From Jenna Orkin:
CoLLapse (Movie) Reviews
Landmark Review of CoLLapse Out of Canada
Variety Review of Collapse
CoLLapse (Reality) Previews
Europe Overtakes North America As Richest Region In the World
Gordon Brown Urges EU to Back New Economic Order
Warning: Deflationary Collapse Dead Ahead
Pension Plan Shocker Dead Ahead (from Rice Farmer)
China’s coming magnificent bubble
Bank of America's Harris Says Job Market Remains in `Severe Bleeding Mode'
We are near failure in Afghanistan
US abandons missile shield to Russia's delight
Venezuela Is Accelerating Dollar Sales, Chavez Says (from Rice Farmer)
Rift at Fed
Dairy Farmers Want Industry Probe
HealthyStuff.org
Info on toxicity of commonly used items.
Know Your Farmer; Know Your Food Initiative
Body bags disrupt Canada's flu-readiness message (from Rice Farmer)
Europe
Far left party wins German votes
In Norway, the Left Can 'Bribe' Voters with Oil Money
Funeral Industry Sees Profits Fall 35% (Russia)
Does this mean people aren't dying as often as they used to?
Asia
Pig-Farmer Investors in China Stockpile 50,000 Tons of Copper, Sucden Says
Saudi Arabia's `Never Go Bust' Families Mean an End to Easy Credit in Gulf
Temasek (Singapore) Profit Falls Record 66% as Bank Values Drop (from Rice Farmer)
Cancer villages in the wake of China's boom
Rumor: China May Ban Gold, Silver Exports
Interesting that the double LL in CoLLapse looks like a couple of crumbling twin towers. Someone whom I know who is a critic of Mike thought (without reading any of the reviews) that based on this, the film must be about 'crazy 9/11 conspiracy theories'.
ReplyDeleteI replied that the film was not about that at all, and perhaps the use of the WTC (if that is what it is) is symbolic since the towers did indeed collapse!
Did Mike have any say in the artwork and is it meant to represent the towers as a symbol of America collapsing?
Russian Energy in Disarray
ReplyDeleteThe Asia Times is a good source of information generally.
The following is produced of life being LIFE, it-SELF - #16, Part One
ReplyDeleteAssuredly, thoughts and desires to run & hide are readily generated by the variously mindless to unfortunate to utterly pathological behaviors & practices, and the entirely unacceptable conditions produced thereof, as typically pervade our current human condition, no differently than such things have variously been with us throughout humankind's developmental history. Whether poison laced water-air-soil, authoritarian imposed so-called "patriot" acts, blatantly anti-democratic & presumptuous money master objectives, organizational forces hypothetically positioning themselves to reduce human population as a means of saving their/OUR species, or the now progressively self-evincing collapse of our now global-wide hydrocarbons-fed predominantly greed-serving economic system, whose demise portends likely global-wide disintegration of a status quo upon which far too many have become all too dependent. These things are, in principle, directly correlated pathologic actualities wrought of our own illogical collective reasoning and practices of which WE, ourselves, have been and still are instrumental component-actualizers; all the while having also believed we'd discovered human life's raison d'etre! Ha! How conspicuously wrong any such belief is revealing itself today!
Along with our imminent past's decidedly lamentable features, however, ultimate reason & purpose have indeed ironically also underpinned our now well assured from-start-to-finish inevitable ultimately self-disintegrating capitalistic days, whose conspicuously incongruous condition of good laced with bad has been essential only to facilitating our species' physiologically evolved capacity to overcome its critical ignorance of all human kinds' fundamental relationship to existence. And so here WE are, being compelled by our own self-generated seemingly now 'dire' circumstances to find & see ourselves beyond our now long-enough running general ignorance of why WE exist, what WE are, and what WE are doing --- all within a fully existential context.
*****
As stated before, from this same source: "if these statements you are reading here were untrue --- nothing of what you're reading here would have been possible to write."
*****
There all along always has been --- and always will be --- (as suggested by Bucky Fuller:) a "comprehensive anticipatory design" [strategy that has] "a transformative effect on the system as a whole". However, this comprehensive anticipatory design strategy, whose function is to transform the system as a whole, in fact already exists, being a condition which is integral to the very nature of existence --- i.e., the nature of "life" --- itself. This tells us there are no gimmicks or gadgets left to be discovered, invented, designed, patented, manufactured, sold and distributed amongst each other beyond the technological devices and ideas we're already producing and using to expedite informing ourselves of what is capable of being perceived, stated, written, read, and understood as presented at this MCR/FTW/JO blogspot, for instance.
(Continued below)
.
The following is produced of life being LIFE, it-SELF - #16, Part Two
ReplyDeleteWhat we're doing here merely reflects the overarching process whereby we help bring forth, share & expand our collective knowledge of the realities that have become both apparent and evident to us which we are already in the process of subtly yet effectively implementing to positively transform "the system as a whole". And, all of this is being done ultimately according to the preeminant rythyms, purposes, means, and objectives of existence, and therefore fully in accord with life, itself. Thus, in this instance, it is hereby these very means that the whole is now being caused to come into place as it variously always has & will --- in complete accord with the predilections of the "whole", which is also existence and is thus also life, itself. Therefore, at this particularly special conjoining of evolution's workings, all that ALL human kinds (YES, Earth's human kind are not the only human kind) need do is fully consciously come into compliance with the nature of existence; and thereby, ALL who do so will self-consciously contribute them/OUR selves to, and thereby personally/instrumentally become more wholly one with life being LIFE, it-SELF. Moreover:
With the advent of information such as this, everyone's remaining days of grief, struggle, calamity, and crisis have become numbered.
OrwellianUK -
ReplyDeleteI agree that, "The Asia Times is a good source of information generally."
However, Roman Kupchinsky, the author of "Russian Energy in Disarray" is an Austrian-born Ukranian-America who has worked for Radio Free Europe. His agenda is to depricate the Russian government.
In fact, the Jamestown
Foundation, which originally published the article, seems to be mainly composed of the enemies of Russia and China, such as Chechen activists and Hong Kong human rights workers. Not that these people are inevitably wrong, but there is a definite bias toward defacing these two giants. Most of the "experts" listed on the Jamestown site are Asian or Eastern European, with the stated bias, and those with North-European names appear to belong to Hudson Institute, AEI, RAND and so forth. Several seem to have worked for Radio Free Europe.
So, although it's a mad business, flogging hydrocarbons, I think the upsets and complexities experienced by Russia are not unique to their situation, and do not imply that the Russian energy structure is about to collapse.
Perhaps it will, but that article gave us no particular reason to think so.
Eyeballs -
ReplyDeleteYes, as always we need to apply the usual filters depending on where the information comes from and consider what the biases might be.
The article's value I think is simply another indicator of the ongoing and increasingly antagonistic struggle to control energy supplies by fair means or foul, and the fragility of those supplies - another clue to the reality of Peak Oil.
As Mike indicated in his Seattle lecture back in 2005 (approx version): 'You may not believe in Peak Oil, but if you look at the evidence you have to accept that the world's nations and oil companies are behaving as though it exists'.
I see these little clues all the time in the UK press where a read-between-the-lines method demonstrates that the media and government are preparing the public for what's to come with subtle hints, carefully sanitized so as not to let the full picture appear.
Cheers,
OUK
OrwellianUK,
ReplyDelete"the media and government are preparing the public for what's to come with subtle hints, carefully sanitized so as not to let the full picture appear."
True. So true.
It is heartening to see that people (here) are beginning to penetrate the ubiquitous and longstanding defamation and disinformation regarding Russia and China - and that as "things" near, they are contemplating the philosophical aspects as well as the geopolitical manouverings now being brought into play. Infact, this is the most correct approach that can be taken.
ReplyDeleteF.Kamilov ,
ReplyDeleteI am always interested in another point of view, there is nothing more boring than the same thought process (mind conditioning), for me, it's the American/Capitalistic pattern.
What works (poorly), here is thoughtless somewhere else, we all have to be open to other possibilities, other viewpoints.
What are your thoughts on the exchange following this post, I just went back & notice you did have a brief comment at 1:19pm, enough to pique my interest. you did have some informative thoughts about Afghanistan in the past, but nothing about our entanglement of late!
Is it mostly about the poppy, as I suspect, or am I/usa being duded, should it be clear to me?
Amae.
. OrwellianUK said...
Russian Energy in Disarray
The Asia Times is a good source of information generally.
Mandatory flu vaccinations of Canadian Indians - human lab rats or long planned genocide?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.republicoflakotah.com/2009/the-mask-slips-for-those-with-eyes-to-see-preparing-for-the-real-pandemic/
Why force mandatory vaccinations for a seemingly benign illness?
The latest "The Shape of Things to Come" publication from www.halfpasthuman.com seems to indicate the refuseniks will increase in ranks leading to armed confrontation and ultimately the revolution.
Coming to a town near you this fall???
namaste
namaste
Eyballs: regarding IMF gold sale (previous blog post) -- it's really a long-anticipated (but only recently confirmed) move, that was discounted months ago by the market. It's been expected that China would swallow the 400-tonne allotment like a won-ton appetizer... GATA (www.gata.org) has been keeping an eye on this; Chris Powell sends out a good mailing list.
ReplyDeleteThe SDR (Special Drawing Rights) question, though, is still unresolved -- I haven't seen any authoritative commentary yet about how (if?) they will compete or interface with proposed regional currencies.
BTW (to everyone), the Heritage Harvest Festival was a resounding success; anyone within driving distance of Charlottesville should put it on their calendar for next year. I've posted some photos here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dalexfilms/sets/72157622259308039
Best to all!
Russia does indeed have problems with crumbling infrastructure, its energy production apparatus, and what have you. I have not read that Asia Times article, but in general such problems are real. What's important to realize here is that Russia is not at all unique in this respect. Americans in particular like to cackle when reading about problems in other countries, but are loath to admit that their own country's infrastructure is in surprisingly poor and worsening condition. The rash of water main breaks, particularly in LA, is just one indication of this. Go to Matt Simmons' site and view his presentation on the state of the global oil infrastructure, which is literally rusting away. So yea, Russia has these problems, but so does everyone else. What we little people have to understand is that despite international politics and national boundaries, we're all in this together.
ReplyDeleteThe head of oil giant Total has told the BBC the world could face a shortage of oil because of underinvestment.
ReplyDeleteChief executive Christophe de Margerie warned that too little has been spent trying to tap into new oil reserves because of the economic crisis.
"If we don't move [now] there will be a problem," Mr de Margerie said. "In two or three years it will be too late."
He also said he thought oil prices would rise to more than $100 a barrel, from their current level of around $70.
"The reserves of oil are there, but if you don't invest they don't come on the market," Mr de Margerie said.
"What we have to decide today is production for 2010-2015. So in between we might be faced with insufficient oil to meet demand."
He said the major oil producing countries, which have cut production in the face of falling demand and to protect prices, could not be blamed for the underinvestment.
"You cannot ask those countries who are also facing a crisis to continue to invest for a potential recovery of demand, and to do this for the benefit of the world."
Instead, he called on heads of government to get involved.
"I think it is our role to... force people in charge of our countries to think about this concern we have."
GrTz,
V
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32963393/ns/business-the_new_york_times
ReplyDeleteAnother link to a movie review.
ReplyDeletehttp://elienation.blogspot.com/2009/09/review-of-collapse-movie-featuring-mike.html
A quote from the review; I forgot in the last post, sorry.
ReplyDeleteI think this review is a "Right Uppercut", you won't find it in the NYT's!
"Collapse, though in part a character study, is more largely a persuasive argument that deserves exposure and healthy debate as perhaps the single most pressing issue any of us are going to face in our lifetimes.
For me, it is easily the scariest film of 2009 and the high mark of my festival experience thus far."
http://www.tiffreviews.com/2009/09/14/row-three-tiff-reviews-collapse/
I found the entire site quite
interesting.
Family seeks answers in UofC scientist's death
ReplyDeletehttp://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=7025971
"Malcom Casadaban was a professor of molecular genetics at the University of Chicago for 30 years.
For the past eight years, his daughters say, he'd been working with a strain of bacteria called yersinia pestis... The weakened strain he was using, however, isn't supposed to make healthy people sick...
How did their father, who had flu-like symptoms, enter the hospital a week ago Sunday morning and die 12 hours later with no one suspecting that it could be related to the plague?"
Off subject of CoLLapse, but, interesting interview with Siebel Edmunds in "The American Conservative"
ReplyDeletehttp://amconmag.com/article/2009/nov/01/00006/
Let's keep an eye on Mumbai
ReplyDeletehttp://in.reuters.com/article/topNews/idINIndia-42622420090922
China is flexing some military muscle
http://in.reuters.com/article/topNews/idINIndia-42612820090922
I can't wait to see the movie,any news on when it will be in theaters?
A Campaign For Raw (Real) Milk
ReplyDelete