From the Wilderness' Peak Oil Blog

Monday, February 23, 2009

I HAVE NOTHING TO SAY

I have known for a long time that this day would come; the day when events would catch up with the map. For the time being I've got nothing to say; nothing I can say. All I want you guys to do -- the way we trained you -- is to just watch the news closely now. We have accomplished so much with our research and analytical skills. Those who have been with me and FTW for a long time will understand this perfectly. Take whatever you can glean and analyze on a daily basis and, if possible, figure out a way to make that apply locally. If it isn't relevant... fuggedaboudit.

Every day one of this list's stalwarts sends a select few an amazing culling of global news stories. I'd like to ask that person's permission to have those stories posted here every day on the main page. Those will help you more than anything I can say now... those of you who have learned how to read the map. You are my family. Those who don't get it won't have much time to play catch up. It's getting to be the time when the lifeboats must leave the wreck. It won't be a clear demarcation, but at some point what will happen is that those in the lifeboats will start caring only or mostly for each other until the imminent danger has passed.

I'm not going away. The Creator has timed this perfectly as I take care of other very important business for us. I am not leaving the field... not now.

MCR
***********************************************************************************

JO adds:

In view of Mike's recommendation above, the blog is going to become more restrictive with respect to comments published, focussing only on what is immediately relevant.

Taxpayer Takeover of Citi Should Bring More Fear
JP Morgan Chase To Issue Debit Cards For Unemployment Benefits in Alaska
DOD Officials See Terrorist Threat to America Brewing in Canada
Russia To Respond To Militarization of Arctic
Russia, Japan Should Boost Trade Ties, Medvedev Says
Ukraine-India Headed For Defense Cooperation Agreement
World Bank President: Eastern Europe Must Not Fail (Latvia Just Did)
EU Mulls Action as Ukraine Crumble Triggers Fears of Contagion for Europe
Gazprom Withholding Gas From Poland
CEE Banks in Unprecedented Verbal Intervention
Secret Report Reveals How Members of the European Parliament Make Millions
Tunnels Between US and Mexico
Afghanistan Slipping Out Of Control
Seeking a New Road from Afghanistan to the Sea - Through Iran
Zardari Wants China To Be Arbitrator For India/Pakistan Disputes
Growing China To Stay Hungry For Brazil's Resources
Dirty Bomb Parts Found in Slain Man's Home
Indian Buyers Dump Gold, Buy Platinum

Career Options for Ex-Wall Street Workers: Butler, Clown, Shredder
...or any combination therefrom

52 comments:

agape wins said...: As always,FTW has my permission to use anything I post as is seen fit!

Call it restriction, or censorship
the shoe fits when the chips are down

Shades of repression, reminds me of the old puritan churches with their changing rooms/closets,
where the divorced/rejected wives were to remove their clothing, underwear, & shoes, which were then
passed through an opening to their Ex Husband! The man retained ownership of children, "goods", clothing,
and in severe cases required the woman be shorn!

“If we give the money to the widows, they will spend it unwisely because they are uneducated and they don’t know about budgeting,” he said. “But if we find her a husband, there will be a person in charge of her and her children for the rest of their lives. This is according to our tradition and our laws.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/23/world/middleeast/23widows.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Are any of us better prepared than the Iraqi's, where do you stand?

How does any of this reflect on today and how anyone of us/you lives through the "die off"?
Contemplate on this until my next post!

Amae.; 9:35 PM
in_the_light said...: http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20090223/NEWS03/902230350

This is an article regarding the upcoming Supreme Court case settling whether or not the governor of Hawaii has the authority to sell the "ceded lands" which were given at the time of annexation of Hawaii to benefit Native Hawaiians.

Why is it important? First it addresses the distribution of an important resource for the indigenous people here: their land. Secondly, because it is primarily about resources (my read on it, not popular perception), it will dictate to what degree the Native Hawaiians will be able to gain power as the collapse continues in Hawaii. Third, it is important because it may set some sort of precedent regarding Pacific Islanders' relationships with colonizing powers.

While it is primarily a local issue, it has national and international consequences.; 11:54 PM
Rice Farmer said...: Of course, we all knew this day would come. Still, it is always enlightening to read what MCR's "detective's eye" has to say, and I hope that he will sometimes find the urge to comment irresistible.

When I first started reading FTW, the first thought that crossed my mind was, "Why can't all journalism be like this?" I don't know what kind of training journalists get, but a core part of their training should be how to think like a detective. The pinnacle of such journalism is of course "Rubicon" for the way in which it builds a rock-solid case in terms of means, motive, and opportunity.; 12:10 AM
Sebastian Ernst Ronin said...: MCR: Whatever it is you need to do, do it well, forthrightly, standing up. I quote Kurtz: "In a war there are many moments for compassion and tender action. There are many moments for ruthless action, what is often called ruthless, but may in many circumstances only be clarity, seeing clearly what there is to be done and doing it, directly, quickly, awake, looking at it."

JO: Thanks for the link on "special-interest aliens." My God, only the military could come up with a handle like that! Hey, couldn't that stroke of the brush cover Peak Oilers, Doomers, etc? Aliens, indeed!!! =;-D; 1:06 AM
Pandabonium said...: MR & JO - I'm hip. In fact, when it was hip to be hep, I was hep.

Asia Times article by Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar - career diplomat in the Indian Foreign Service: China breaks its silence on Afghanistan; 4:06 AM
Sebastian Ernst Ronin said...: Interview to-day in the Globe & Mail, Canada's leading conservative daily, with Niall Ferguson under the byline, "There will be blood." This is a serious shift and signal for the corporate media to take and send.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090223.wferguson0223/BNStory/crashandrecovery/home/?pageRequested=1; 4:39 AM
Anonymous said...: Again, thanks Mike & Jenna for your enduring, compassionate tenacity. A couple of articles that hit home for me are:

The collapse of manufacturing

http://www.economist.com/opinion/displayStory.cfm?story_id=13144864&source=hptextfeature

The American car industry
In pieces

http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13145718

Continued blessings to all...; 5:06 AM
Gauhar Kachchhi said...: You need to check this out...

Mega Deflation First - Hyper Inflation Later

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bS7D2cJQ1EU&feature=channel_page; 6:03 AM
RanD said...: Money -- in all of its various forms as bonds, certificates, metals, stocks, promissory notes, fiat currencies, reserves, resources, properties, possessions and power over others etc etc etc -- is (at least as of this morning it still is) being used as today's world's simultaneously primary medium of exchange & control and paramount socio-psychological symbol of value. And nothing in today's world is screaming louder at us than the imperative that we ask of ourselves, 1.) "why have we been using money this way? and 2.) "where has doing so brought us?" And the answers to those questions blatantly self-evince themselves to those with eyes that see, ears that hear, and minds willing to connect ALL the dots and know. While all the rest are given to go down with the not-so-good ship long ago christened Dying Paradigm, insisting that it's their map to the future.

And so it is, as so it will be.; 7:20 AM
Unknown said...: Stanford Financial Group Markets Fund of Hedge Funds Run by Biden Family

http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/24/stanford-had-links-to-fund-run-by-bidens-report-says/; 10:23 AM
businessman said...: Prediction: 82 More Bank Failures by the End of the 3rd Quarter; 11:12 AM
businessman said...: I like what I heard Tina Brown say on Bill Maher's HBO show the other night (and I'm paraphrasing here):

"We need to have a kind of Nuremberg Trials for all the people who have gotten us into this financial mess."; 11:20 AM
Unknown said...: More Pain: 14 Year Commercial Real Estate Supply in China

http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2009/02/14-year-commercial-real-estate-supply.html; 11:32 AM
Anonymous said...: I've been afraid of the day you might say that, Mike. Take very good care and good rest.; 3:45 PM
HiJack said...: I began following FTW since just bfore MCR left and have been following Act 2 since Mike returned and it began. JO and MCR, I think the readers will find the latest of Tom Engelhardt's Tomgram by Michael Klare interesting reading as Klare spotlights the numerous places of unrest around the world due to the economic meltdown see: http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175038/michael_klare_a_pandemic_of_economic_violence; 9:04 PM
RanD said...: The idea that it's good to think "We need to have a kind of Nuremberg Trials for all the people who have gotten us into this financial mess" is fine -- as long as EVERYONE that's been complicit is ready to include putting themselves on trial for OUR parts as willing citizen-actualizers of these dastardly deeds that have caused OUR self-victimization.

Without followers, leaders into hell are but followers with bad ideas. And, particularly when people who are citizens of a democratic republic with a formally constituted means of keeping themselves out of self-destructive situations fail to do so, they invariably have none but themselves -- COLLECTIVELY -- to blame for what they've done to themselves, AND to those entirely innocent ones whom our actions may have collaterally harmed.

Wake up all you hypocrites, slackers and cowards -- these are the United States of America's days of reckoning that we're experiencing, and which the entire human condition is also experiencing for having followed OUR lead.; 4:21 AM
Flying column said...: "The G7 and G20 talks might just as well be called off – it’s now everyone for himself. You must have 85% to 100% of assets in gold and silver related assets. If you have not done that do it now with gold close to $1,000 an ounce and silver close to $15.00. This is only the beginning of phase two of at least four phases upward in prices. The only way you can financially survive is with these two assets. Everything else will fall 60% to 95%. This depression will be far worse than the “Great Depression.” The fear of fiat paper money is spreading worldwide."

Im getting scared people, No Soft landing for anyone.....

Check out Bob chapmans full article.

http://www.theinternationalforecaster.com/International_Forecaster_Weekly/World_Financial_System_In_A_State_Of_Insolvency

Thanks Mike and Jo for continued comments.; 8:36 AM
in_the_light said...: Could someone outline for me exactly what happens when congress approves a massive loan like this 787 billion one? Where do the loans come from? Other governments? Through private sources? Does the loan authorize the Fed to print more $$ ? Is it an increase in availble money seen only in numbers? Does congress get the "loan" so to speak straight from the fed, i.e. just authorize them to print more? I'm in_the_dark here... Some one asked me this question and I answered what I could with what knowledge I have, but ultimately came up short and wasn't able to back up my answer with 100 percent confidence.

Also, another link to colonizing/indigenous conflicts, this time in the carribean. Though their situation is far from ours in Hawaii, there are some similarities. Thanks to lifeaftertheoilcrash. net for the link

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1150062/Britons-flee-French-island-Guadeloupe-rioters-turn-white-families.html; 8:45 AM
businessman said...: in_the_light...The Federal Reserve System creates the money out of thin air in the form of new money added into checking accounts and financial accounts for the benefit of the recipients. Since the Fed has the ultimate authority to create more money, it has the ability, through the banking system, to simply increase the balances in people's checking and financial accounts to accomplish this.

Here's a very solid and informative lecture on how The Federal Reserve System operates, given by a man who is one of the top authorities on the subject:

Lecture by Ed Griffin on The Federal Reserve System; 9:47 AM
Hikikomori said...: Jenna, what happened to Mike? How is he? Does he need any help? If you think it's better to keep it private -- no problem. But if you can share some info -- would be good to fill the vacuum.

And what about his new book? Any progress?

Thanks.; 9:49 AM
Anonymous said...: Mike, Jenna, and fellow bloggers...

in light of the Obama speech from last night, and from comments thus far...I will post chapter 6 of the manifesto, which indeed is relative to all who follow "the map"...

Now, I will turn to the second scenario that may (at least on the surface) seem like a positive future. This would be if the Nation attempts to move into a more democratic, ecologically-based approach, with Keynesian-like “solutions” being attempted. Hence, the “Eco-Deal.”

Heinberg writes; “Like Feudal Fascism, this scenario assumes a strong central government…” Here again, we can see a significant attempt at maintaining national control, using (and abusing) the Federalist foundations. But, in this case, government decides to apply itself to the transformation of societal infrastructure using an inclusive strategy that entails economic redistribution and the fostering of a “culture of democracy.”

Like the New Deal of the first Great Depression, this scenario will consist of government attempting to create work programs and rebuild infrastructure. There may even be government efforts to create financial capital to build electric train & streetcar systems, insulation of homes & businesses, subsidies for “clean energy technologies” (such as solar, wind, geothermal, etc.). There may certainly be a reorganization of agriculture on a national scale, using organic & localized models, attempting to create millions of jobs along the way.

Such drastic efforts on a national scale would surely involve providing mass public awareness of the problem, the true problem! The mass media would have to come around full circle and begin promoting conservation and encouraging audiences to work together as a community with one “common goal,” instead of their usual mass propaganda bent on consumption like there’s no tomorrow. They would have to reverse decades of social manipulation, of which they were the culprits.

Besides the difficulties of such a large-scale effort, one that has never faced the American public before, the entire Culture of Empire would have to literally be in reverse overnight! The entire leviathan that the Corporatocracy had created would have to completely shift gears and work in an opposite direction, so much so that it would appear to be nonexistent. Countless minds would have to be awakened, and CEO’s and banking elites would have to have some sort of religious, near-death experience or absolute epiphanies to go along with it all! It would require national leadership comparable to that, which was seen during the Great Depression of the 1930’s, the fighting of both World War I & II, the Civil Rights Movement, the Civil War, and the mission to the Moon combined!

Even if this were to take place, the outlook of its long-term success, no matter how valiant the effort on the part of civilians and national leaders alike, does not have much promise. For one, efforts on such a large scale should have begun at least 20 to 30 years ago. The “Eco-Deal” is a narrative that seems to be more of a reaction to the crisis, rather than strategically planned preparation.

Unfortunately, at least over the past hundred years of American history, good efforts usually come as such a reaction to crisis. The elites and their Culture of Empire have such a tight grasp on the politicians that it takes a crisis that has grown so large that cannot be hidden any longer to be the point, where our “leaders” usually act. Furthermore, it is this crisis, the Long Emergency, that will be one that could end modern civilization if we don’t act.

Even now, near the end of the first decade of the 21st century, at the brink of the Long Emergency and the beginning of economic collapse, our hope lies with the same “leaders” the Corporatocracy has given us for decades.

The Nation is under the illusion that what they believe is the first president to come to power in a long time, who represents the “common man,” and that he has come to be president via a democratic election free of corporate manipulation, is truly another puppet, inserted into the White House for ulterior motives. The fact that the numbers had come back so strong for Mr. Obama, was not only because that many people actually had voted for him, but in fact the Corporatocracy, who had hacked democracy in the previous two elections via the widespread, strategic usage of their electronic voting machines, had simply let go of the controls, and manipulated nothing. As they predicted, the gullible American public would surely sense relief and bet on the hopes inspired by the Obama campaign, by widely voting him into office.

Unfortunately, the first president “of color” is just another politician put in place to produce the appearance of change, and the illusion of a democratic republic. The New Patriots must be cautious in thinking that such a man could be decent enough to put the country on a path towards the Eco-Deal scenario. For, not even Superman could accomplish this.

Even as the first days of his administration come to pass, after he has sworn the oath to “…protect the constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic…,” you can already see how the grip of the Empire is still hanging on. This is no more made clear than when you see how his proposed “solutions” to our economic apocalypse will surely lead us in a direction toward nothing that resembles the Eco-Deal scenario. In fact, it is beginning to resemble that his administration, and those in control of it, are indeed continuing the drive of his predecessors toward a much more authoritarian model.

For instance, his recent speeches are replete with promises of employment programs, but the vast majority of the imagined “millions of workers” will be dedicated to “rebuilding highways, bridges, and other infrastructure.” They plan to populate these jobs with the exponentially growing, jobless masses. How preposterous indeed is this- using valuable labor to “improve” the very infrastructure that has led us to this crisis in the first place. Here, as predicted by many Peak Oil experts, the attempts to use the Keynesian models of the past, but are pointless now. For, this time things are much different than the 1930’s, and such approaches will fail miserably, and will lead us to despair just as fast (if not, faster!) than if we didn’t.

Thus, there is not a word said at this point that demonstrates that our government is making any effort to begin constructing vital systems that the Eco-Deal model envisions such as electrified rail systems and streetcars. Likewise, there certainly is no sign of them creating the “financial capital” to fund such efforts. As the economic collapse began, both “political parties” have supported the pouring of mass amounts of the debt-based currency into the failing system, and in many cases, looked the other way as money that is handed over has primarily ended up rescuing the hegemonic leaders of the Empire through the bail-outs of the banks they own!

The monetary systems of the world are collapsing like a weakened levy, holding back billions of tons of ocean water, and the peaking of oil is like an approaching hurricane closing in on us, where they attempt to plug the holes in the levy with mere fingers, like the story of the little Dutch boy, while at the same time, pouring more and more water behind the collapsing barrier. And, as the Empire handled the disaster of Hurricane Katrina, they have more preparations to allow us to collapse too, rather than “lend a compassionate hand.”

The most apparent test of the new administration’s decency and if there exists any respect for the dignity of the American people, would be to see that if they make the provision of “public information” envisioned by the Eco-Deal as one of their priorities. This has surely not taken place. The Empire’s flood of info-tainment and circus performers are surely still racing along at full-speed, continuing, business-as-usual, to distract the public. We are yet to see any sign of the corporately censored media turning around and promoting honesty to the American people of our true predicament.

Experts in the area of studying the Peak Oil and the coming post-carbon existence we all face, still rarely are allowed to appear in most media formats. True journalists, who have investigated the facts of the Corporatocracy’s crimes and have bravely come forward, are still swiftly marginalized, harassed, or made a fool in front of millions who “tune in.”

The signs overwhelmingly show that the Culture of Empire insists on rambling along, out of control into oblivion!

There are recent signs that this administration that rode the campaign trail, promising “hope” and “change,” is following in some of the same paths that lead toward the Feudal Fascism model.

For instance, Mr. Obama is keeping on several of the administrative cronies of the former president, those that rubbed shoulders with the most significant criminal elements of the Corporatocracy! Other positions are being filled by former, high-ranking military officers- more than even his predecessor! What could this possibly be in preparation for?

The most repulsive sign, is that the new administration has shown no interest what-so-ever in reversing the laws & protocols that were put in place by the previous two administrations, which have eliminated or severely restricted many of our most cherished civil liberties- actions that, as was pointed out earlier, that appear to be specifically designed to maintain control of the populace in the post- Peak Oil America. Individuals who will surely continue to ignore the evidence of the obvious crimes the preceding administrations committed have surrounded the new president. There has been nothing that has come from the Obama Team that diverts our course toward Feudal Fascism.

As certain as either of these first two scenarios may seem, and as apparent as it may seem that the country is being directed more toward the Feudal Fascist model, both of these strategies have little chance of maintaining themselves too far into the future. Either of these two, no matter how big of a “law-and-order” clampdown there is, or no matter how much the Powers-that-Be attempt to preserve their power at all costs, will inevitably see failure. They will fail, and fail quite rapidly, primarily because there wouldn’t be enough “social support or resource availability” to maintain such a “massive machine” of repression that exists with the Feudal Fascist model, nor the large-scale, socialistic democracy represented in the Eco-Deal model.

As one can plainly see today, “national leaders” seem to surely be attempting to use the same methods tried in past economic calamities by “projecting into the future past rules of growth in energy consumption,” and, as we’ve seen with the Obama administration, enacting Keynesian-like social policies that have no chance of any success in the post-Peak Oil America. It is equally preposterous that the administration and the rest of the political body believes that it can “run Wal-Mart, McDonalds, and Disney World” on so-called Bio-Fuels or wind technology.

Even if the new administration, along with every sector of the national government, even now, changed their ways and made a valiant effort toward the Eco-Deal model, it would, in the end, fail miserably. It is the more admirable of the two scenarios, but it attempts to use old, outdated economic “solutions” that will have no affect on the beast that is Peak Oil.

At this time, the Eco-Deal model is but a dream, a fantasy. At best, this model, if truly enacted, would eventually see the national, centralized government model disintegrate, and quickly break down into decentralized regions, most likely consisting of a network of small towns & communities who rightly decided to break-off from the national scene, and form confederations of self-sustainable communities.

The entire culture would have to adjust and change nearly overnight, and as we’re seeing now, there is not one “leader” at the national level, willing to speak the truth and spark the American People into action! Great changes to not only our culture & way-of-life are necessary for a sustainable national government, but also to the way we govern as well! The government must first be cleansed of its corruption! Crimes against the People should be punished, and retribution be rendered! Government must be reformed at every level, constitutional amendments made, and our civil liberties restored!

Also, most importantly, a greater involvement of the common person in government must be put in place. A branch of the national government could be formed that gives a much more direct, democratic, government process, which will have power to trump all other branches. They would ensure that constitutionally protected liberties are re-enforced & expanded, and maintain a much more watchful eye over them. Something resembling Ethen Leib’s idea of a “Popular Branch” of government, spelled out in his work “Deliberative Democracy in America,” would satisfy such a necessity in the post-Peak Oil America, if we do decide to attempt national-scale governance.

As we move along further in this manifesto, the reader will notice how the possibilities and realities of these scenarios coming to pass will certainly point in the direction of the necessity of our revolution. We will indeed see the end of Federalism in America or, at least, a severe weakening of its original functions. There will neither be a need nor a desire for it to continue business-as-usual. The New Patriots must surely recognize that not only will the current structure supporting Federalism fail (mostly on its own), but it is now necessary for them to “throw off” the corrupt elements behind it, and start anew.

hope to continue to intrigue...

GoS; 11:27 AM
Waldow said...: Thanks for all your work over the years, Mike. Your style epitomizes what is best about our country, though it's Empire's sun is sinking low. (and you also introduced us to Orlov, Goff, Fitts and many others who know what time it is). Good gifts.; 12:46 PM
pstajk said...: Any of you guys heard of Matt Stein? ... sure some of you have

Here's his web site When Technology Fails

and here are some great audio recordings of him on youtube
Matt Stein Interview #1
Matt Stein Interview #2
Matt Stein Interview #3

Is this old hat with you guys? I am such a novice.

Also, I recently ordered two boxes of survivalist seeds. Where's the best place to keep them? Is there a certain temperature they need to be stored at or place to be stored in?

Any other survival books, classes, things you guys can suggest?

I read Tom Brown's The Tracker when I was in high school. (My English teacher in New Jersey was the man.) Anything else.

P.S. I sent my mom and dad a box of seeds and they are calling me Johnny Apple Seed now. Ha!; 2:56 PM
Pandabonium said...: Financial Times: Gold coin shortage as demand soars
"The US Mint has sold 193,500 ounces of its popular American Eagle gold coin in the first seven weeks of this year, the same amount it shipped during the whole of 2007 and about the same as in the first six months of last year."

Here in Japan, I have not yet seen any shortage of Maple Leafs or Vienna Symphony coins. Not for lack of demand, Tanaka Kikinzoku, the country's largest bullion dealer, reports record sales of gold and platinum. The coins do trade at a significant premium to the spot price.; 4:57 PM
RayLeeUS said...: Mike, have you been busy with a new gig working security detail?(leading Obama in - check around 16 seconds)

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

Kidding aside, when I saw it live I did do a double take, then thought it works great as a metaphor. Mike, leading the way, protecting.

Love you, man.; 6:36 PM
matt said...: in the light, and businessmen,

All the money is not necessarily just created out of thin air. For example, today the US government had its largest auction (32 billion I believe) in 5 year notes. Where the investors can range from individuals to governments.

Although too much money is created out of thin air as you describe. There are governments (like China) that have a ton of money, and the US treasury is the only place that can handle investments that large.

In this environment, the treasuries are considered the safe investment. So when China, hedge funds or banks need somewhere they can put their money away, the US government is the place, and lord knows the government is always looking for money.

Unless there is mass hoarding of paper dollars, which doesn't make too much sense to me, I am not sure how money could be printed as you say without any inflation.; 10:00 PM
grayfox said...: pstakj- Thanks for the links to the Matt Stein videos!

With your seeds, the best way to make them last is to plant half of each seed type and grow vegetables which will produce more seeds for you. Save the other half of each type for next year in case you screw up the first time with that seed type. Don't wait till you're desperate to try to learn how to grow a garden. Start now.

Keep your seeds (and grains and beans for that matter) 65 degrees F or less all year round. It seems to be OK if the temperature creeps up to 70 degrees for a few hours occasionally during the summer, but 99% of the time the seeds should be cooler. If kept cool I've found even brown rice is good for years.

You can store seeds in the fridge, or even a freezer . . . or you can store them in the ground - a shady spot would be best - just make sure they're in some type of waterproof container so they stay dry. You should also put some weight in your underground container or it will pop up out of the ground if the ground gets saturated from heavy rain.

Get your mom and dad to start a garden, too.

Good luck!; 11:51 PM
Sebastian Ernst Ronin said...: In a week's time or so, I'll be getting a guest post on a pretty decent Peak Oil blog for the paper, "Post-Peak Oil and NAmerican Regional Secession." When it goes up, I'll notify FTW/JO. I've been asked to write a preface for the paper. Here it is. Consider it an advance showing for a very selective audience. =;-D

****************

I am an entropist. Being an entropist entails a meta-perspective upon this world that captures and stamps all natural, social, political and economic phenomena within its unique parameters of qualification. It applies equally from the build-up of clutter in a household, to global warming and climate chaos, to financial meltdown, to the implosion of the large industrial nation-state, as it does to the departure of a soul from the constraints of its body. It is a worldview, a Weltanschauung, a philosophical Babushka doll of many layers and complexities. It is my hope that one day the Laws of Thermodynamics will be taught at the grade school level, matching if not displacing, a false and jingoistic Pledge of Allegiance.

Albert Einstein is purported to have said about the Second Law of Thermodynamics, “It is likely the truest law in the physical universe.” The Second Law is the Entropy Law. It foreshadows and dictates that our world rushes towards a state of maximum disorder. Nowhere is this more evident than with the events we witness on a daily basis, events that signal the pinnacle and beginning collapse of industrial civilization. The only hypothetical antidote to the dictates of entropy is the creation of small pockets of negative entropy, the creation of small eco-states inclusive.

Industrial civilization has arrived at its apex, as is so clearly signaled by the ever-increasing acknowledgment of Peak Oil. It is all about energy, or lack thereof, as laid out by the Second Law: the ability to do work is dependent on access to energy; without energy, social institutions collapse/implode, the institution of the large industrial nation-state inclusive.

As an historical metaphor, I offer the following: we live in Copernican times. A new worldview, a true paradigm shift, is birthed from out of the cauldron of crisis. As the false notion of the earth being the center of the universe was rejected because it had to be rejected, I maintain that the false notion of the large industrial nation-state will in time be rejected because it also has to be rejected.

The rationale and motives for my being a secessionist revolve around my first of all being an entropist. Cultural and ethnic drivers towards secession, even the bourgeoning States’ Rights movement, are contained within the meta-conditions and meta-dictates of the Second Law. It is my hope that the paper, Post-Peak Oil and NAmerican Regional Secession, offers the reader an introductory glance, with the benefit of wearing entropic spectacles, at secessionist tendencies in play on the North American continent. It is my hope that one will perceive that our destiny as citizens lies in responsibly embracing a political philosophy of secession-by-default in order to seize the opportunity at hand, in order to begin the creation of new eco-states upon this continent, in order to extend social and political liberties and responsibilities beyond the cadaver of the industrial nation-state, and lastly, in order to survive and continue the human adventure.; 3:11 AM
RanD said...: Tim-- Ruthie & I read the Celestine Prophecy and The Tenth Insight 8 - 9 yrs ago and had to refresh our memories as to why those books left us with uncomfortable feelings. Wikipedia's summary of Redfield's 9 Insights quickly restored our memories. The information provided by such poor literature on the nature of reality is always highly problematic, and even dangerous for those who are not already securely anchored with personally verified knowledge about the actual construct of existence. Redfield's work is that of the primarily entrepreneurially oriented mind whose typically dangerous mixture of excellent information mixed in with absolute junk is aimed at increasing one's personal bottom line, not to serve exclusively the common good. Sincerely, RanD; 7:15 AM
Jenna Orkin said...: m wrote

In response to the comment about where is the best place to store one's "survivalist seeds," the answer is "in your garden beds." It takes some practice to get good at growing food, especially if you depend on it (and it's not just a hobby). If the collapse takes some years to fully materialize, then there will be (barely) some time to practice. Some varieties will do better in your location than others. It takes some time to improve your soil with compost and mycellium (see www.fungi.com). You'll want to trade with others for things you can't grow or don't have space to grow. When you harvest the plants and seeds, the seeds should be stored in a dark, dry, cool place.; 7:46 AM
v said...: Looks like the situation in Mexico is getting out of hand badly!!!

U.S. Military Might Be Sent to U.S.-Mexico Border as Drug Cartel Chaos Spirals

Mexico is in free fall

V(incent); 8:10 AM
businessman said...: matt...I agree with you, and the inflation is definitely coming. It's just a matter of the timing of when it finally arrives.; 8:30 AM
Anne said...: Tim,

I also read the Celestine Prophecy many years ago. It served me well as another springboard to newer, and higher thinking. A book, or thought, or idea, need not be perfect to be a teacher. In fact, if perfection were the requirement there would be no teachers.

Everyone walks their own path to Enlightenment, Spirituality, Higher Consciousness, God, The Creator...or whatever label suits or fits best. Some get there, some just walk the path, and others never even try. Your Path...is the one that is right for you. You will find it if you keep searching.

Also, to my way of thinking, negative criticism of other people, beliefs, or cultures is a sign of a lack of Enlightenment.

As I have said here before....The person who tells you they have found "THE" path up the mountain.....isn't even on the mountain.; 8:46 AM
Anne said...: Grayfox,

One caution about storing seeds in the freezer...they must be completely dry or they can burst open as the moisture freezes.

To everyone else new to this seed stuff....make SURE you buy "heirloom" seeds!! The hybrids will not give you seeds to save for the future.; 8:52 AM
Todd said...: Beautifully said stuff, Tim!; 9:14 AM
businessman said...: Anne...Thank you so much for this comment you made, as I think it is so right on:

"Also, to my way of thinking, negative criticism of other people, beliefs, or cultures is a sign of a lack of Enlightenment."

A friend of mine came up with the term "spiritual arrogance" to describe some of the people who like to do this on a regular basis.

When you look at the great spiritually enlightened people throughout the ages, people like Gandhi, Paramahansa Yogananda, and others, they didn't spend their time putting others down for their own spiritual beliefs. To do so is a sign of needing to feel superior to others, which in itself gets in the way of spirituality.

And I must admit, there are some times when people drive me up the wall with their insistence in their own beliefs, and in trying to sell those same beliefs to me, and it really gets to me.; 9:22 AM
Sebastian Ernst Ronin said...: Anne, re "As I have said here before....The person who tells you they have found "THE" path up the mountain.....isn't even on the mountain."

To take the spiritual principles of Buddhism as example. Anyone who voices that they are a Buddhist, by virtue of Buddhist principles, is not. Odd as it may seem, that would include the rock star, sports arena prophet, the Dalai Lama. Closer to his childhood tutor's principles quite possibly.; 10:19 AM
pstajk said...: Thanks guys!; 12:58 PM
MCR said...: Everybody chill. I am absolutely fine. I'm happy. I am taking care of important business. Don't freaking worry about me. I am positioning for several major developments and announcements.

I hope Jenna will throw something new up on the main page though.

And IMHO, the Celestine Prophecy is a kindergarten and immature spiritual book. It's a commercial feel-good effort. That's why people like it so much. Anyone spiritually evolved to any serious level would just yawn at it.

If you want to read a real spiritual book, let me suggest "Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah" by Richard Bach. If nothing else you'll laugh your ass off.

I repeat, I AM FINE. When I come back it will be with good news. Stop with the questions already!

Love,

MCR; 1:24 PM
RanD said...: To Tim--This little brouhaha I just stirred up with my answer to you re The Celestine Prophecy provides excellent material from which to gain insight about the workings of the ego and the less than completely conscious human psyche, as revealed below:

To Anne-- It is perfectly evident to the discerning reader that RanD's comments to Tim re The Celestine Prophecy very much disturbed you. You say "[e]veryone walks their own path to Enlightenment, Spirituality, Higher Consciousness, God, The Creator...or whatever label suits or fits best. Some get there, some just walk the path, and others never even try. Your Path...is the one that is right for you. You will find it if you keep searching." And so it is that I completely agree with those words, Anne, in that I have indeed been one who has walked my own path to Enlightenment, Spirituality, Higher Consciousness, God, The Creator... which, as you say, has indeed been the right Path for me, and is the very Path that I walk on every day of my life and regularly reveal for all to see on this blog site. What's more, I would say right to Jim Redfield's face exactly what I said in my earlier post to Tim. Would you not do the same with your words?

You also say "...to my way of thinking, negative criticism of other people, beliefs, or cultures is a sign of a lack of Enlightenment." As for that statement, my Path has revealed that it is not possible for me to be in agreement with "your way of thinking" re the relationship of "negative criticism" to "Enlightenment". When RanD sees a spade RanD calls it a spade. Do you not do the same?

Then you say "[t]he person who tells you they have found "THE" path up the mountain.....isn't even on the mountain." Although your choice of metaphors here is a rather unwieldy and quite tricky one, I will nonetheless venture to conclude in simpler more precise words that you're inferring to your sympathetic to unwitting readers that RanD neither knows "'THE' path" he's on nor is he where you claim he says his Path has taken him. Are you not, then, in the most honest of words, simply emotionally retorting that "RanD is just plain full of shit." And then, do you not also judge yourself by your own words?

Finally, it ever remains to the individual to determine the veracity of what others write and say. And I steadfastly hold to my statement that such books as James Redfield write are "dangerous for those who are not already securely anchored with personally verified knowledge about the actual construct of existence." I also find that such books as the Bible and the words of popes fall into that exact same "dangerous" category -- where much good is mixed with much bad -- btw.

To businessman-- I'm always surprised to see how someone I almost always agree with is so frequently distraught with what RanD says. I think you're just suffering from a common form of deeply entrenched prejudice against anyone who sees things that most others have not yet learned how to see.

Hey guy, I don't put down anybody "for their own spiritual beliefs", nor do I have any desire whatsoever "to feel superior to others". At the same time, I know and state things that others simply don't want to hear and who will crawl all over themselves spieling untruths about people who say discomforting things.

For instance, when someone shows me something that I can see is a spade and he's telling me and everybody else it's a rose, you can place every dime you own on it that RanD is going to stand up and say that that's a spade, not a rose. One's personal recognition of truth needs be good, of course, and if such truth is as paramount as it is good then it needs be expressed whenever it would be defiled by whatever means. In other words, if I say something that you know is nonsense, show me evidence how and why it is and I'll damn sure thank you for your efforts. But if what you say I know is not good, I will tell you so without need or desire of impugning your faith or character, nor love you any less, nor withdraw from telling you why we disagree.

Your saying "people drive me up the wall with their insistence in their own beliefs ... trying to sell those same beliefs to me, and it really gets to me", describes a normal reaction common to people who conduct their lives premised on "faith systems", rather than on knowledge. I long ago learned that everyone has the innate capacity to replace their his/her faith system with knowledge, if one but with utmost sincerity demands being informed of everything one can know, from The Source of all knowledge. But I never insist that anybody else needs to believe that that is so, nor do I have any interest whatsoever in packaging and selling that information. Nonetheless, that is the Source of Ruthie's and my truth and is our Path, and I'm certain anybody else who would want that exact same quality of truth can personally get it for themselves from the exact same Source that my wife and I did -- as long as he/she implements utmost sincerity along with their prerequisite faith system as their means of getting it. Actually doing such a thing, however, is of course always, ultimately, entirely up to the individual.

Sincerely, RanD; 2:30 PM
Anne said...: Mike,

Part of my point about the Celestine Prophecy, in my earlier post, was that everybody has to start somewhere. And anything that starts some thinking going, or wondering going, is a good thing.

Sorta, kinda, like you did for me with that full page ad about FTW in the IJ back in 2003. I was in kindergarten about Peak Oil. Now I'm a Sophomore:):) (Or is it sophomoric ??)

BTW..I excelled in Kindergarten, getting straight A's in finger painting!

Hugs, as always,

Anne; 3:09 PM
businessman said...: There are a lot of good spiritual books out there. I enjoyed "Autobiography of a Yogi" by Paramahansa Yogananda. I bought the audio CD version with Ben Kingsley reading it, and listened to it while I was driving around.

The things this man and others close to him could manifest in the real world from the spiritual world were truly amazing to me.; 4:14 PM
ironcloudz said...: Regarding seed storage, this varies greatly by type. Most Grain seeds you can store for years but others (eg, parsnips) only for a season with any sort of viability: they must be grown out seasonally. Best book I know of on this is Suzanne Ashworth's "Seed to Seed".

Second words of advice: start small. One 100 sq ft bed well tended and grown bio-intensively is MUCH better than a larger plot done half-assedly. You will feel really good about it and can expand from there.

Plant fruit trees everywhere you can and other perennials.

You are not growing plants as much as growing soil. And this is not done overnight or in only one season.

Hybrids: don't rule them out they can be useful for certain environmentally stressful situations in particular but precautions must be followed if planning to save seed in that they can cross with legacy types from which you intend to save seed. One can use isolation to work around this though. Hybrids have their place IMHO.

These "survivalist seeds" salesmen are blowing smoke up your patootie when they advertise that you can just buy a load of seeds and store them and believe you have purchased some sort of food security. I despise these jive-asses.

And check out bountifulgardens.org for a good start: fantastic folks.
And horizonherbs.com is the best source for medicianal herb seeds and plants I know of. Ricoh Ceh is a master.

And bless the holy rainwater.; 7:37 PM
tim said...: RanD;
The main reason I mentioned the Celestine Prophesy is because I'm interested in how you see this world evolving. They show it as an "outshining" of this 3-dimensional world by entering a higher, more subtle or spiritual world. Some believe we will destroy this world during the process of evolving. Many theories exist, how do you see it? Todd? Sunrnr?

Whenever someone's spiritual beliefs produce destructive actions that cause suffering, those beliefs should be severely criticized. The examples are endless.; 4:20 AM
trobador said...: To answer tim's question on the vibration level we are at right now...I recommend you read the following:

The Schumann resonances (SR) are a set of spectrum peaks in the extremely low frequency (ELF) portion of the Earth's electromagnetic field spectrum. Schumann resonances are global electromagnetic resonances, excited by lightning discharges in the cavity formed by the Earth surface and the ionosphere. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schumann_resonance.

"Since 2003 that beat has increased by OVER 4 Hertz or cycles-per-second. It is expected to increase in the next 3 years then PROBABLY begin to diminish as we pass through that galactical solstice. Prior to 2003 the frequency has been STABLE for immesurable thousands of years."

Interpretation:
It may be of particular interest to note that Nikola Tesla, who first observed the existence of what would later be called Schumann Resonance, theorized that it could be used for "... power transmission and transmission of intelligible messages to any point on the globe." In other words, a wireless system of energy transmission.

"So astounding are the facts in this connection, that it would seem as though the Creator, himself had electrically designed this planet...." -- Nikola Tesla describing what is now known as Schumann Resonance (7.8 Hz) in "The Transmission of Electrical Energy Without Wires As A Means Of Furthering World Peace", Electrical World And Engineer, January 7, 1905, PP 21-24.
Related links:
Schumann Resonance A textbook explanation
Project Tesla: Wireless Transmission of Power Tesla and Schumann Resonance
Wireless Transmission of Power More on Tesla and Schumann Resonance
Nikola Tesla Another interesting Tesla page.; 5:27 PM
trobador said...: For any blogger on MRC & Jo blog that are not aware of this forum, here's the link to download 50 gig of very usefull information on after
http://www.doomers.us/forum2/index.php/topic,34265.105.html

Ti vogleo bene; 5:51 PM
sambahdi said...: Great to see a spiritual thread on here.

I'll add my meager 2 cents as one who has taken months off at a time for years to go through massive personal deconstruction (but who is still, like most of us, only half way up the mountain).

There's no experience of the Truth when you are operating from the level of the mind and samskaras.

Without experiencing the Truth there is no way to find one's way.

If you're debating about whose Truth is more right or relevent or enlightend you're in the mind.

If you're having reactions to discussions that are going on then you're operating from samskaras.

Since we identify so much with our mind and emotions(samskaras) then it makes it very difficult to have a discussion (or experience) that has any real Truth to it - aside from quoting the Masters.

In the context of this discussion, I think It's good to ask questions and to encourage each other as we share our precious experiences. It's our experiences that help us grow and evolve as spiritual beings. Not answers that satisfy our minds or alay our fears and fancies.

Seek stillness. Seek the stillness within the stillness. Rest in the stillness. The Truth will come. It will find you.

With love and respect to you all.; 10:26 AM
businessman said...: You have much wisdom, sambahdi.; 12:26 PM
RanD said...: sambhadi--

You say "There's no experience of the Truth when you are operating from the level of the mind and samskaras[emotions]." If that is so, then you must explain to us what your "Truth" is, and go on to explain to us what use then our minds and our emotions are to us if they are obstacles to our experiencing what you call the Truth, which you say we must experience in order "to find one's way". And you must explain to us what device you are using to say these things to us, then, if it is not your mind being influenced by that emotion named "desire" that motivates you to do so, when, as you've just informed us, neither mind nor emotion are of any service to helping one experience the Truth. Is it true that your Truth is without mind or emotions?

I assure you my friend and fellow Earth being, it is not an exclusively pleasurable thing for me to draw your attention to what you are telling me and the rest of your readers, and I am moved to do so by a force immeasurably greater than my mere mortal self.

Your words indeed flow pleasantly, and they are very good at bringing a moment or two or more of peacefulness into one's central chakra, and I sincerely thank you for that. Deep, patiently attended, breathing-in & exhaling-out exercises, both the o-o-o-o-om and the hyuuu, singing and dancing, intuitively measured rhythmic chanting, and the quietening release of oneself into the great stillness, as you emphasize... each and all are of course wonderful things to do to achieve desired alternative states of experience.

I also truly do love you as I know that you truly love me... and in fact now feel great need of pointing out that "love", itself, is the paramount emotion of all living things, whether found within the tiniest of creatures or throughout the whole of them all, namely our Universe, itself.

And so it is, by these very means, that I present you with these words which is the emotion that love has given to my mind, to then flow into my hands and say to the spirit-mind which is you, that this is my Truth.; 7:20 AM
sambahdi said...: RanD -

My friend, the Truth is a vast experience. The highest source of this is neither this nor that. It cannot be observed.

The highest form of it is a rare experience - but you will find and possibly experience it's expression everywhere, in everything and always changing.

As you know : )

Simply in the context of our discussion I mean to say that the mind - ordinary mental consciousness - is a very poor device to pass spiritual knowing from.

My observation has been that we want each of our experiences or beliefs to be the right one or bigger or better than others. Which leads to one way being more right than the other.

It's the game that spiritual characters get caught up in. Like religious factions. It's the mind getting in the way.

It's my wish that we drop it.

Speak from stillness. From highest aspiration. From a sense of a greater force that is the REAL you but not the noise of mind, not emotions of the body. Not from spiritual or intellectual characters.

For example; Love is a vastly different experience in its universal form than love the emotion.

If we speak of universal love but from a sense of only human love we turn Love into a tiny human experience when it is an indescribable feeling at the universal level. The words will ring false.

If we are sincere in this, and we are, then our brotherhood will grow and benefit all of us.

With Peace; 3:28 AM
RanD said...: Sambahdi--

I know you mean well. Nonetheless, is it true that your mind is not in any way involved in making your statements to me, and that you are given no guidance by emotion and thus feelings? And if that is as it is for you, then what is your purpose for being here using words to contest my words when you could be living your life in that fundamentally more precious and perfect place that you call the Truth which is without thoughts na emotions?

Please give careful consideration to both my words and your words as well if you are going to discuss such matters with me. And hopefully you will know I mean you no offense whatsoever when I tell you that your words fit perfectly to the common dictionary definition of what to expect from one who is a charlatan. Consequently, knowing this leaves me with no interest in further discussing this matter with you.

And may peace be with us all.; 7:53 AM
sambahdi said...: As you wish my friends.

(Though honestly, there was no intention to contest you. Simply you asked a question and I answered it - perhaps in an unsatisfying way. )

God bless; 11:14 AM

From the Wilderness' Peak Oil Blog

Monday, February 23, 2009

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