says so. All who live in the "transitional ecosystem" (I hope I didn't just coin that term. It's a good one.) must change and adapt -- including the elites -- or they will die. Just because many old hands, some with checkered pasts, are returning doesn't mean that they will operate the way they used to. They can't! There's no money. The political climate will not tolerate it. The economy is collapsing and soon the ground under the feet of rulers will be shaking. By no means should we fail to keep close eye. But these people know that every move is being watched and reacted to instantly as at no other moment in human history. We must judge by actions, not assumptions. Too many things are changing too quickly.
(As I wrote this paragraph Don Henley was singing in the background, "I will not lie down. I will not go quietly.)
The State Department performance today was brilliant, especially for a so-beleaguered, worn-out, and trodden upon Foreign Service. It was imperative that Mr. Obama move quickly on the international stage. The whole world has been waiting for an affirmation of what it has been hoping for, to -- in small measure -- undo an evil wrought as rape on the world for the last eight years. I don't know about you, but I can hear and feel a sigh of relief easing from almost everything, even the tree in my back yard. Still, we are all cautious now and we have learned at great price not to release joy too easily.
(Now I'm listening to Dave Matthews... another genius for our list. Let's see, so far we have Debussy, Henry Miller, Don Henley and Dave Matthews. Good list! Any other candidates? This might be fun. Your comments have placed me in this company and, so far, I like the party.)
A BILLION DOLLAR BUSINESS FOR THIS ECONOMY
If I was a selfish man I'd sit on this till after the new book is out. I'd never forgive myself. I'm going to be fine.
SOIL RESTORATION BUSINESS -- ESSENTIAL IN THIS ECONOMY
Those of us who've been at this for a while understand that urban soil that now supports lawns fed by oil and gas has become useless for growing food. How difficult would it be to find soil and ag experts. I'm sure that test kits already exist to analyze soil. After analysis the question then becomes, "OK, how do we fix it organically?" It couldn't be that difficult and I'd just bet that one of those local cable spots for a business like that in L.A. right now would bring in hundreds -- if not thousands -- of calls. Soil restoration could (and should) become the new chic! Right along with the composting toilet. "Have your own producing fresh, organic, vegetable garden started in as little as a few weeks!" The Chia Pet of the survivalist era! One of the best features of capitalism is that it quickly mobilizes productive energy. I am not a pure capitalist but damn there's parts of it work real good. It is the way that money works that is the enemy. But here are self-startable businesses that one doesn't have to be an expert to run. The infrastructure and capital costs are minimal. The end result is that the business owners get fed and and they make others able to feed themselves healthier food than most have ever known. Sounds like a win-win to me. Do not worry about the logistics of enough water or any of that. Those in urban areas who will have enough water to pull it off won't be able to grow anything if they don't have healthy soil first. This will teach people how to farm again and no matter what happens to that land, the knowledge and experience is transportable once acquired.
I know we've got some hot-dog, cracker jack farmers on this list. What say you?
PS: Globalization is dead in more ways than one. Indians and other foreign nationals are fleeing Dubai as its economy implodes. Thousands of cars are being abandoned outside the airport with keys in the ignitions. You see, when it comes time to face death, is is every animal's instinct to go home. It is what I did.
http://www.daijiworld.com/news/news_disp.asp?n_id=55704&n_tit=Indians+Flee+Dubai+as+Dreams+Crash++-+Fall+out+of++Economic+Crisis
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THE NUMBERS GAME
Jenna Orkin
It's a little dizzying to read the headlines these days: Two trillion here, three trillion there... In between you go to the store, pay for your coffee and walk out, just the way you did three orders of magnitude ago.
"Freefall" reads another headline. I guess we really are at the legs-spinning-above-the-abyss phase, oblivious to said freefall until we land.
Between conception and realization falls the shadow. And that's a good thing. It's coming into the light that's going to hurt.
Global Banking Losses to Hit $3.6 Trillion
Quote of the day:
"'Secretly, bankers are already being advised about how to handle a bank holiday,' says Terry. 'There will be limits on how much money you can take out of a bank. And probably limits on what you can do with it.'
There will probably be controls on trading gold .. that was one of Roosevelt's plan too. And probably a national health care program. And who knows what else." www.dailyreckoning.com
B of A and Citi Shares Sink As Investors Fear More Losses
Oil Surges; Ends Over $43 a Barrel
Gold to Gain Through 2012, Morgan Stanley Forecasts
They must be consulting the Mayan calendar too.
US Gets Other Routes For Afghan Supplies
Russia is assisting in this effort to bypass Pakistan. F. Kamilov, we await your comment.
India's Nuke Cruise Missile Test Fails
While India's getting help with its missile program from Russia, Israel and France, Pakistan is teaming up with China. The US, of course, is playing with both sides.
Rule Change Would Allow Ottawa To Buy Bank Stock
"Ottawa is looking at changing little-known rules that prevent governments from owning shares of Canadian banks and insurers, according to sources.
Doing so would not only allow the government to inject capital into banks if that ever became necessary, it could also make it easier for Canadian financial institutions to pull off foreign takeovers, and ease the way for sovereign wealth funds to invest in institutions here."
99 comments:
sounds like you are listening to some decent tunes Mike. As we all know here, Everything is Broken. And Everything Dylan has ever touched is gold!
"Well my ship's been split to splinters and it's sinking fast
I'm drownin' in the poison, got no future, got no past
But my heart is not weary, it's light and it's free
I've got nothin' but affection for all those who've sailed with me" - Mississippi from Love and Theft - released 9-11-01
This alternate version from Bob's latest Bootleg Series is a gem.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-vHZkN8aCk
Organic fertilizer prices are rising fast. Fish emulsion because there are no more fish. Cow manure because it costs more to feed cows, and because electric companies are now buring it to turn turbines (and marketing this as "" energy). Organic nitrogen was scarce to begin with, which is why Haber and Bosch got famous. Now there's even less, and most of what we do have comes from cows that are fed with grain produced with chemical fertilizers.
All this means that soil restoration cannot happen on a scale even remotely large enough to prevent dieoff. But Mike is still right. Get the stuff now and improve the soil in your community, before hyperinflation hits and you can't afford it.
I have been thinking about what things to stock up on. If you've got the space, those big bags of compost will last forever as long as they are kept out of the rain. You could stock up on chemical fertilizers, which takes up significantly less space, but then you will kill your soil for sure.
And whatever you do--and this is very serious--don't expect to get steady yields each year without outside inputs of compost. No matter how well you recycle your vegetable scraps (and even your own poop) nitrogen leaching always happens, and is always significant. The goal should be to add less each year, until the soil improves and you get to a point where you only have to add a minimum amount each year. But it is unreasonable to expect that you won't need outside inputs.
My two cents,
Emanuel
Here's a song for all of us:
The World is Falling Down, Hold My Hand -- sung by Abby Lincoln.
Now you're talking, Mike. Improving soil isn't something that you can do in a couple of weeks, but it is something that everyone should be doing.
Here's what our local sustainability group has been doing recently - in Transition Town fashion:
Lawn Gone: Creating a Food Garden in a NE Seattle Front Yard - Part 1 (soil preparation)
You don't need to hire an expert to build good soil. Learn permaculture!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permaculture
http://www.permacultureprinciples.com/
www.patternliteracy.com
www.peakmoment.tv
http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/perma.html
http://www.permaculturenow.com
http://www.herbnwisdom.com
OK, MCR
I've been lurking on here for a few months, I haven't piped in yet, but now that we can actually say President Obama, I'll take that as some sort of mark and step out of the shadows for a second.
I've been aware of Peak Oil and all it entails for a while, read Rubicon about 4 years ago, it was in the big rack at City Lights in SF. I went to school at UCSC where I was indoctrinated about the Iran Contra affair by Daniel Sheehan and the Christic Institute. It's all been part of the same thread of information, and I've been hearing these drums pound for more than 20 years now, and I know the echo of them stems from a place much further back.
I've been lucky enough to make a living as a professional musician for a long time. I've seen the world pretty well, I've got a pretty good idea of what we're up against. If you've ever seen poverty outside of the US, say the outskirts of Mexico City or Rio de Janero, you get an idea of what's in store for us.
Hard road, hard ride.
I grew up in Southern California, back in the '60's and '70's. I watched orange groves and farm fields get paved over and turned into 4000 sq ft houses all over Riverside County. You can look down on it from the Cleveland National Forest, Joshua Tree, Mt. Baldy and wonder "how long can it really last?"
Read some Mike Davis, get paranoid. His 15 year old books bout LA are still worth reading.
Basic concepts of sustainability, common sense stuff, has been out of the window in the US for a long time. My parents and grandparents provide me a link to a different time. My mom still can't eat a store bought chicken and remembers how to use urine to bleach sheets. Consider that next time you're charging your iPhone.
So, well, here we are, seems like the shit IS hitting the fan at last. Pay off your debt if you can, stock up a bit, prepare, check that garden, locate that local beekeeper. Look into your own damn chickens etc.
But look, living as a musician, you learn to live close to the bone. You go into debt to do work and hope it pays off. Sometimes you win, sometimes you don't.
I day job it as well (a good Republican work ethic was instilled in me). With luck, I'm out of debt by April. A little bit of savings, a mortgage, touring scheduled until August of this year at least. If it all falls apart sooner, and maybe it will, I'm ready now, and I'll be more ready later.
All I know is change is lurking. And that's the key here.
So what happens when something goes wrong? Well folks, you adapt. What's the worst thing that can happen. You die (and for anybody who has endured a loved one who is very ill, been through the AIDS crisis up close, cancer, etc you know that death is sometimes a merciful thing). Losing everything, well hell kids, it's just stuff. I love the guitars... they may go. Learn to let go. That's an old rule.
Don't get too wound up, don't get too worried. Everything is going to change, and in all likelihood things will be hard. Very hard. Preparation is mental more than anything. Be as ready as you can be, be good to the people around you, and make sure they know you're there. Remain flexible. Eat a nice dinner, drink some nice whiskey, have some good sex, take a hot bath. And savor it (Warren Zevon: "savor every sandwich"). Don't be sentimental and don't be glib. Be thankful and be strong.
(Private to MCR, if you want a CD, send me an addy where I can send it, I'll throw one in the stack for you to listen to while things meltdown)
There's lot's of us out here listening to you and taking stock. I don't buy everything you say, I think you might be a little bent. But most of my good, trustworthy friends are. I think your take is mostly right though. I trust my gut and my gut tells me your map is pretty accurate. But I've worked in journalism for a long time, and skepticism comes with the territory. Correlation does not imply causation. It's worthwhile to work from there, always.
You'll know this better than most: One day at a time. Period.
I can't seem to emphasize that more these days
Damn it... I just cracked the fortune cookie as soon as I published that post... "The smart thing is to prepare for the unexpected"...
I kid you not.
VK
Water and Landscape
The idea of water management in permaculture is amazing. After 3-5 years your swale line food forest will have enough bio char composted slopes that you never have to water them again. Depending on your climate, everyone is sinking water into swales, and water falls right angle to contour, meaning, water flows into ridge points. Find your edges on slopes and swale level water into the ground and it will create a new underground spring line. This is crucial for survival. So if you find a hill side with a ridge point, you build a dam and start a new spring line by adding more dams down valley where the swales can overspill down into each other..
MIke- transitional ecosystems? Thats all you. Never heard it before.
Mike I sense the fear in getting soil going. Well, cities could become soil manufacturers like you could not imagine. The volume of nitrogen cities could provide to feed worms would be an exponential positive feedback. The bio dynamic institutions have made a formula with cumfry, table spoons of kelp, sulfur, copper sulfate, 2 tb dolomite, mixed into a liter of compost tea can fertilize 10 acres. thats mixed into 2000 liters of water. Make sure you spill the compost tea out onto the pasture lands slowly. You will kill the organisms if you spray to fast. Its a delicate process.
But if we get out on the prairie, say Idaho where there is great potential for geo thermal greenhouses, you could create the berkley compost pile with prairie grass and add nitrogen to build soil so fast for vertical farming. It would put fertilizers out of business. So will Mycelium and fungi compost teas will shut down fungicides and all biocides. Systems that have been the life support for humanity, like chlorine in the water, are what we have to try to knock off the board if we are to survive. I don't see it happening.
Which leads me to the next perspective I noticed from you Mike.
You say, "One of the best features of capitalism is that it quickly mobilizes productive energy"
when I watch Zeitgeist and learn that profit benefits only from scarcity. Sustainable implementation would destroy the commodity system, yes? So where is this capitalism perspective when the US pays farmers not to grow 150 million acres in this country?
The service industry depending on someone like me to grow food for them is not what I would prefer. I want to grow food for a community. My community.
What I am saying is, its a do it yourself future, and all that matters in the time of oneness, is that you build your relationships with the elements of life. Water, soil, botany, bees, worms, frogs, lizards, community, energy, and entropy, just to name a few. lol
The earth did not make money, I dont think she understands it. We better start trying to find a way to communicate with her?
We know how to clean water and build green energy systems. Its the ego Mike that has got us permies worried about you. Mike it is the ego that makes you think we can bridge the modern world into the great shift back to natural patterns. I had it for a long time too. I had to be put in my place by special shamans. There was a meeting of elders from all the local native tribes , Hopi and such... They all said that the earth is crying for what is about to happen to us. There is much grief in the drum circles. The waves of great change back to natural patterns are here. They are 2012.
The crackerjack farmer comment got me, Mike! I'd thought only of "The Humanure Handbook", and my meager attempts at composting my own doo a few years ago- had GREAT SUCCESS! Five-gallon pail, shredded newsprint/leaves/grass-clippings/sawdust... poo & piddle-age (sorry, have two young kids)
Water. Warmer (above freezing) temperatures. Some good ol' air mixed in now and again, wait a bit, and you've got excellent humus to grow veggies in.
Mike, thanks for everything you've been through, everything you've done, and Crossing the Rubicon.
Regards,
HARV
This in from this morning's Independent: Obama ready to cut Karzai adrift. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/obama-ready-to-cut-karzai-adrift-1513407.html
Re "paradigm shift." Ever since the corporate sector grabbed this notion about 15 years ago to market new flavors of bubble gum, it has seeped into fairly common usage. Workshop facilitators flog it to death as do TV personalities.
If you can get a hold of a copy, I would strongly suggest reading "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions" by Thomas Kuhn (published 1962). It was he who coined the term "paradigm" in that book. The original home for the term was in the field of Philosophy of Science. In a nutshell, for example, E = MC2 and Copernican physics constitute a paradigm breakthrough. The phenomena in front of our faces stays the same, but the perception of that very phenomena changes. Once the perception changes, human conduct within the new context adapts accordingly.
As Mike says, part of the "new conduct" is to adapt or perish. Fight or flight takes preponderence, casting away as a redundancy the Western comfort of sitting on the fence (the Western comfort of having the option to be neurotic inclusive).
Sliding onto the territory of a Post-Peak Oil world (as opposed to reading the map) makes certain things very obvious. As per the previous para, the only thing to be gained from sitting on the fence are splinters up one's asshole. Liberals, and related perceptions, are flushed out into the open. Things get real.
Okay, Mike. Your nuanced look at the Obama team holds water. Those guys have the muscles to do the work. But let's keep our eyes open, since not all the big moves are made directly from government offices, and many heaevies are working under radar in minor offices, rather than in cabinet posts.
I just wanted to warn against something neither you nor Jenna is guilty of: complacency that Obama is leading us back toward responsible "representative democracy".
We're in new territory, and must not expect that 20th century America has returned. (I know you know.)
In support of eyeballs' wiping of the pink sheen on the Obama lenses:
Obama Appoints Top-Notch CFR, Bilderberg Members:
http://www.infowars.com/?p=7291
and
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090122/pl_nm/us_obama_envoys;_ylt=A0wNcxwc3HhJnGkADRJZ.3QA
Soil restoration (a subject dear to my heart) -- Talk about business opportunities! But I would not stop there. There's huge potential in teaching gardening and composting technique, scrounging up tools, producing and selling seeds, you name it. There are already suburban gardeners, and apparently there are people who even farm other people's (former) lawns.
Yes!
I've been creating my own list too.
Here's one you might like:
Windowsill - The Arcade Fire
"Don't wanna give 'em my name and address,
Don't wanna see what happens next,
Don't wanna live in my father's house no more.
Don't wanna live with my father's debt,
You can't forgive what you can't forget"
Cheers!
a trillion here and a trillion or so there...pretty soon you're talking about real money
There is such organization as WWOOF: World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms.
[Quote:]
WWOOF is a world wide network - It started in the UK in 1971 and has since become an international movement that is helping people share more sustainable ways of living.
WWOOF is an exchange - In return for volunteer help, WWOOF hosts offer food, accommodation and opportunities to learn about organic lifestyles.
WWOOF organisations link people who want to volunteer on organic farms or smallholdings with people who are looking for volunteer help.
How does it work?
WWOOF organisations publish lists of organic farms, smallholdings and gardeners that welcome volunteer help at certain times. The diversity of hosts available offers a large variety of tasks and experiences.
Volunteer helpers ("WWOOFers") choose the hosts that most interest them and make direct contact to arrange a stay. Volunteers usually live as part of the family.
• WWOOF volunteers do not pay for their stay.
• WWOOF hosts do not pay volunteers for their help.
• WWOOF organisations usually charge a small fee to hosts and volunteers. This fee helps maintain and develop the WWOOF network.
WWOOF hosts:
• grow organically, are in conversion, or use ecologically sound methods on their land.
• provide hands-on experience of organic growing and other learning opportunities where possible.
• provide clean dry accommodation and adequate food for their volunteers.
WWOOFers (volunteers):
• need a genuine interest in learning about organic growing, country living or ecologically sound lifestyles.
• help their hosts with daily tasks for an agreed number of hours.
[/End of quote]
At the time of this writing, to join WWOOF-USA and get access to 858 organic farms it would cost you $20.
I never used this organization nor ever been on any of these farms, but it looks very interesting. I've spent my entire childhood on a farm, so I think now I know enough for myself. But for those who'd like to learn -- it looks like a perfect opportunity.
Now it's a good time to make arrangements ahead of spring works. Then, take Mike's Rubicon (and his new book) and go, work, learn, talk. I guess these farmers could be interested in what we're talking here about. And then share with us your experience.
I'm curious into what it could develop, having in mind their almost 40 years of experience and currently changing economic/political/social environment?..
Especially interesting is Kibbutz Lotan in Israel with their Center for Creative Ecology and Green Apprenticeship Training, which is relatively expensive (11,000 ILS/2,767 USD) but lasts for 6 weeks and includes room, board and tuition.
Lately I've been trying to track down a lot of old, in some cases forgotten blues and other American roots recordings in part so that I can personally make sure at least some of it is preserved for future generations in my area (namely my 3 month old son).
Top of my list at the moment:
Reverend Gary Davis
Oh, Glory how happy I am
Slow Drag / Cincinnati Flow Rag
Candyman
For anybody who really digs this stuff I can highly recommend his Complete Early Recordings.
Other than that the most switched on group of recent years that I can think of is Lali Puna. In particular: Faking the Books
"We've been done before
and now we try to forge ourselves
I'll be true again
But until then I'll fake the books
'Cause everybody knows
This ain't heaven
Until everybody knows"
Pete writes in part:
Mike, thank you so much for the valuable information you have provided. First time posting here, but just needed to show my true appreciation for what you do, especially considering the personal risks you have taken to get the truth out.
Ever since I truly became aware of what is going on economically, I've wracked my brain to come up with ways to survive and possibly thrive. The whole idea of starting gardens makes sense, similar to Eleanor Roosavelt's Victory Gardens. It seems that most people are truly oblivious as to what is on the horizon, and being prepared to help people grow their own productive gardens can potentially be a life saving, and lucrative business.
In fact, Gerald Celente of Trends Research predicted that Bush Gardens would become a trend in the next year. For a truly inspirational story from a family who took this idea of local, sustainable living with a home garden to the extreme, check out
www.pathtofreedom.com
http://www.youtube.com/user/dervaes
(for videos)
mikedboh has left a new comment on your post "GATHERING THE REINS PLUS, A FREE BILLION DOLLAR B...":
I know he's joking...but...he has a point.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Nfy-RR7_50&eurl=http://messaging.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=mail.readmessage&userID=9133663&type=Inbox&messageID=5467152&feature=player_embedded
Ecosutra -- Neither my ego or any other part of me assume a stable or "complete" transition. We passed that point maybe 25 years ago. It is inevitable that there will be a die off and I totally agree not only that Mother Earth cries for this balancing, she will have it too.
All of this is an effort to spread as much knowledge and skill as possible so that some... many... make it through the transition. I'd say that we have 20-30 years of transition that may look something like being on the inside of a blender at high speed.
A great teacher for me was Skip Mahawk, a senior elder of the Dakota Sioux who refused a Medal of Honor with the 101st Airborne for actions in the Au Shau Valley in 1969. Leter he fought with Russel means at Wounded Knee. He finally passed from Agent Orange a few years ago. A dream catcher he made me hangs above my headboard.
He taught me of the concept of "human being and what it means. My idea is to move as many as possible in that direction because only human beings (or those close to it) will be able to make peace with mother earth when all is said and done.
MCR
More twaddle from RanD - January 23, 2009 --
Neither desire nor intentions -- but necessity (honest!) -- provoked the writing and sending of this comment; and we empathize with those who are driven to indignation by anything RanD says. This is not an easy job; many would have RanD dead. RanD's been in the shoes of those who are like you, thus know exactly how you feel and think. We also agree with much of what you say -- we're really not terminally twaddled!
Perhaps you'll one day find yourselves in the shoes we're now wearing. If you do, we'll then be dearest of friends. But, for the time being the contest between ignorance and knowledge prevails. Much more twaddle is in front of us; we'll try dealing better with yours, do what you must with ours.
*******
Re RanD's take on the relationship of fiat money to "precious" metals such as gold etc. (Warning! Overly twaddled types might have need of right now retiring to the other room!) --
This Universe we're living in is -- intrinsically -- an "alive" phenomenon. If it were not, then life would not exist here nor anywhere else in any form anywhere else throughout this current Universe's existential paradigm. In other words, life is a fundamental component of existence, itself. Yet there are many who consider themselves scientists or otherwise perfectly untwaddled that would argue that point, whereas minds such as RanD's consider that point perfectly self-evident. Ah yes, here we are twaddling.
The principle underpinning the above also underpins the intellectual dissensions that produce from the realization that life is fundamental to the foundation of existence vs the belief that physical matter is the foundation of existence. Unfortunately, people haven't yet come round to commonly understanding how to determine the actualities of such things.
If we're ever to expect equitable consequences to produce from monetarized economic systems, for instance, we'll first have to totally scrap out the one we've been using and start over again. Carefully assessing, determining, then properly assigning ACTUAL value distinctions between such things as inert gold, inert promissory notes etc and the optimal well-being of a living environment coupled to the fact that everyone requires equal monetary access to their basic needs will be paramount components -- entirely beyond any thought of maintaining those conspicuously antiquated concepts as have produced such nonsense as liberalism vs conservatism.
It seems a long way from anything like that, though; yet given the myriad factors influencing the progressively accelerating changes that are taking place these days it's anybody's guess what form our future eventually (hopefully!) settles into.
During the interim, it makes sense that those with the means (more money than they have need of) and needs (young folks with children yet to care for etc) of acquiring gold should do so. On the other hand, if things are going to stay on fast track all the way down to the nitty-gritty (which is what RanD sees happening) -- all those extremely rare guys and gals that also think and live like RanD (retired with adequate if modest income, a good place to live, good live surface water, and zero debt and, you know, twaddled brains) will no doubt still not be interested in paying one single iota of their very carefully budgeted minimal dollars even for an entire universe made of pure and solid and beautiful gold at bargain basement rates. (Check out Bill Stills' "The Money Masters" video for one of the best backgrounds ever put together on gold relative to fiat resources.)
In the meantime RanD is just plugging along growing garden, chopping wood, receiving that monthly SS check, and... well... if and when those things quit happening for us (and they surely will) RanD's ready for it. You know, just twaddling along from day to day.
Re "I'd say that we have 20-30 years of transition that may look something like being on the inside of a blender at high speed."
Yep. As far back as 1973 the first Club of Rome Report was projecting/targeting 2030 (give or take) for total meltdown...and that was with the limited computing resources they had at the time. When I think of what a privilege, honor, challenge and responsibility it is to be alive for the death rattle of a civilization it really gets me down to right size, i.e. very small and just visiting on this idiot little speck of cosmic dust.
Oh my, I do believe we have a channeled entity speaking to we bloggers here ! Fancy that
Jenna, yer bad! LOLOL
A new worry while surfing the net looking for problems and solutions.
A new digital plague has been unleashed on the net. It's creating a world-wide multinode botnet controllable by some as yet unidentified bot-herder.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/23/technology/internet/23worm.html?_r=1&hp
As yet, the germination period and final prognosis isn't know. What is known is that it's a sophisticated multi-stage attack worse than the Slammer Worm in 2003.
It actually sounds a bit like Promis described in CTR.
Funny though, it only seems to effect machines running Microsoft software. Unix, Linux, MaxOS machines seem not to be impacted.
More reasons to disconnect from the grid as soon as practicle.
namaste
As an alternative to soil restoration consider Square Foot Gardening:
http://www.squarefootgardening.com/
Get a copy of John Jeavons’ “HOW TO GROW MORE VEGETABLES (AND FRUITS, NUTS, BERRIES, GRAINS, AND OTHER CROPS) Than You Ever Thought Possible On Less Land Than You Can Imagine” book. He’d director of Ecology Action in Willits, California. You can find out more about Ecology Action at www.growbiointensive.org
John has been dedicated for more than 30 years to learning and teaching folks how to grow food with simple tools. He’s worked with people in many third world countries to teach them to grow their own food. His book has charts that tell you for each crop the yield that can be grown on 100 square foot planting, how far to space your plants, calories produced, and much, much more. His book also has some charts with blank areas you can fill in yourself, a section on building soil, and on and on.
Besides growing food, there’s a desperate need for those of us who are growing vegetables to save our seeds. Not only because of the coming meltdown, but also because of the multinationals who are trying to take control of the world’s seed stock. It’s a simple thing to do and it may be that in the not too distant future, you will be the only one with seeds in your community. You can start practicing now by saving seeds from some of the fresh vegetables you buy at the grocery store. Many are hybridized, but many are not. If you plant a butternut seed this summer you may get a plant that has crossed with another type of squash – it may look weird, but it will still be food. You can also plant roots like carrots, beets, onions (and leeks), parsnips, turnips, rutebagas, etc., and they will soon produce seeds for you – at virtually no cost. If you’re in the northern hemisphere and get them in the ground now, many of them will produce seed for you by this summer. Potatoes, of course – just plant the eyes (with a little potato surrounding each one) in late Feb – May (depending on where you are).
As for a great book on growing and saving seeds – get “Seed to Seed” by Suzanne Ashworth www.seedsavers.org For instance, there are many species in the Brassicaceae family (broccoli, cabbage, turnips, etc.) and the Cucurbitaceae family (squash, melons, cucumbers, etc) that can be grown together *without* cross-pollinating one another and producing unwanted hybrids. It’s all in that book.
to grayfox:
your email address doesn't come thr'u' on blogger
This is a topic near to my heart as I'm an avid organic gardener! I've been turning my yard into an organic vegetable garden for about 8 years. A few great books to read:
"Secrets to Great Soil" Elizabeth Stell
"The Secret Life of Compost" Malcom Beck
"Successful Small-Scale Farming: An Organic Approach" Karl Schwenke
I've mentioned acresusa.com before but this is a great resource for any information on this topic.
Here in CA the dumps have compost available for cheap ($2/bag) due to the curbside yard waste recycling. It's not guaranteed to be free of weed seeds (not sure the pile gets hot enough) but it is organic matter that the soil needs.
Don't put your tree leaves into the yardwaste bin in the fall but turn them into your soil -- it's all about organic matter in the soil.
I had a bad case of soil fungus under my apple tree and started composting as well burying my kitchen waste there and the fungus is gone and the apple quality has improved immensely.
Bury your kitchen vegetable scraps into your garden.
Buy worms and get a worm bin to make a great soil amendment.
Find someone who has horses or a local stable -- they always have a compost pile of barn shavings and horse poop.
There's much that can be done and not at great cost! It's also very satisfying to grow your own food...
I forgot a few things...
1) buy a dehydrator and dehydrate foods now: www.excaliburdehydrator.com is the best;
2) buy a vacuum sealer with a lid attachment(can be found at walmart)
3) buy mason jars for canning; dehydrated foods last for a long time in vacuum sealed jars. As long as you've taken all the water out of the food it'll last -- I've got fruit and veggies in my cupboards that are 3 years old and still taste great.
None of this is hard...you just gotta have the right tools and it's a good idea to do it now while it's readily available, right?
Re: "When an an evolutionary paradigm shifts it is the same thing as the chemical composition of seawater and the atmosphere changing. The same is true in all areas of life, and politics and economics are no exception"
I here reverberations of social darwinism here, Mike. And don't even pull that "read what I write not what I mean" line that you pull out on people who take you words and analyze their meaning.
You're treading thin ice with those words.
Mike...You asked for other candidates for our list...and since you're into Don Henley...I have to also nominate Jackson Browne for the list. A number of songs from his "Late for the Sky" CD would really be appropriate here, but I'll give you just the ending lyrics from one of my favorite songs of his, "Farther On".
Now the distance leads me farther on
Though the reasons I once had are gone
I keep thinking I'll find what I'm looking for
In the sand beneath the dawn
But the angels are older
They can see that the sun's setting fast
They look over my shoulder
At the vision of paradise
Contained in the light of the past
And they lay down behind me
To sleep beside the road
Till the morning has come
Where they know they will find me
With my maps and my faith in the distance
Moving farther on
businessman
from the other side of the continent i'm bracing for mike's whoop of joy when he reads the name 'jackson browne.'
in the light
i don't think he's approaching social darwinism so much as actual darwinism
hello everyone
I just found this over at the LATOC forum. Some really good stuff here.
The Old Knowledge Library
http://www.doomers.us/forum2/index.php/topic,29978.0html
I have been transitioning my garden to organic for the past 5 years by adding compost, companion planting, rotating crops etc. Last year was my first year as totally organic. It is so amazing at the amount of food one can grow in relatively small spaces. I froze everything we did not eat or give away. Now I have to learn other ways of preserving.
Sharon Astyk has a wonderful series going on now at her web site for food preservation.
Regarding soil testing: Soil "test kits" are mainly designed for testing pH and some nutrient levels.
If you are concerned about industrial contaminants, things get complicated and will get more so as the energy and oil vise tightens.
Testing for things like lead levels (prevalent in older urban areas-- even residential ones because of all those decades we used to burn leaded gas), other heavy metals, petroleum contamination, and industrial chemicals and their breakdown products requires much more sophisticated methods, and they aren't cheap.
Remediation of such sites to levels that are safe for residential or agricultural uses are very costly. This is why lots of urban gardens use 2-foot raised beds. It's cheaper than remediating a site.
Mushrooms can be used for some soil remediation applications (see Paul Stamets book: How Mushrooms Can Help Save The World), but this field, known as mycoremediation, is new. Oyster mushrooms can be used to cheaply clean up petroleum-contaminated soils to safe levels (again, see the book).
As for soil restoration of degraded agricultural soils or areas where topsoil has been stripped (i.e. suburbs) is definitely doable, but it takes several years.
I saw a film recently by a group of Australians who have developed a method for quickly restoring soils (i.e. 7 years) I think it was called "establishing a food forest", but I don't recall for sure.
Biochar/Agrichar/Terra Preta is a method that can quickly help restore soils too-- and generate carbon-negative biofuel to boot. Google any of the three terms. It involves pyrolysis (baking at around 500-700 degrees) of bio-matter-- like yard, wood, and crop waste and turning it into charcoal.
The Mayans didn't slash and burn tropical forests, they charred and burned them. These soils are still productive, even after a few thousand years, and the carbon remains sequestered until this day.
It works in temperate climates too. There have been a few areas in Europe where ancient char soils have been found.
Victor, you have made your life making music for years? Lucky man. Last Friday night I had a treat not experienced in maybe 25 years. I sat in a studio session with some heavyweights and contributed a percussion line, lyris and a melody for song. I sang lead too. My feet didn;t touch ground for days.
Zevon's on the list and we forgot Gallileo. Jackson Browne and I go farther back than the last Ice Age.
And of all past friends the one who jumps to memory most often is the gentlest and most-decent man I've probably ever met, Benmont Tench. Ben's been the keyboardist for Tom Petty since before Day One and has backed up everyone from Roy Orbison (another genius)to Alanis to Henley... you name it.
I lost track of Ben about four years ago but I miss him mightily. A picture I took of him at my birthday party in 1993 is on my bedroom wall. He actually grabbed a guitar and played to back up my vocals.
The coolest moment of my musical past.
JO -- "Actual Darwinism".. I fucking love it.
MCR
It's starting ... California is headed into the third year of a very bad drought. Farmers are cutting back on what and how much to grow according to the following article.
http://www.newsmax.com/us/california_drought/2009/01/23/174369.html
Many parts of the western U.S. are uninhabitable without large quantities of water. Much of the agriculture needed to feed America happens o be located in these areas.
In addition, as many have mentioned here, agriculture, if not done right, strips the soil of minerals and nutrients. Thus, overuse of fertilizers are needed to supplement what's taken and not returned through crop rotation or other organic means.
Recipe for large scale disaster in my thinking.
"Think globally, act locally"
namaste
With respect to soil regeneration...composting, composting, composting = earthworms = microbial activity = nitrogen fixation = healthy plants = proteins = healthy humans.
That and a few little tricks in between. Composting is easy and anything organic can be used. Regardless of wether the material used derives from materials grown with synthetic nitrates (contrary to Emanuel's comments) they will be brokwn down and consumed as food in the fermentation process. The bacteria, fungi, and microbes will clean that shit up right quick leaving you with a purified humic content ready for integrating into poor soils and posessing the perfect amount of nutrients for all plant life. ONCE THIS BEGINS THE WORMS WILL COME...and when the worms come all is good - and they will come. We generate enough organic waste to have rich soil even under the poorest circumstances.
Cow poo isn't necessary as nitrogen is available through many other substances from grass clippings to newspaper.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the world of mycology, mycologist Paul Stamets has been rehabilitaing abused and dead soils on a large scale for a number of years by innoculating certain fungi into the soil layers on large tracts of land. The mycelium serves as a cleaning agent of petroleum and fertilizer concentrations in agricultural land. This technique is patented of course (he's a keen business man indeed!).
It is clear that we have abused the soil the world over, but it is also clear that we have the ability to reverse it in short order by following nature's lead. I can here her calling but can you?
Add Peter Dale Scott to the list. I recently bought his poetry books---I only own three other books of poetry!
Hey, and welcome back! Do you guys know Ann Pettifor at debtonation.com She's a finance guru and saying the same stuff. Drop in.
Also on soil regeneration - don't forget to grind up rocks and put the dust in. People getting great results:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/dec/14/scotland-rock-dust-transform-soil
Strength to strength. M
Thank you everyone for all the great resources. Now it's just a matter of finding the time to prioritize and do them justice.
BTW, I grabbed this century farm house, with barn and guest house (currently my shop) on a couple of acres two years ago. Water supply is great, two dug wells not in use and one drilled for the house. Blew in insulation this past summer, so now I should be able to heat with 3-4 cords ($80/cord, eight footers, buck and split myself) for a 7-8 month heating period; currently minus 20 celsius outside. An old pig shed to be converted for chickens and rabbits. As I commented the other day, wind mill hopefully goes up within the year. A river 200 yards away with bass, trout and the odd Atlantic salmon, so I'm told.
Now for the farming. I don't think I know how to spell "green thumb." To tell you the truth, farming bores me to fucking tears! =:-D But ya do what ya gotta do. BTW, "trying" is not in my vocabulary, i.e. trying is a recipe for failure. It's nice to have a fall back: a farmers' market during the summer with lotsa 50 lb. bags. It's a life, ain't it?
MCR -
I've been visualizing we'll be "pushed back" to the level of frontier farms struggling to make everything we need, growing crops and basically trying to survive. Back is the operative word.
I've been struggling with how to adapt to what the future is bringing without falling "back" on how it used to be done.
Your comment about "move as many as possible in that direction" struck a chord with me finally. You've been doing this all along, I've just not been following in the appropriate manner.
A complete new way of dealing with large scale disruptions on a grand scale, eh? Use our past collective experiences and wisdom to develop new ways, not fall back on the old.
Slow on the uptake here, but I think I finally understand.
As to your comment "A great teacher for me was Skip Mahawk, a senior elder of the Dakota Sioux ..." I spent a small amount of time on the Ogalala Sioux Reservation in Pine Ridge when my uncle worked there in the late 50's early 60's for the BIA.
It's really too bad more don't seek out and solicit the wisdom of the elders, especially the Native American ones. How much collective knowledge, wisdom and culture have we lost, destroyed and allowed to disappear?
I'm not sure I follow "... because only human beings (or those close to it) will be able to make peace with mother earth when all is said and done." Can you elaborate a bit when you get a chance?
My thinking is only when we acknowledge we're human beings and realize our Mother Earth allows us to live will we be able to ask Her forgiveness and to make peace with Her.
This is something native tribes have done for centuries until "civilized" cultures started thinking they were the masters of the earth became destroyers in the name of "progress".
Thanks for leading us on in the right direction.
namaste
if we're quoting Dylan, let's refer to his finest song--
"Ain't it just like the night to play tricks, when you're tryin' to be so quiet? We sit here stranded, though we all do our best to deny it."
I'm on a 50x100 city plot, and have been dabbling with organic gardening and permaculture for about 5 years - it's a sane response to these times. I would starve if I had to live on what I've been able to grow. Meanwhile, my neighbor uses tons of 'conventional' fertillizer, and generously gives me produce.
Burying vegetable waste in the ground to build soil is also done in the Phillipines with great success.
Get started now. There's a learning curve, and it can take a while to build up healthy soil.
Check out "food not lawns", too.
On the subject of music, I think Pink Floyd say it best. The last verse cetainly resonates:
Eclipse
All that you touch
All that you see
All that you taste
All you feel
All that you love
All that you hate
All you distrust
All you save
All that you give
All that you deal
All that you buy
Beg, borrow or steal
All you create
All you destroy
All that you do
All that you say
All that you eat
Everyone you meet
All that you slight
Everyone you fight
All that is now
All that is gone
All that's to come
And everything under the sun is in tune
But the sun is eclipsed by the moon.
Just another keen reader saying hi and sharing a fitting tune for us people still dependent on the old paradigm.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5irHyoRNcRY
Faith No More - Everything’s Ruined:
We were so happy
Things worked out better than we had planned
Capital from boy, woman and man
We were like ink and paper
Numbers on a calculator
Knew arithmetic so well
Working overtime completed what was assigned
We had to multiply ourselves
A bouncing little baby
A shiny copper penny
And he spent himself
Would not listen to us
But when he lost his appetite
He lost his weight in friends
Baby became a fat nickel so fast
Then came puberty
Exponentially
Soon our boy became a million
People loved him so
And helped him to grow
Everyone knew the thing that was best
Of course, he must invest
A penny won't do
But he made us proud
He made us rich
But how were we to know
He's counterfeit
Now everything's ruined
A successful recipe for healthy soil is right up my alley, Mike.
Organic matter, rotate crops, and use of harvesting rainwater and timely rains form nature can make any regular Joe or Jane a good gardener. It all starts with the seed though. Plants are no different from us. Good DNA goes a long, long ways.
Check out seed supplies from Horizon Herbs or Bountiful Gardens. They do wonderful work.
Cool books - How to Grow World Record Tomatoes, Secrets of the Soil, Secret Life of Plants, Science in Agriculture, and Philip Callahan's Exploring the Spectrum, which fully explains why we have insect issues with crops. Callahan is a freakin' genius.
Compost is a quick healer to kick-start your operation. That is covered extensively in The World Record Tomatoes book.
Peace, Love, and Tomatoes - Son of a Farmer
p.s. BOSTEX, thanks for the shout-out. I do have a website at www.sonofafarmer.com and I pay kudos to Mike in one of my latest articles. I'm in West Texas in the bermuda triangle between Lubbock, MIdland-Odessa, and Abilene. We are dry right now.
As there is some discussion about agriculture I thought the name Masanobu Fukuoka should be mentioned. If this name is new please check out his writings. A possible approach to the spiritual path and sustainable agriculture.
Hey MCR
Yes, I've been very lucky. Music has taken me places I didn't expect, and I'm very grateful. Benmont Tench is one talented man, I've been lucky enough to watch him at work a few times, inspirational what he can do to a keyboard.
sonofafarmer, saw you linked to James McMurtry, one of my faves. Check out Dave Alvin if you like James, a similar school, and a similar take on the American situation. A real exploration of our collective soul, as it were, and I'm not referring to the band. Not that I don't love Dylan, or Springsteen, or Neil, or Jackson Browne, as I do, but I grew up on punk rock and it told me that there are more voices out there than you expect, and that's how I found this blog.
I plan on piping in more soon, as the rains wane, I'll be doing some hard work with soil replenishment in an urban environment to see where I land. I have the good fortune of knowing some very successful gardeners who I think can help, but it's a personal paradigm shift to get this done.
But then again, it's all a paradigm shift, isn't it?
With everything that's going on, here's an article written by Henry Kissinger published in the International Herald Tribune titled, "The Chance for a New World Order".
Here's a quote from the article:
"Even the most affluent countries will confront shrinking resources. Each will have to redefine its national priorities. An international order will emerge if a system of compatible priorities comes into being. It will fragment disastrously if the various priorities cannot be reconciled."
http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/01/12/opinion/edkissinger.php?page=1
I found this to be an interesting article on what's going on in Norway. The article says that 98-99% of Norway's electricity comes from hydroelectric plants, yet at the same time they're one of the biggest per capita polluters in all of Europe. And I didn't recognize that Norway is the third largest exporter of natural gas and the fourth largest exporter of oil in the world:
http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12970769
Off topic, but I was pleased to see that an NSA whistleblower has confirmed on MSNBC what Rubicon made clear many years ago: the NSA kept it's Total Information Awareness capacity alive and well and that was indeed what it was doing with the warrantless wiretapping:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGfQk9XXm24 (got this from Naked Capitalism, btw)
"It didn't matter whether you were in Kansas, in the middle of the country, and you never made foreign communications at all. They monitored all communications."
A lot of good it did them, eh?
Mike -
Thanks again for the fantastic meal, and thanks to everyone else who've been contributing some excellent morsels.
As part of the dialogue, I'd like to offer up some new ingredients to add to the stew that Mike and Sunrnr started creating, relating to the Native American subject.
One, check out this link: http://www.earthworksforhumanity.org/pages/ROTA.shtml
(If RanD hasn't seen this yet, I'm sure they'll be delighted...)
For those seeking some good background information regarding Native American issues/topics/background, I highly recommend this blog I stumbled on:
http://tierra-y-vida.blogspot.com/
Oh, and if you're looking for a great Western perspective on Native American spirituality, I highly recommend "The Gospel of the Redman," by Ernest Thompson Seton (co-founder of the Boy Scouts). It's an absolutely beautiful book, and relates directly to that which we face:
"The culture and civilization of the Whiteman are essentially material: his measure of success is, "How much property have I acquired for myself?" The culture of the Redman is fundamentally spiritual; his measure of success is, "How much service have I rendered to my people?" His mode of life, his thought, his every act are given spiritual significance, approached and colored with complete realization of the spirit world."
Here's my contribution to the "twaddle": http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20126911.300-our-world-may-be-a-giant-hologram.html?page=1
There’s a lot of wonderful, non-local rabbit holes to trip down with this one!
(BTW – I had the privilege of studying under Amit Goswami while attending the U of O in the early 90s. Check out the Self-Aware Universe; consciousness creating material reality. Good stuff.)
As music has entered into the realm, too, here's a couple of my favorites:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxPzlEQZNus
(As relevant, as the video shows, now as it was when Jello penned it in the 80s)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eWEfnhWbow&feature=PlayList&p=2D6D56E7E5D05B85&index=40
(Kind of ironic, the VH1 version. Neil was actually a pretty cool bridge for myself and some Acoma Pueblo Indians I met while living in Albuquerque, NM, back in the mid-90s. Kenneth, Amy, Keith, and Curtis were some of the most grounded people I've ever met in my life. Kenneth didn't like white people, but we bonded over Neil and became friends.)
Oh, and finally, if Sebastian isn't the re-incarnation of Henry David Thoreau, he's smiling down very brightly on you!
Cheers to all, and thanks again for the spirit food!
Awesome comments one and all! Priceless practical information and perspectives from many angles.
John Jeavons, my hero. The man who would feed the world.
The only problem with growing one's own food is getting enough calories from the land one's got and having enough for winter storage. I tried wheat last year in a test plot and got less than a dinner roll's worth. Damned crabgrass. I guess we'll be living on potatoes.
Mike...I'm calling you out, baby! Since you mentioned you were recently singing lead vocal in a recording studio, I definitely want to hear you sing. And I'm sure there are others in here who want to hear you sing also.
We gotta have a little fun in here sometimes while we're still planning for the future...:)
To inspire you to rise up and accept my challenge, here's a 12-second clip I've just recorded of me singing a song I'm sure you remember from the 1970s..."Share the Land" by The Guess Who. Some of the lyrics in this song are definitely very appropriate for what we'll be facing in our lives very soon:
http://PlayAudioMessage.com/play.asp?m=551205&f=OMFEXY&ps=5&c=FFFFFF&pm=2&h=35
And to hear how this song should ideally be sung, and by one of the greatest vocalists in the history of recorded music, here's another clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLQJ4toj-JY
So what do you think, Mike? Are you willing to share your vocal prowess with all of our family in here? If you're interested and you need some help getting your voice recorded and put online, just let me know.
businessman,
there's just one line, not the whole song, right? nice voice esp a cappella
Thanks for the kind words, Jenna.
Yep...I just recorded me singing the chorus...about 12 seconds-worth.
I thought it best for me to leave the entire song to Burton Cummings to sing for everyone.
I can't listen to that song without getting misty-eyed and emotionally impacted by it.
I'd reccomend checking out
Midnight Oil - 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1
Beta Band - Dry the Rain
Wow what a great conversation. With all this sharing and cooperation we could change the world.
Another song to add to the playlist
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzrUqAtUcpU
Nice voice businessman.
Businessman -- You're on. As Henry Miller might say... you showed me yours now I show you mine. LOL -- Give me a week or so. I'll record a song but I have to be able to upload it someplace and that'll be on the FTW site probably.
Things to do at the end of the world..
God I love you guys.
MCR
F**K The Fed, a funny new video on YouTube:
http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2009/01/fk-the-fed/
Music baby! If there's one thing we are gonna need lots of during the Great Transformation, it's lots of music. Hey, it's not the revolution if you can't dance to it, right?
Jenna, re Russo - US cooperation on new NATO supply routes to Afghanistan:
The basic geopolitical cotradictions of these two major world contenders aside, such cooperation is a tactical expediency to be appreciated: both the US and Russia are purveyors of European high culture, of which the dark and backward forces of the feudal-tribal Islamic fundamentalist combine are the most potent enemy and they must tackle it jointly. Russia knows that this fire can spill over (and it has done so previously) into their territory and "near-abroad" interests next door, and burn them very badly. The memories of Beslan are all too fresh, Chechnya is still smouldering and the IMU is still roaring away inspite of Islom Karimov's police state in Uzbekistan. The US too now knows, sheepishly and deep down, that it was darned silly to revive Islamic ideology to use as a tool against the USSR in Afghanistan, when Soviet Communism was itself undergoing massive changes on its own without needing a push, but old papa Reagan was impatient. Besides, being the actor that he basically was, he wanted to revel in the fame and take the credit of upturning the "Evil Empire". And as far as the much reviled authoritarian character of Russia's polity is concerned, well, be it Tsarist, Stalinist or "Putinist" it is a fact that will always be necessary - owing to the turbulent nature of the Russian psyche, the vastness of its territory as well as the multitude of the ethnicities that subscribe to the label "Russian" - which originally was a name to denote the medieval Scandinavian Varangian settlers of Kievan Rus, but which even a Tartar of Muslim extraction like me now calls himself with relish. Russians of all hues basically like and feel at ease with strong "fathers" lording it in government above them and have always done so. Sometimes, when these "fathers" take it too far, the opposite happens and revolution results - but it always restores a strongman regime. And such a regime will be even more needed in the coming crisis of modern civilisation, just as it was the ruthless Georgian dictator Stalin who by the skin of his teeth saved a backward, lumbering Russia from Hitler's potent racial fanaticism and superior Teutonic technology and eventually spelled the end of World War 2 and the doom of the Nazi Reich itself, but at the cost of 27 million Russian lives which the Germans had taken. That feat was something a Tsar couldn't have even done; see how Nicholas II miserably failed against Imperial Germany in World War one, and Kaiser Wilhelm II was certainly no Hitler.
Now as modern civilisation becomes vulnerable as never before - because of its own internal rotten excesses and foolishness - we all have an enemy equal to the Nazis standing on our doorstep and worse than them in many respects. That enemy is already strongly entrenched in the septic sewer that Afghanistan has become and even the might of NATO over there has been unable to fix the problem thus far. The main supply lines of NATO were till now passing through another cesspit called Pakistan and were under constant assault there. It is keeping this in view that the concession to the West has been made. But if, and as the global fight between Russia and the West shifts to other "safer" theaters, we will certainly see rivalry rekindle and reemerge with the traditional full intensity. But to trip each other up unnecessarily and idiotically in a place where both have the same vile enemy would be sheer folly, and Russia knows this.
As an afterthought to what I just said above, the reason for NATO bypassing Pakistan proves what I have been saying on this blog for weeks now - that Pakistan is doomed: i.e, it is in the advanced stages of terminal collapse. Nobody loves it: Russia still remembers the treacherous role the ISI played at the West's behest in Afghanistan's infamous "Jihad"; while I will give an analogy for why the US has stopped "liking" its former protege, which I often cite when discussing this issue: when one owns a good pet dog, it is not only a good pet, but is also useful in actions like keeping watch, herding sheep or helping with the hunt. But if this dog becomes diseased and rabid, not only is it in misery itself, it also becomes a liability and a threat to its master(s). So the best thing in that case is for the master to put it to sleep, or shoot it. The same can be said of Pakistan: an artificial state, cobbled cunningly by "TPTB" out of various Muslim territories constituting the remains of the old British Indian Empire, it had no real national or political justification for its existence; rather its served as a handy pet dog for its imperialist masters in this key region for sixty years - until its internal rot and disease overcame it and became terminal. Now it is not a pet for its masters, but a dangerous nuisance they would like to be rid of as quickly and effortlessly as possible. Any perusal of Pakistani newspapers on the web will point this fact out immediately even to the novice. I regard this year as being key - when its failed system will start giving way practically. And Pakistan's old "handlers" will certainly know this - and have their contingencies ready, some visible, others hidden.
Not sure if this subject has come up lately, but with the economy tanking I have been expecting to see a phenomenal increase in fraudulent collection agency claims - something that we already experience at obscene levels. If a phone call I just received this morning is any indication of things to come, the harassment will go beyond anything we can conceive. A prominent collection agency called to assert a claim against me to collect an alleged debt on behalf of Pacific Bell - a company I have not done business with since 1991. That's over 17 years ago. Of course I never owed them any money to begin with, but I've seen this pattern with telecommunications, cable tv and other service providers for years, but never so ridiculously reaching beyond anything remotely hovering near the "benefit of the doubt" area. This credit rating extortion has been a huge and growing racket in this country - pick a random dollar amount usually between 100 and 200, and then give it to a collection agency who can with a straight face try to go collect it on the "good faith" that the company that gave them the collection account must be telling the truth. A lot of people pay these fraudulent claims because they don't want to mess up their credit rating and they dont' see that they can prove that they don't owe the charges (who has "final statements" from any of these companies showing a $0.00 balance owed?). Dont' give these people a penny and be sure to tell them exactly what you know they're doing when they call.
I'd rather be writing about music, but need to catch up on all the comments.
Henry Kissinger: The world must forge a new order or retreat to chaos
-from The Independent
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/henry-kissinger-the-world-must-forge-a-new-order-or-retreat-to-chaos-1451416.html
Mike, wondering if this NWO were to eventuate, what it would look like with out oil or a debt based economy for that matter?
it seems obvious that it wouldn't really have the same power/control with out them.
So why pursue it? If it's a controlled demolition what will the 'new' Bretton-Woods look like?
I can see it happening and the people going along with it - as it would seem to the uneducated that there isn't a choice.
You inspired me to listen to DMB again...it's been awhile... #41...awesome.
Hi. This is my first time posting. I farm on an organic CSG in northwest NJ. My partner and our two sons have been learning and planning for the crash for about four years. We own no property, as our housing is provided by the farm, which i believe is a land trust. We have been focusing these past months on learning and gathering the tools for personal food preservation, i.e. canning, dehydrating, fermenting, and the like. All four of us are vegan, so all of our basic nutritional needs are provided by the farm without having to feed our food. We grow beans, grains, and vegetables on a scale large enough to feed 300+ members. I believe ANY soil can be reclaimed through various methods. Mushrooms can play a big role in this. Growing mushrooms on soil will remove heavy metal contamination, as the metals are absorbed into the mushroom. Composting these mushrooms then locks the metals into inert forms which are safe to spread on fields. Scroogle "mycoremediation" for more info. Check out Fungi Perfecti. Also, cover cropping works on any scale. Do a scroogle search on "sheet composting" to quickly build topsoil. And, of course, humanure. We have two toilets in our house, and we all use a five gallon bucket with a seat instead. Every vegetable that leaves our farm can be consideres nutrient loss from the soil if it's not replaced. Humanure is a way to put back into soil what we don't use, instead of wasteing it in a septic field.
MCR, I'm SO glad you're back in action, and that you've recovered from your illness. This blog is very centering for me. There is alot of info out there, and much of it is portrayed with very fearmongering tactics. Here, I find hope with my info.
The health of our body depends on the minerals in it. The same for the soil that the food we eat comes from has to be mineral rich. I have been using Ocean Grown fertilizer water(oceangrown.com)for years (and stocking up for years ahead. I use it indoor on my sprouts and outdoor on the veg. Any 'sick' soil can be rejuvenated with this stuff.
Dorothy
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1126682/Icelandic-government-brought-credit-crunch.html
and re: healthcare:
http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/38138604.html
Someone else mentioned John Jeavons. I have studied directly under John and follow his methodology here on my own mini-farm. There are two major obstacles to rehabilitating soils in suburban/urban areas to be used for growing food:
1. It takes several years of hard work loosening the soil, removing rocks, and adding organic material before most soils can become productive.
2. Growing annual crops in a typical suburban back yard sustainably without bringing in outside organic materials is going to be impossible. Even if you compost everything, including your own bodily waste, you will deplete the soil unless you have some fallow periods or bring in nutrients on a regular basis.
The second point is the real killer and is why in my mind the cities and suburbs are death traps. I am in a rural area surrounded by forest and pastures so I can easily supplement my compost material with animal manures, grass, leaves, etc.
John Jeavons has his research farm way out at the end of a winding dead end road in the hills above Willits. He knows whats coming.
This planet has never before experienced the disaster it faces over the next 30 years or so. A plague of intelligent apes with unbelievably destructive weapons is about to undergo a massive dieoff. What, if anything, emerges on the other side of this is anyones guess.
D'oh - sorry Jenna; I didn't see the Jerome Corsi by-line at first. Probably not worth the time to read it, after all...
Mexico as unstable as Pakistan?
Operation Clean House! Read:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090124/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_mexico_cartel_in_control
this link is posted only in order to shed light on where the rumors of oil reserves off the coast of israel are in fact coming from. anton v himself later saw the bigger picture.
anton v has left a new comment on your post "GATHERING THE REINS PLUS, A FREE BILLION DOLLAR B...":
This is definitely interesting:
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=86865
Mike...My Man!
I look forward to hearing you sing!
I have a service I utilize if you're interested where we can upload the MP3 file and it will automatically give us the link to click on to play the audio. We can even use one of those Play, Stop, and Pause button players that we see online on Web sites, too.
And if you want to make it really easy, you can even record your voice from the telephone right into the system, too.
Just do whatever works for you.
I look forward to hearing your recording!
Thanks for the kind words, Bonnie!
And another great song you gave us from Ten Years After.
Geez...Bringing music into this Blog with all the heaviness of the stuff we're talking about definitely makes me feel happier.
I guess in the grand scheme of things, just about everything natural has its part to play in the cycle of life. Since we're on the topic - urine as fertilizer:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071008093608.htm
Weeone,
"It takes several years of hard work loosening the soil, removing rocks, and adding organic material before most soils can become productive."
I disagree with you totally.
Let me break it down for ya!
Sound in the Background
( Heavy distortion on my guitar )
I can make a sustainable system in one year. Well, We need to find fruit trees that are mature.
You do not till the earth, you make raised bed composted gardens. Leave the ground alone. Next, you need bio diveristy in your neighborhood. Plant no more than 3 species of trees next to each other in a pyramid. No more than three! Practice which trees work best with each other. Or just go to PRI and find out which ones they recommend for the region you are in. There is a library of information if you get certified you can access it.
Except for humanure. If you are going to add humanure to your garden, make sure its from your own family. Do not start mixing humanure together with others. Compost humanure for a year. Geoff says 6 months, but I say a year Just to be on the safe side.
Building sustainable soils.
Line the median streets of your neighborhoods with big swales. Heck, kick out the cars and use the streets. On top of those swales, plant fruit trees. THose trees will act as your feeders for nutrient density down the 68 degree angle of repose, or the swales hill slope. Then plant down slope other legumes, pollards,that you can prune and mulch. Lay down that cover crop carbon on contour. This is a layered design with the run off from the fruit tree fall off feeding soil to make a bio char. Plant sweet potatoes on the sides of the swales. Let some rot. Dont eat them all. Create a bio char. One table spoon fertilizes 10 acres. All you do is walk your swales and clip branches and let them fall to the floor. Its nature tending your garden.
Clover is a great nitrogen fixing species.
So you are feeding gardens with soils you make from the swales. Fruit trees need fungi compost tea which the worms make you, if you design the fungi worm farm right the fungi and the trees fall off gets really slimmy and black, its called bio char. That's something I need to grow with to explain. I edited it, and I still dont have it locked and loaded yet. Sorry folks. Oh the worms for gardens need to make regular compost tea.
A willow tree is a great carbon producer.
Start layering appropriate species in line down the swales to create the dank soil. Thats the heart of permaculture design.
God , I cant believe I just wrote that.... What has happened to me...
I am no gardner, never had a green thumb..and here I am telling someone who is doing it for a while now that he is wrong. All because I am editing the film of Geoff Lawton's 72 hour permaculture design course. It doesnt seem fair.
Thats how good this course is though. There were 17 scientists out of 50 in this course last August, we were all blown away.
Its off the charts = as good as my fathers hit record
Piece of My Heart Janis Joplin.
Okay Ill stop bragging Mike, you hollywood cat jammer :))
I am jealous! lol
RayLeeUS -- Here in Japan we have in recent years seen a huge increase in fraudulent claims, and it's now one of the main types of scams.
Why the little trash cans after my entries?
Chicago - "Dialogue"
http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=gje_0OMj4h4
Lyrics here
Perestroika 2.0 Beta
Dmitry Orlov compares Obama to Gorbachev
cj
there's a picture of a trashcan after everyone's entry
To comments regarding Kissinger, a possible NWO, and oil - the folks pulling the strings will never be left without oil. It'll be you and I who go without. Rest assured. If oil taps out, the elites will have monopolized it for their benefit long beforehand.
On another topic, my Cuban father-in law has been visiting regularly. It's amazing how completely decieved so many people are. He believes that Chavez is "an enemy". Even though Chavez was essentially planted in office by Jimmy Carter, the Georgia Nut Planter. And even though Chavez has essentially created the foundation for a socialist South American Union - which Carter's buddy D. Rockefeller tried to do overtly via the FTAA based in Miami, but failed.
I can explain this in painstaking detail and I can show irrefutable reports and evidence that these events happened and are happening. And my father-in law will nod his head in complete understanding and in agreement that they took place. But.... even in the face of the evidence and even after fully understanding what each means, he still con't get it through his head that we've been lied to about Chavez. The so-called "left" believes Chavez is demonized, the so-called "right" believes he's an enemy, when in reality there's no left/right paradigm at all. I can draw an irrefutable picture that Chavez is nothing more than a tool whose goal is to look like opposition to imperialistic US goals, while in reality, his goal is to covertly achieve the trade union that Rockefeller failed to create using overt means.
Believe it or not, right now in Miami and in other Cuban centers within the US (Northern VA, and NJ/NYC) the media is placing Chavez and Castro on the forefront of their political conversation, painting them as enemies. It's a hot and heavy topic in the Spanish media. Why? Because US disparagement of Chavez by the US media is the tool to convince impoverished South Americans that they should unite under their own system, as presented and endorsed by Chavez.
And in spite of the evidence that explains it, an intelligent man (my father in-law) simply can't shed decades worth of political indoctrination. It's a shame.
Interesting comments from everyone. Thanks for sharing and for allowing me to do the same.
Thanks for that Chicago video, Pandabonium. I've seen them at least 7 times and for the last three years straight.
I even caught a rare Bobby Lamm guitar pick the last time.
It's very nice to see a video with Terry still in the band before he shot himself at that party.
They still sound great in concert today!
Growing Food on the White House Lawn
Isn't it nice that someone out there is trying to raise awareness of the need to grow our own food?
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/23/growing-food-on-the-white-house-lawn/?em
I had a bunch of kids at school grow all kinds of vegetables in recycled containers a few summers ago. The enthusiasm was incredible, especially with the inner city kids. Some had never seen the vegetables or the plants that grew them before. One kid just couldn't get over the fact that a fruit or nut tree gives food "for free" every year. Kids went home with potato plants, miniature corn, peppers, tomatoes, peanuts, rice and wheat in large buckets. The ones who didn't participate were crying they didn't get to join in, and this was middle school. The odd thing was that many grown ups couldn't figure out why I would want to have such an activity at school. The kids are the ones who will be left (lets hope) to salvage a life after we've messed everything to hell. If they don't even know where their food comes from, God help us.
This would be a nice role for Michelle, Sasha and Melia, if this organization can convince them to do it.
Mike,
I have already bought the DVD's "The Truth and Lies of 9-11" and "Denial Stops Here". I was after your speech (The Paradigm is the Enemy) at the Cooper Union in 2006, and 2000's USC lecture "Wall Street's War for Drug Money" which was announced early Jan to be availible for purchase from your site, but i am unable to find it anywhere. Also do you have any further news on the progress of your new book with an estimate on when it should be availible in store.
Businessman - you're welcome. I envy you being able to hear Chicago live. "Dialogue" may not be the best example of their music, but the lyrics are great. As a trombonist I always enjoy listening to songs that feature their horn section, with James Pankow on trombone.
Mike and Jenna: Here's a video of Chossudovsky's Montreal presentation, January 14th: THE GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS, The Great Depression of the 21st Century.
http://www.globalresearch.ressourcequebec.com/Lecture/January_14-2009.htm
This article gives some good insight as to what has transpired thus far with Obama in the white house. It touches on several issues.
"Barack Obama picks a fight with Rush Limbaugh as bipartisan spirit crumbles"
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobama/4331839/Barack-Obama-picks-a-fight-with-Rush-Limbaugh-as-bipartisan-spirit-crumbles.html
...telling Republican leaders from the House of Representatives: "I won. I'm the president."
William Lynn is the one exception to his announcement to not allow former lobbyists into his administration. Here's an article on Lynn and the 3.3 trillion gone missing in the defense budget on his watch.
http://solari.com/blog/?p=1983
Pandabonium...Jimmy Pankow developed one of the most unique, signature "big" sounds in music through his trombone. I never realized that the mouthpiece on a trombone is different than the one on a trumpet until someone I know who played both of them told me years ago.
Interestingly, all three of Chicago's horn players have their own stand-ins available now, and they'll have them fill-in for them at an occasional concert if they're feeling tired from touring.
With all of our talk about planning for the future, is anyone besides me in here feeling the pain of this economic recession? My business revenue was down 40% in 2008 as compared with 2007, and now it's slowing down even more.
More on what the US now faces in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and the roles of countries like Russia in this regard:
"FATA" toughest challenge for Obama, says Holbrooke
http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=19861
Another article by a prominent Pakistani English language essayist, detailing the general breakdown in the country’s system, with emphasis on infrastructure:
We are told
http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=158953
An editorial on the encroaching Taliban power in Pakistan's northwestern areas:
Writ small
http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=158946
Plus another editorial detailing Pakistani "anguish" at the continuing US drone attacks on al-Qaeda targets in Pakistan:
More drone attacks
http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=158947
At this point, I must say that I am no fancier of US imperialism - but Pakistan's "anguish" at the drone attacks is somewhat misplaced and hypocritical: if Pakistan is, as it always proclaims, the main US ally in its "war on terror", and yet it is unable to take out al-Qaeda on its own "sovereign territory", then the US/NATO forces reserve every right to do the task themselves - especially as everybody knows what is happening, who is being targeted and why; it is a straightforward commonsense principle no one will deny. But the actual reason for the Pakistani moaning and grumbling is that the devious and slippery Pakistani administration is finally caught where it deserves to be: between a rock (al-Qaeda) and a hard place (the US). If it tries pleasing one, it will anger the other. And it can't please both at the same time...
More on what the US now faces in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and the roles of countries like Russia in this regard:
"FATA" toughest challenge for Obama, says Holbrooke
http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=19861
Another article by a prominent Pakistani English language essayist, detailing the general breakdown in the country’s system, with emphasis on infrastructure:
We are told
http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=158953
An editorial on the encroaching Taliban power in Pakistan's northwestern areas:
Writ small
http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=158946
Plus another editorial detailing Pakistani "anguish" at the continuing US drone attacks on al-Qaeda targets in Pakistan:
More drone attacks
http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=158947
At this point, I must say that I am no fancier of US imperialism - but Pakistan's "anguish" at the drone attacks is somewhat misplaced and hypocritical: if Pakistan is, as it always proclaims, the main US ally in its "war on terror", and yet it is unable to take out al-Qaeda on its own "sovereign territory", then the US/NATO forces reserve every right to do the task themselves - especially as everybody knows what is happening, who is being targeted and why; it is a straightforward commonsense principle no one will deny. But the actual reason for the Pakistani moaning and grumbling is that the devious and slippery Pakistani administration is finally caught where it deserves to be: between a rock (al-Qaeda) and a hard place (the US). If it tries pleasing one, it will anger the other. And it can't please both at the same time...
More are getting the map...
Pastor Lindsey Williams Details "Economic Calamity" Ahead
http://www.henrymakow.com/dear_friends_and_family.html
'Get out of debt... unless all of your debt is unsecured and you own no real assets. Can't squeeze blood from a stone.'
I have been raising organic grass fed beef for many years. From my observations about grass, there really is nothing wrong with the soil that was lawn and has been converted to a garden. Of course lawns may have been exposed to chemicals that will dissipate with time.
Growing grass on soil is probably one of the best things that can happen--much better than the constant tilling of conventional farming and gardening. Grass builds organic matter in the soil and allows the microorganisms to do their thing under the surface. If a mulching lawn mover has been used all the better. A mulching mower acts like a grazing animal by eating and leaving the waste.
The major problem in converting lawn to garden will be the persistence of the grass. Mulching with newspaper, cardboard, leaves, or whatever for controlling competion will help in the first years of the conversion.
SUPERTRAMP - CRIME OF THE CENTURY
Back in the mid seventies a song was written with the following prophetic words:
Now they're planning the crime of the century,
Oh where what will it be.
Read all about their schemes and adventures,
Oh yes it's well worth the fee.
So roll up and see . . . .
Hands up those who feel the awful/delicious frisson of revelation this songs brings to our generation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVPhVV1dYd0
UN crime chief says drug money flowed into banks
Sun Jan 25, 2009 9:17am EST
VIENNA, Jan 25 (Reuters) - The United Nations' crime and drug watchdog has indications that money made in illicit drug trade has been used to keep banks afloat in the global financial crisis, its head was quoted as saying on Sunday.
F. Kamilov - another fine post. I look forward to more from you.
FYI, don't expect too much progress against al-CIA-duh in Pakistan by the current Pak leadership. Their role in the WOT is much different than the role that they or the US will profess. In the spirit of Gen. Mahmoud, you can take that fact to the bank.
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