Alternatives to Throwing $$ Down the Rat Hole (With Apologies to Rats)

"Ripley: You know, Burke, I don't know which species is worse. You don't see them fucking each other over for a goddamn percentage."
--Aliens, 1986.

If you, like Chaos, have been viewing recent economic events with alarm, (perhaps you may have even contacted your "elected" representatives with your views) here's some alternatives to consider, simply because it's easy to engage in "either-or" thinking about this stuff, when government officials engage in the same business as usual chicanery, seeking maximum resources and unaccountable power by wielding weapons of mass panic. First, here's five not very compelling actions the US might take to stave off what looks to be a massive dose of deflation and frozen credit markets. Here's one that sounds a little better (ignore the somewhat hysterical tone). There are more out there; very thoughtful people, apparently, are not included in the political debate. What's clear is that this is an unprecedented situation, and that no one, NO ONE, really knows what will happen, and what to do about it. Indiscriminate throwing of taxpayer dollars is unlikely to make a difference. (Witness the fact that the $700 billion figure was apparently pulled out of someones butt...). One more axiom, and then Chaos will cease: the people who got the US into this mess (or stood idly by, or encouraged it) are unlikely to be the ones to get us out. Oh, and here's a nice video of at least one Congressperson who gets it...

Another Fine Synopsis of Where We Are

Directed at Montana residents in particular, but quite finely written and blunt, this piece makes for compelling reading about the energy predicament humans find themselves in at this very moment.

Presidential Debate Scored (If You Think The Election Matters, Part II)

If you don't peruse Mish's Global Economic Analysis on a daily basis, Chaos thinks you're missing out. Since the burning question after a Presidential debate is "who won?" (and since Chaos was not about to watch it, under any circumstances), we turn to that astute gentleman for this analysis. (Hint: you lost). Enjoy, readers.

Bicycle Issue

A couple of interesting pieces for those who are interested in being able to get around on two wheels. First, from the nation's capital, comes an astute analysis of how far behind the US is in encouraging bicycles. One might assume that, because it is not done here, that it would not be possible; a look abroad disabuses us of this kind of thinking. Second, here's a guide to "safe" biking. (However, Chaos would have to add that here in the World Capital of Ignorance, taking the whole lane as the guide recommends would cause even more resentment and is considered hazardous behavior, in a population which views bicyclists as obstructions in the roadway).

Nice Summary

Here's a pretty fair approximation of where we (the humans on this planet) are at the present moment, and why our "business as usual" approach will not avail us. By the sometime Oil Drum contributor Paul Chefurka, of Canada.

The Lifeboat...

Chaos bets you've never considered the implications of having a boat, as a way of responding to the peaking of global oil supplies, but someone has, and here it is, in an interesting article sponsored by our friend Dmitry Orlov (Chaos regrets that time has not permitted the perusing of his latest, Reinventing Collapse). A good one to expand your mind, and your alternatives.

If You Think Elections Matter...

This piece, from an "unnamed political consultant" quoted on our friend Joe Bageant's site, encapsulates better than anything Chaos has read recently (or in memory, for that matter) why elections in the Empire have ceased to signify anything but the most superficial choices between like-minded elites. For full effect, it must be quoted in its entirety:

"Over the last many weeks we have all been subjected to endless news stories about Senator Obama's campaign "Move to the Center". Leaving aside the political illiteracy which underlines this phrase, the use of it reveals important clues about the rhetoric of electoral campaigns, whom they target and what they are trying to communicate.

Put simply, what "Moving to the Center," means is: moving towards power and money.

"Moving to the Center" is not a move to where the center of public opinion is, but it is a move to the center of where elite consensus is. Once the boundaries of that elite consensus are understood, then we can comprehend the limits of our public choices and more importantly what will be allowed within the confines of our electoral system.

It is important to understand that elite consensus itself is not static and can shift in moderate degrees, but it has definitive boundaries of which you can not cross and still be a viable player within the electoral system. These boundaries exist to the left and right within that consensus, but the institutional bias of the system is much harsher towards any moves to the left. This is because in its essence elite opinion is anti-populist and primarily concerned with protecting the fundamentals of the established economic order.

Every national campaign is in fact a dual conversation, one targeting voters while the other is directed towards the political, media, and economic elites. The purpose of the message targeting the first group is to win votes. The messages to the latter group is designed to form elite consensus, first for it not to correlate against you and secondly to have it help you win and eventually govern.

Surviving the contradictions of these dual dialogues is the primary element that makes a successful national campaign.

Let's examine the primary public policy issues and areas of discussion, and examine what the boundaries of elite opinion are on how they contradict or mirror public opinion.

Economics Trade and Globalization

The elite consensus on these issues is solidly to the right of public opinion. This is especially the case on the issues of trade and globalization. Support for supposed free markets, free trade and globalization are almost universal and unquestioned within elite circles.

This is the establishment issue, all else can be argued and debated but to question the system of privatized profit and socialized cost is the fastest road to political oblivion for any candidate for national office.

Within the confines of elite consensus no cost is ever too exorbitant in "reassuring" Wall Street and "calming the financial markets". No better example of this than the prompt and generous response of the Federal Reserve and the Congress to the recent financial crisis in the housing markets. With hardly any opposition the United States Government nationalized the losses which resulted from the bursting of the housing bubble. There where no calls of prosecution, lectures on personal responsibility, fears of creeping socialism or demands for conditional structural adjustments from bankers and investment houses. The scandal in fact is not the crime in this case, which is to be expected, but in the silence of the public and the political class to this public thievery.

It is precisely because of the iron grip of this consensus, that even if we have a new Democratic President and an enhanced Democratic majorities in the Congress, there will be no legislation signed into law to make it easier to organize workers, provide universal health care or deal with our ever widening class and income divide in the United States.

Social Issues

Elite consensus on the issues of race, sex and role of faith in public life are to the left of public opinion, the only area in which this is the case. Elite opinion is overwhelmingly secular, pro-choice, supportive of gay rights and hostile to overt displays of racism.

Tolerance and liberalism on this front is a very useful tool, since it buys political space to be more conservative on the more important money issues. It also enjoys the advantage of making the right enemies, after all who wants to be on Pat Robertson's side during weekend dinner parties at the Hamptons.

When social conservative complain about the "Liberal Media" they are not wrong, but only in regard to their issues. The contempt of the American elite for the religious right is quite real. What social conservatives misunderstand is that the hostility against them is not because the threat their ideas represent but only a display of the traditional contempt that the merciless strong have for people they consider to be the feeble minded weak.

The significance of the religious right in our politics is only in the wonderful diversions their issues create. Issues that feed a war between urban educated middle classes against the more numerous, the ever more frustrated lower income fundamentalists on issues that are unsolvable in nature.

Foreign Policy

Elite consensus on this issue is center to right, discussion are allowed on the mechanics of running the empire and the management of the military industrial complex, but never regarding the reality of its existence, its necessity or usefulness to most Americans.

Within this narrow context there are always code words and phrases used to differentiate one candidate from another. Words and phrases like "all options are on the table", "realism", "toughness" and "experience" are simply a sliding scale on the willingness to kill in order to defend the interests of our ownership and governing class. This is an especially critical issue for Senator Obama, considering that most victims of our killing are non-whites. His vulnerability to the charges of dual loyalty on this issue, almost certainly means no end to wars, expansions of foreign military bases and occupations of third world countries under his watch.

The made up charges of having a radical minister, or being a Muslim, a Palestinian sympathizer or being married to a black nationalist was meant to limit his room to maneuver on these issues even if there was never any indication he was ever serious about moving in a bold progressive direction.

With his "weakness" defined as his associations with progressive movements, ideas or individuals, he can do nothing but run to the other direction for the next four years if he ascends to the office of President. This is the genius of McCarthyism at work, fifty years after its namesake split hell wide open.

The politics of Personal Responsibility

Personal responsibility is a legitimate issue when discussed in the context of family and personal lives. When dragged into the political arena it is an issue that is entirely an elite construct. The actual positions of the elite are not particularly relevant. What is important is that the issues get discussed not what results from that discussion. The relevance of this issue is not in what it illuminates but in what it hides.

The recent enthusiastic embrace of Senator Obama of the call for "responsibility" from inner city black fathers is a prime example of this issue. What he is really saying is, "I will never blame the owners of the country for the social problems caused by their economic policies." Senator Obama knows better than anyone that you can eliminate most of the problems of inner city fathers in a generation with a decent educational system and living wage jobs.

But all systems of power need a convincing and unlikable enemy, which can bury the contradictions of the system. In our case incoherent, undereducated black urban males fit the bill perfectly. They are being attacked not because they are a threat to the power structure, but precisely because they are not.

What voters are expected to believe is that after a 30-year class war against the bottom 90% of income earners, the source of their troubles are black rappers and inner city fathers and not criminality on Wall Street or a corrupt political system. The road to the White House over the past 30 years has been paved by pretending to believe the absurdity that the individuals who pull the levers of power over people's lives are named Willie Horton, Sister Souljah and Ludicrous, and not Robert Rubin, Phil Gramm and Hank Paulson.

If as a society we are prepared to believe this, then we have lost the stuff that makes free men."

Chaos has nothing to add here...

A Look Back (Or Forward)

This astounding article from The Onion offers a review of the last eight years of the Emperor's presidency. What will amaze you, however, is the date of the article: January 17, 2001. Concocting a satiric article by imagining the worst possible outcomes actually produces something very close to the truth.

Silly Stories About Oil

It is an indication of the depths of the US public's denial (as well as their lack of intelligence) that a series of ridiculous falsehoods concerning energy has permeated the zeitgeist, to the extent that many of these are accepted by many many members of the voting (and for sure the nonvoting) public. (No fake: an insurance agent repeated the one about China drilling in offshore Cuban waters to Chaos last week). One has not the time or inclination to spend mowing these down (most especially, when they appear with regularity in one's hometown newspaper), but here's a nicely written article debunking some of the dumber ones. Enjoy...

Surveillance Issue

From the Empire's never-ending quest to monitor and observe the most intimate details of its citizens (read "potential terrorists"), to the ridiculous humiliations now de riguer at the nation's airports, it all keeps spiraling downward. A democratic Congress hasn't been able to stop much of anything, and it is completely clear that the election of an Emperor not the worst President in US history will be a futile exercise. To our theme, then, here are a couple of pieces to sink your teeth into: in the first, we find that the US government will be montoring your border crossings and retaining this information for 15 years or so. For more laughs, read this wonderful column about an airline pilot prevented from taking his airline-issued butter knife through airport security. Don't fail to peruse the comments at the end: alternately funny, scary and outrageous.

A Peak OIl Overview: Dissonance

Here's a fine article on the basics of Peak Oil, and along the way, some excellent thoughts on the dissonance one finds upon fully recognizing the implications. One does not exaggerate in stating that the revelation that the world is at or near peak in oil production completely changes the way one looks at the world. Also notable is the appearance of this article in a somewhat mainstream US glossy magazine (alongside the article is something called The Upgrader: A life-altering guide to the world's best stuff...). Rare indeed is a piece in the MSM that gets its facts right, which this one does (hint: tar sands from Canada won't save us).

The Merger of Entertainment and Politics

You've seen this already...no words necessary. Just another day in Idiot America.

The Political Discourse: Stupidity Works!

Paul Krugman, op-ed writer in nations paper of record, bemoans the stupidity of the political discourse in the Empire today. Being just a tad one-sided (Krugman might be accurately labeled a "flaming liberal"), he excoriates the Republican Party for appealing to the lowest common denominator (the current "drill drill drill" mantra) in the energy "debate." Krugman, of course, doesn't mention that the other side's positions are equally devoid of reason, but the primary reason for our attention to this item is what Krugman cannot say: the reason such silly positions are likely to work is that the American public is stupid. So the title of the column should be "Know-Nothing Public" rather than "Know-Nothing Politics."

Why Blaming Our "Leaders" Doesn't Work

From time to time, Chaos has noticed an interesting phenomenon: commentators attempting to shift the blame for the current predicament in which the US finds itself onto the political leadership, exemplified by a current editorial in the nation's paper of record. In light of candidate Barack Obama's latest ridiculous proposal (to send everyone $1000, paid for by windfall profits taxes on oil companies), let's check in with this pernicious idea:

"Americans would be using far less gas — and consumers and the automobile industry would be much better off — if Congress had summoned the wisdom and political courage 20, 10, even five years ago to impose tough fuel economy standards on the nation’s transportation fleet." (emphasis Chaos')

Let's think for a moment as to why "wisdom and...courage" would be required of our elected officials. Could it be, perhaps, that taking these actions would result in said officials being turned out of office? (Chaos hopes you know the answer to this question...) Is it possible, do you think, that these same leaders are well aware of this particular dynamic? In light of the extreme differences in fuel economy seen between the US and the rest of the Western nations, Chaos would suggest the following framework for analysis whenever you hear some version of this silly editorial:

1. Elected officials are still elected in the Empire, election manipulation and fraud notwithstanding. An elected officials' first priority is retaining the position; all else is secondary, and the "public interest" likely comes last, or not at all.
2. No leader will remain in the post for very long if viewpoints taken (regarding energy) are at odds with that of the character of the electing public. (Chaos is well aware of such anomalies as Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, but such is the exception which proves the rule)
3. If the character of the public is insane, stupid, delusional, greedy, short-sighted, etc., the elected leaders will reflect this, just as surely as if it were sane, intelligent, clear-thinking, prudent, etc. Such populations exist in the world; just look around (hint: Norway). One potent symbol of this principle is the nature of the political "conversation," i.e., is it intelligent, relevant, sober, or is it silly, lacking in substance, verging on ridiculous, and panders to voters' most base instincts? (Again, Chaos hopes you've been paying attention...)

In light of the above, it is simply unrealistic to excoriate so-called "leaders" for failing to do what the public clearly does not believe in. For the same reasons, changing the current crop of officials will not produce any better results. This also explains the incoherence of the political discussion, whereby gas prices must be reduced, and at the same time, the nation's thirst for energy needs to be curbed (if you think these two propositions aren't inconsistent, please read some more....). Best hopes for less delusional thinking...

The Road Not Taken: How Consumerism Destroys Leisure Time

In the spirit of expanding one's consciousness, or looking at life at this moment in a different way, try this thoughtful history of working hours and leisure time in America. If you've ever wondered why our material wealth doesn't translate into a better life (and if you think it does, do some more thinking), this piece will give you some ideas. In Chaos' view, it is simply tragic that the demands of industrialization have reduced the public to mere "consumers." There's also some interesting stuff regarding the "marketing" of political decisions...an extreme abomination, in Chaos' opinion.

A Fond Farewell To The Dinosaurs...

It's pretty much a given that the monstrous vehicles preferred by many in the Empire have now fallen out of fashion, not because the populace has awakened and found its previous behaviors worthy of scorn, ridicule and shame, but because gas prices have gone up somewhat (although quite a bit less than they need to). Sales figures for large trucks and SUVs are astoundingly poor, and waiting lists for well-made small cars have appeared. Who better to deliver the eulogy for this symbol of peak oil than San Francisco's Mark Morford, who rivals Rolling Stone's Matt Taibbi in virtuosity. Enjoy, readers, and have an interesting end of week.

The Power of Human Energy...A Funny Parody

If you, like Chaos, are massively disgusted and offended by corporate greenwashing, try this nicely done parody of one of those ridiculous "energy is everywhere-our cleverness will save us-brighter future with oil companies" bovine excrement.

Bike Lanes To Nowhere

Here again, for the umpteenth time, we present further evidence that Chaos' hometown was, is, and will forever remain The World Capital of Ignorance. This week's subject: bike lanes. The Capital, unsurprisingly, has fewer bike lanes than any city in Texas, itself not a bastion of progressivity. The lanes that do exist, furthermore, start and end abruptly, resulting in a tiny disconnected patchwork. A bike lane master plan was ginned up way back in 1976 but promptly discarded and never revived. Retrofitting streets for extra space for lanes is exceedingly expensive. The "car culture" causes hostility and outright danger to cyclists from aggressively ignorant morons (read the commments at the end). Oh, and the final insult: this city of more than 1.5 million has a bike lane coordinator (who, incidentally, is resigning after years of futile efforts) whose budget is...$60,000 per year. Chaos can only sigh as this benighted area continues to display the most astounding lack of understanding of reality. Meanwhile, the endless growth of strip malls, ugly tract housing, fast food joints, and freeways, lots and lots of freeways, continues apace.

Viewpoints On The Brain

Try these two talks from prominent scientists on how the brain works. The first is an exploration of happiness; why we are and are not happy. The results are surprising and counterintuitive. The second is a powerful and moving account of one brain scientist's experience with her own stroke, but is actually so much more. You may wish to bookmark the site, Ted.com, for future reference, as it holds many other video presentations of equal interest.

Current State of The American Dream

Try this most amazingly comprehensive (and long too...) article on the demise of the American Dream. (It isn't a coincidence that it originates from one of the Brit newspapers...the tiny percentage of readers in the Empire can't hold their attention for such an extensive treatment). For those who haven't been paying attention, things have been coming apart for quite some time for quite a few people who happen to, as they say, be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and their particular slice of the (delusional) American Dream has been sold off, bartered or given away, or some such. At any rate, an excellent treatment, from the despair of declining Detroit to the "tent cities" of the West Coast. The last line is evocative, and true: there is nobody home. Don't miss this one...

American Stupidity...

You may have noticed that Chaos, in the extensive reading and writing that composes the underpinnings of this blog, has reached a two-headed conclusion of sorts: that the looming reality-based issues which confront the Empire, and the rest of humanity, are largely technically solvable, albeit with a great deal of time, effort, expense and (some) inconvenience, along with one other thing: a full awareness of the actual extent of the said issues. That such a consciousness is lacking, more in the Empire than anywhere else, now, later and at all times in the future, is the second observation. Ironic it is, in Chaos' eyes, that problems with physical, geological, climatological, and scientific components depend upon sociological factors. To the point then, the lack of awareness of the US public is the primary focus of this continuing study, made the more difficult by the lack of candid appraisal in the "Matrix" that comprises the mainstream media. This brings us to the value of the current column in the most esteemed anti-war website, TomDispatch, written by one Rick Shenkman, investigative reporter and associate professor at George Mason University, entitled, "How Ignorant Are We?" As noted, this is not a new subject discussed here, but it bears repeating, because you aren't likely to hear it in many places elsewhere: the infantile, delusional, and (dare we say it) stupid US public does not possess the mental acuity to effectively perceive, much less confront, the multiple emerging catastrophes now presenting themselves on the world stage. A bit of Shenkman's virtuosity, for readers benefit: the five varieties of stupidity...

"First, is sheer ignorance: Ignorance of critical facts about important events in the news, and ignorance of how our government functions and who's in charge. Second, is negligence: The disinclination to seek reliable sources of information about important news events. Third, is wooden-headedness, as the historian Barbara Tuchman defined it: The inclination to believe what we want to believe regardless of the facts. Fourth, is shortsightedness: The support of public policies that are mutually contradictory, or contrary to the country's long-term interests. Fifth, and finally, is a broad category I call bone-headedness, for want of a better name: The susceptibility to meaningless phrases, stereotypes, irrational biases, and simplistic diagnoses and solutions that play on our hopes and fears."

Highly interesting, in Chaos' view. Also, kindly note that this author has written a book on the same subject, which of course Chaos intends to peruse at the earliest opportunity. Interested readers can find more at the author's blog here.

For further viewing: Idiocracy

American Culture, Revisited

Here's quite a nice piece by one Lorna Salzman, reproduced in full, on the favorite subject of this blog (since it drives all other issues...), the American "character." Enjoy, faithful readers:

"Some people are giving a lot of thought to how to build a movement around global warming. This is a tough challenge but given American know-how, can-do, ingenuity, cojones, knee-jerk patriotic hubris, suspicion of foreigners, a staggeringly high 50% literacy rate, reliance on conspiracy theories, faith in one god or another, and unflagging belief in progress in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, I am sure it can be done. This is a helluva country. Here's why.

1. A commitment to representative democracy conditioned only on the necessity of belonging to one of two parties, Republican or Democrat. Republicans have the upper hand given that their 24th pair of chromosomes codes for Greed. Democrats' 24th chromosome codes for Deceit. It's Win-Win for either of them.

2. An abiding love for gambling, monster theme parks, shopping in giant malls, riding in huge vans, and family values that use churches and TV sets to bring everyone together. These shared values give a remarkable cohesion to American society even in the face of ecological collapse. No one wants to be a nattering nabob of negativity as the world crumbles around us. Stiff upper lips are enough for the British but not for Americans, who need overstuffed credit cards to reassure themselves that they are the salvation of the world and if you don't like it you can go back where you came from.

3. A fervent belief in the right to cheap gas. After decades of paying under a dollar per gallon for gasoline -- 35 cents in the 1960s -- Americans are now getting really pissed off at the chutzpah of royal monarchs, royal leftist pains-in-the-ass and Royal Dutch Shell executives who think they have as much a right to make money as Americans do. What gives foreigners these privileges? Don't they know we can send in the troops anytime we want for any reason?

4. An indissoluble adhesion to religion in one form or another. It is undeniable that the existence of dissent, protest and freedom of expression causes discomfort to many Americans, sending them into the arms and shelter of various religious cults and institutions, who will, on their behalf, fight against these basic freedoms and rights so as to make them feel better. Generally speaking, they are cheaper than psychoanalysts depending on how much of your meagre salary you turn over to these delightful snake oil salesmen. (Nothing wrong with snake oil; lots of it, under different names, is sold in "Health food" stores to the conspiracy theorists on the left and right who think all doctors and medicine are poisoning them).

5. There is nothing like conspiracy theories, except maybe some stand-up comedians, to keep people amused and connected. We can thank the internet for making this political networking possible, since it ties up people who might be making serious mischief elsewhere.

6. An unprecedented web of multiculturalism, ranging from extreme Political Correctness which bans words like "beggars" and "midget," to Rambo Limbaughs, to posturing paleoliberals like Eric Alterman and The Nation, to New Age gurus like Deepak Chopra, to street-theater rabblerousers like Al Sharpton, not to mention the mammalian diversity in the halls of Congress, where the promise of equal opportunity is fulfilled in the election of liars, louts and lechers every two years. This country can be rightly proud of its tolerance for dissent, where blacks think all whites are racists and whites think all blacks are Arabs.

7. Only in America could the conundrum of disdain for government and politicians be so perfectly illustrated by the election-year digestion of the whole cloth of candidates' promises.

8. An adherence to the time-tested practice of misogyny, whether in the corporate glass ceiling, skewed pay scales, domestic violence, or the female slavery in Mormon religious brothels that condemns generations of girls and women to illiteracy, inequality and isolation. Let no one accuse Americans of forsaking the prejudices and practices of their pioneer ancestors.

9. A obeisant compliant media industry that, unlike its brethren in congress, is willing and eager to feed the demands, biases and fears of its readers and listeners. It cannot be accused of elitism or pandering to the select few; on the contrary, it faithfully brings, every hour of the day and night, the promise of prosperity and material success to tens of millions of people even as the country's political and economic leaders strive to deprive them of these things. Truly, it is a balm for troubled Americans who are tired of being bombarded with the bad news about global warming, epidemics, food shortages and the prospect of parking their RV in their backyard indefinitely.

Given these conditions, who should be leading our country? The only people qualified to lead our country fall into at least one of these categories: atheists/secularists; women; libertarians; homeless. Atheists and secularists are independent rational thinkers and resistant to cult thinking and behavior. Women are obviously the more compassionate, stable and social justice-oriented gender. Libertarians, though they have some peculiar ideas about guns, taxes and the environment, are highly tolerant of dissent and defenders of civil liberties. And the homeless need to replace the corporate lobbyists and executives and be allowed to pursue their own self interest: getting a roof over their heads and a hot meal. (Note: I have left out gays and lesbians because basically they are really no different from the rest of society).

Here is my proposed list for the top positions in Washington:

President: Dennis Kucinich. A little guy with a big brain and heart.

Vice president: Weird Al Yankovich. Because we need another VP named Al.

Secretary of State: Christopher Hitchens. A gutsy smartass atheist with no ax to grind, who is hated by the left and the religious community...testimony to his value.

Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare: Ayaan Hirsi Ali. A reward for her moral witness and courage in facing down islamist extremism and PC.

Secretary of Commerce: Rev. Billy of the Church of Stop Shopping.

Secretary for the Environment: James Gustave Speth. For being a non-leftist fingering capitalism as the root of the world's problems. (If he declines, I nominate Dave Foreman).

Secretary of Labor: Ralph Nader."

* * * * *

Lorna Salzman started her forty-year career as environmental activist saving wetlands on eastern Long Island and got her big boost and inspiration when Dave Brower hired her as regional representative of Friends of the Earth in New York. After serving over ten years with FOE, mostly fighting nuclear power and fending off the Army Corps of Engineers, she had brief stints at National Audubon Society's American Birds magazine, at Food & Water fighting food irradiation, and in the 1990s served three years as natural resource specialist at the NY City Dept.of Environmental Protection. In between she founded the NY Green Party, ran as a green for congress in 2002, and sought the party's presidential nomination in 2004.

The Poisonous Food Problem (Kids Edition)

Continuing on the food theme, here is one very fine example of how the MSM muffles the obesity issue, to the point that the poison that passes for the industrial food diet, as applied to children, is successfully and completely leached out of an otherwise informative and alarming article. Briefly, a study of 2.8 million Texas school children found that few (very few) can pass basic physical fitness tests. The percentage of failure grows ever larger as the children move through the years, culminating in an astounding 10% pass rate for high school seniors. The link between diabetes, obesity and sedentary lifestyles is mentioned (a reductionist would say that video games are blamed for obesity) but nowhere in this article is the issue of what kids eat explored or even mentioned. Apparently, the logic goes like this: diabetes is caused by inactivity and obesity, and obesity is caused by inactivity, so hey presto! get the kids moving, and you've solved the problem. Chaos hopes readers can see the obvious omission here, which is an illustration of how deeply in denial the current culture is regarding food (and most other things too, but we digress...).

The Life and Times of the Banana

Continuing on the recent food theme, we find this interesting history of the banana, and (of course!) the suggestion that the universal availability of this tropical fruit may soon come to an end. The history being somewhat less benign than you would think, encompassing as it does the exploitation and manipulation of Latin American peoples and their governments by US multinationals (think United Fruit) and the shameful and embarassing record of US meddling in the Western Hemisphere for its own ends. Another interesting factoid reveals that the variety of banana currently eaten (yet another instance of monoculture) was previously considered a less desirable one than that eaten by people in the past, but that variety succumbed to a fungus, and an ominous hint that our current banana consumption may be merely a small point in time.

The Monoculture of Food, Explained

Chaos has, over the past couple of years, begun to realize just how toxic the American diet actually is, and why. In brief, the vast overproduction (caused in part by subsidies to agribusiness) of corn, soy, and other grains has resulted in a monoculture of food, wherein the same substances are introduced into the ingredients of food items or as feed for industrially farmed animals (chickens are referred to as "crops," for example in the referenced article), such that there is in fact, little variety in the highly refined carbohydrate/inferior meat diet foisted upon the unsuspecting public. For more reading on this most important subject, we fly, figuratively, across the Pond to read this excerpt from an upcoming book (nice title for the article: "Our Diet of Destruction"). If it's a surprise to you that a tiny number of gargantuan corporations control most of the food production, you need to do a bit more reading...start with Michael Pollan.

Why The Capitol Remains Ignorant

Checking in on a seemingly innocuous local story, we find good reasons why the truth about peak oil remains hidden in plain sight. Ostensibly about the now becoming widespread practice of US motorists close to the border obtaining their liquid fuel from the "other side," thereby taking advantage of the lower (somewhat subsidized) price of our southern neighbor, the article delves a little deeper and even interviews some semi-local experts to give some context (emphasis is Chaos'):

"But [Mexico's] proven oil reserves are shrinking, and it lacks refining capacity, particularly for low-sulfur diesel being phased in under the North American Free Trade Agreement. (This mysterious phrase enables the author to dance around the fact that Mexico oil production has peaked and is in rapid, irreversible decline.)

"So even while the nation still exports crude oil, it imports about 40 percent of its fuel"

Further:

"Pemex has been having difficulties. According to the U.S. government's Energy Information Administration, Mexico's net oil exports dropped from 1.7 million barrels a day in 2006 to 1.46 million per day in 2007. A 28-year graph of proven reserves shows a sharp downslide." (Yeah, a 13% yearly decline in productions of one's largest oil field tends to produce a few "difficulties." And again with the proven reserves language. Did the author pick that up from some expert or what? Keep tapdancing...)

Concluding with some nods to the impact of higher oil prices on the poorer citizens of Mexico, the article ends on a slightly confused note, i.e., was the point the cheap Mexican gas, so attractive to American motorists close to the border, the declining production (although this word appears nowhere in the piece), the impact (and potential riots) on the poor, or something else?

Well. Chaos has many thoughts for such an article, most strikingly that it somehow left out some rather important facts about Mexico, one of the top 5 sources of oil for the US. How an article concerning itself with this subject could somehow fail to mention Cantarell, one of the largest oil fields in the world and source of a majority of Mexico's oil production. The field has peaked and entered a rapid decline such that Mexico is on track to move from an oil exporter to an oil importer in the next five years. New discoveries may slow the decline but will not affect the end result. Be assured, readers, that these facts are not unknown, or obscure in any way; a few seconds of "googling" will call them up. In Chaos' humble opinion, when the one of the top ten oil producers peaks and begins a catastrophic decline, it should in fact be a front page headline for pretty much the entire nation. The fact that it is not, and further, that this muffling by the so-called media "watchdogs" continues, serves to reinforce Chaos' view that, for whatever reason, the facts will not be faced in the US until they are so blatantly obvious that they can no longer be ignored, even by the most somnolent of the public. Want more proof? Check out this ridiculously irresponsible opinion (by a "business columnist") as to why $200 oil just won't happen. Really. It just won't. Look for the Faux News "kill the messenger" fallacies, the Las Vegas-style gambling that apparently constitutes the current corporate culture, the ad hominem attacks, and (get ready) even a reference to the viability of shale oil. Yikes! This columnist's solution for the public? "At a minimum, we'll buy a more fuel-efficient car or even go the extra step and car pool!" (Chaos cannot help but be stunned at this person's energy illiteracy, but then again, it's quite obvious that most folk in the Empire are equally delusional).

Morons, Marching Firmly Back To The Future...

Yes, another jaw-dropping, coffee-spewing moment arrived recently, when Chaos beheld the account in the local fishwrap of the approval, without comment or discussion of any kind, for an additional $34 million, give or take, to continue the expansion of the local airport. Amazingly enough, this is only a tiny part of the story, and like many items in the media, the most important part comes at the end, wherein we find that the World Capitol of Ignorance's entire aviation plans through 2015 comes to $635 million devalued US dollars. Chaos by now is used to the persistent demonstration of aggressive stupidity on the part of the local population and their leaders, but in light of current events, easily discerned from reading a newspaper article or two, and an acceptance that we live on a finite planet, and oil use is going the way of the buffalo, this latest example is just too ridiculous for words. Chaos just has to wonder what in the world these so-called "leaders" are smoking, if they believe that air travel is just going to continue, along with endless growth of everything else. The mindless clinging to business as usual will make the eventual pain of realization worse. In the meantime, such items are certain to increase, thus increasing Chaos' entertainment.

Yellow Journalism At It's Finest

Rare is the day, these days, when a piece causes Chaos to bolt upright, shocked and amazed that the nation's paper of record would endorse such wrong-headed drivel, and yet, that is exactly the situation recently. An editorial in The Times displayed such a contemptible lack of historical understanding, rationality, or a grasp of any sort of reality whatsoever, that Chaos believed for a moment that the Dallas Morning News, Washington Times, or Fox News was being displayed in the browser. Let's tune in for a few memorable lines from "Mexico at the Brink":

"The War on Drugs may be fading from memory north of the Rio Grande, but south of the river, bloody battles are threatening to overwhelm Mexico’s democratically elected government." (Seems like we've heard this story somewhere before...oh yeah, I remember now: Colombia....and I guess it's "fading from memory" because we have an actual war going on or something?)

"The timid assistance package proposed by the Bush administration and pared down by Congress suggests that Washington doesn’t grasp either the scale of the danger or its own responsibilities." (And what responsibilities would those be? Wait, it's coming...)

"The United States has a clear interest and a clear obligation to help. This country is the main market for the methamphetamine cooked in Mexican labs and the cocaine moving through Mexico from the Andes. It is also the source of the traffickers’ weapons. And no fence will stop the gun battles from moving across the border." (Hmmm...'help' with the Drug War....let's think about that one. Seems like the US has been having a 'drug war' for quite awhile, and what have we to show for it? More people imprisoned for consuming natural substances which are less harmful than alcohol or tobacco, but not much else, besides the enormous amounts of money being spent.)

"The Bush administration is right to acknowledge the shared threat and the common responsibility. But the three-year, $1.4 billion aid package it proposed doesn’t do the job. It is too small, notably so when compared with the billions the cartels earn in the United States. And far too much of the aid is military hardware when Mexico has other more urgent needs."(Well, how much would it take, you know, to actually win? Do we have a ballpark figure? No? Maybe because that would be money down a rathole, to use a colloquialism...)

"Above all, Mexico needs help rooting out corruption and creating a well-equipped, well-trained and respected civilian police force. The Mexican police need help improving their skills in forensic investigations, prison security and witness protection. And Mexico needs a transparent, fair and competent judiciary to prosecute traffickers as well as officials and members of the police who have been bought by the traffickers or are guilty of human rights abuses."(Mexico may indeed have problems with corruption, which may or may not be related to the drug trade, but offering to 'help' with those is kinda, oh, hypocritical, when you think about the corruption that seems to be endemic in the Empire these days. The monies spawned by the prohibition on drugs know no boundaries in inducing law enforcement corruption; witness the number of public officials in South Texas indicted for accepting bribes from drug traffickers. But let's let the patronizing attitude slide, and consider again what metrics this amazing editorial would like to use to consider this 'aid' a success.)

"Washington’s role does not end there. Mexico has no hope of defeating the traffickers unless this country is also willing to do more to fight the drug war at home — starting with a clear commitment to stop the weapons smugglers and to do more to take on the narcotics networks on the American side of the border." (Actually, nobody should hope, after all this time, money and effort, that defeating drug traffickers has even the remotest possibility, short of legalization. The violence which so scares the Times is the direct result of the illegality, and hence the markup, of the substances. Let us say it one more time: the 'War On Drugs' is a stupid concept. It cannot be 'won'. Resistance to this concept, as they say in a memorable Star Trek film, is futile. It does, however, divert one's attention from more serious matters, which lurk on the edge of the Matrix, and for that, perhaps the piece has actually served its purpose. Sleep now, children.)

Air Travel Update

We do so enjoy remarking upon the gradual but inevitable demise of the automobile and airline industries, exacerbated by the ridiculous, bone-headed decisions made by their respective managements. To the point then, are the latest developments in air travel. As chronicled by the McPaper ("Fliers in for pain as airlines pack it in") the industry is cutting cheap flights to vacation destinations (after all, who can afford to go anyway, with the price of gas and food?), smaller cities are losing their service, and the cost of flying will inevitably increase quite a bit. Those who have become used to moving about the country with little regard for cost will just have to stop. Vacations will become more local.

Water, Water, Everywhere?

Taking a short break from observations of the current high and higher oil prices and their effects, we find our friend Lester Brown of the Earth Institute with this interesting article on how we are drawing down the world's supply of "fossil water" (that which has accumulated underground over oh, say, several million years). Anyway, a brief pondering of the implications will suffice to make one realize that goofy stuff about humanity's "footprint" is probably understated, and things are tending more towards the dieoff than you probably realized.

If I Ran The Circus...

Since people, upon hearing doomer talk like that discussed here at the Edge, tend to devolve to the question, "what shall we do?" it occurred to Chaos recently that a list of solutions might be in order. (Chaos has deliberately left out those who, upon hearing that their cherished way of life might be unsustainable, simply throw up their hands and decline to read, listen, or take action of any kind, much like the deer trapped in the proverbial headlights...) So, herewith, is Chaos' prescription for local (and somewhat national) change, for a peak oil-aware population:
1. Stop building roads. Period. Existing roads will be maintained, but no new roads of any kind will ever be built again, save bicycle trails.
2. Existing roads will have at least one full lane devoted to bicycles, scooters, and small motorcycles. Said lane will be physically separated from the motor vehicle lane.
3. Any personal motor vehicle with mileage rating of less than 20 mpg highway will be taxed at a 35% rate. This tax is not deductible from federal income tax.
4. 55 mph speed limit for highways is mandatory. 35 mph speed limit for all other roadways.
5. .50/gallon gas tax imposed immediately, rises by .25/gallon every 6 months until it reaches the average of OECD nations. Proceeds of said tax will be devoted exclusively to building rail/light rail.

If the above solutions seem improbable to you, perhaps it's time to ask why that is...which, of course, leads us back to the issue of national character. What is it, in fact, of the US character which prevents even the discussion of rational response to inevitable depletion of finite resources?

A Couple Of Visuals To Keep The Mood Going...

Peak Oil Roundup, Redux

Since the concept is now on everybody's mind (well, maybe not quite yet, but soon), it's worthwhile to pick through the various outlets and see what's been happening. First off, if you, like Chaos, have become annoyed (or maybe just puzzled) by the constant chantings of Faux News types that the only thing standing in the way of the US becoming oil-independent and driving down those pesky gas prices is the "wacko-environmentalists" who prevent Alaska and off-shore drilling, read this to clarify the fact that there just isn't oil out there in sufficient quantities to make any difference (long and somewhat technical article, but has the virtue of being true).

Next off, in an interesting development, our friend James Howard Kunstler, fresh off completion of his newest (an entertaining work of fiction, entitled World Made By Hand), is featured in an editorial in, of all place, the Washington Post. The point here is not the content of the piece, since Kunstler repeats what most of us have read weekly on his blog, but the fact that it appears in a national newspaper in its unvarnished bluntness. Is the US public finally ready to hear some unpleasant facts? Doubtful, but interesting nonetheless to watch the tone of the discourse change so quickly.

In more doomer news, truckers are going out of business at an alarming rate, and car loans are not much available anymore, adding to the auto industry's woes (which are already considerable). This in addition to the continual downward spiral of the airline industry, which last week decided to add yet another level of annoying surcharges and inconvenience to the passenger experience, clearly aimed at driving more and more people to forsake air travel completely. Chaos should probably have listed more examples of this trend, but it seems too obvious and common to belabor.

A Bit of Dietary Advice

You may already know this, but having recently finished Good Calories, Bad Calories, Chaos has just this to say: high fructose corn syrup, ubiquitous in the US diet, is scandalously harmful and addicting. Avoid it, if you can. It, along with hydrogentated oil, is most likely the major cause of obesity and diabetes in this benighted country, and you consume it at your peril...

Just One More Example...

Chaos came across this pair of astounding articles recently, from the nation's premier papers of record (NYTimes, WaPo), concerning the treatment of foreign travelers/illegal immigrants, which, to Chaos' eyes, pretty much settles things as far as remaining a resident of the Empire is concerned (ok, if you absolutely insist on playing this out...how they treat the vulnerable is a preview of how they will treat everybody, or at least, those who have no power...). Hats off the intrepid reporters for the Washington Post, who compiled an outstanding chronicle of how the Department of Homeland Security (or, if you will, Border Guards), when deporting those here without documentation, arbitrarily decides to use anti-psychotic drugs in massive doses to induce docility. The bookend to that article occurs in the New York Times, wherein we find that a completely innocent long distance romance is cut short when the lovely woman's intended is detained at the Empire's border for no other reason than he visits a little too often for the comfort of the agents. After massive intervention by political figures and embarrassing publicity, said gentleman is released back to his own country (a false allegation that the person requested asylum--from Italy!!--is the real topper), while his intended now makes plans to exit the Empire for good, and really, who could blame her? Readers, ask yourselves if you can read of these things and remain the good unconcious consumer (and resident) that the Empire demands.

Devil Weed Update: Geography Changes Perspective

Chaos has, in the last couple of years (ok, maybe one) become interested in the determined efforts of the Empire to prevent its citizens from the beneficial (or not) effects of the cannabis plant. Seems that the government is not above a certain "tunnel vision" when it comes to the real effects on the human body (given the government's track record on other issues, a skeptical attitude might be appropos...), but at any rate, Chaos this morning was struck by the geographical differences between the most benighted state in the Union, where Chaos resides, and California, which can easily be seen in this article. Simply put, it's no big deal to obtain the devil weed quite legally in the most overpopulated but enlightened state. Another read and ponder...

A Vision of What Might Have Been

Admittedly, this is a doomer blog...optimism is viewed as unrealistic here, but every so often, one wonders what the Empire and the rest of the world could have done if another direction had been taken. An excerpt from a visionary book, Seven Tomorrows, by Paul Hawken, et al, provides in interesting vision. Try it, it's fun.

The Inevitable Devolution of Air Travel Continues...

Why yes, yes it does...air travel is going the way of the buffalo. If you want some real disorientation, check out some old film from the 40s or 50s where a character walks through the airport and just gets on the plane, without security lines, checkpoints, having to remove heavy parts of luggage and transfer it to a backpack, multiple showings of identification, etc. It's positively astounding to contemporary beings. Well, anyway, here's an article to document these outlandish claims...

Collapse Update: Dmitry Orlov

Our friend, mentioned often here, has a new book on the verge of publication, entitled Reinventing Collapse. A brief excerpt reveals just why our friend is so sought after as a speaker: his wry wit and invaluable insights on the subject of the Empire's imminent collapse are without peer (ok, Kunstler is a close competitor...). Since the book is not yet available, the author has kindly published an excerpt online here. For your enjoyment, and enlightenment....

Reflections On The American "Character"

As regular readers are aware, Chaos believes that there are many and varied technical "solutions" to the current set of converging catastrophes that confront citizens of the planet Earth, but the will to accomplish these is lacking. Further, different geographic regions evince different levels of awareness regarding the said catastrophes; hence, one may reasonably forecast that those who are most aware of the problems and have taken steps to mitigate the same will be the most comfortable in the years ahead. To that end, the continuing study of the character of the citizens of the US has become the primary focus of this blog. The current presidential election provides here a most salient example: two of the three "candidates" for US Emperor have endorsed, enthusiastically, the idea of suspending the miniscule 18 cents/gallon federal gas tax for the summer. It is most essential to note that the success or failure of any such initiative is not at issue here; what is salient is the fact that the majority of those running for the most important office in the nation believe that taking this (completely bogus and counterproductive) position has a reasonable chance of earning votes, which in turn speaks volumes of the American character, which is to say, infantile, ignorant, and completely self-indulgent. Need more? More than several states have taken up the issue; the quote which rings in Chaos' mind is this one from Florida governor Charlie Crist, who, in response to a NY Times reporter's question, answered thus: “I’m supposed to respond to the people and try to make them happy.”

Indeed. Chaos has not much to add, save that it is and will continue to be, quite interesting at the twilight of the Empire...

Peak Oil News

It should not be a surprise to a reader of this blog to note signs of the arrival of global Peak Oil; nonetheless, today's news is particularly significant. First, our friend and seminal author Matthew Simmons has a new powerpoint-type presentation on the current situation. New and notable is Simmons' emphasis on the aging infrastructure of oil well equipment: apparently, it's all made of steel, and steel rusts. Go figure. Needs lots of money spent to rehabilitate said equipment...will it get done? Doubtful. Also interesting is Simmons' (almost obligatory) expressions of hope at the end. Chaos can find no reason or evidence that justifies such beliefs, but at any rate, this is a nice presentation (if you wonder about certain points, by all means search for expansion among the literature). Secondly, news of the day indicates that the Grangemouth refinery in Scotland, which supplies approximately 10% of the UK's oil needs, is closing as of now due to workers striking over pension benefits. The event is having major impacts, including lines for fuel, and hoarding behavior. A harbinger of things to come, in Chaos' view, and soon enough. Look for gasoline prices to head higher, and don't neglect converting the projected UK gas price of 5 pounds per gallon...makes gas in the US seem cheap, doesn't it?

What's Underneath: Noam Chomsky On The Air We Breathe

Interesting piece examining the hidden assumptions of those trapped within the Empire's "bubble" comes to us from the notorious "linguist and social critic" (translation: we're not sure what he is) Noam Chomsky. Organizing principle which helps make the terms of "debate" understandable to bewildered souls of other nations who marvel at the insularity and arrogance of Americans: we own the world. Another variation on a theme: trying to control the uncontrollable. Try it, you might like it, or it might disturb you for some reason.

Economics: Synchronicity

Chaos, having had no training or experience, rarely comments upon economic issues or trends. A couple of days ago, however, articles appeared simultaneously in different publications, essentially pointing to the same concept...the Empire's free ride at the expense of the rest of the world is now coming to an end. Specifically, the decline of the currency, combined with dramatic inflation in Asian countries, means that cheap goods imported from the rest of the world is going extinct. Here's the link in the nation's paper of record, while in this online magazine (owned by the Post Companies) was this analysis. Not the last word, certainly, and readers interested in alternative points of view might want to journey over to Mish's Global Economic Analysis, but interesting, as synchronicity usually is.

Obscenities

Worst obscenities in the english language: "exclusive gated community" "planned golf resort" "new shopping center--pad space available"

Read This Book! Really!

Readers may have noticed that Chaos rarely recommends books anymore. Somewhat depressingly, there are apparently few works being produced that significantly advance those mentioned in the Edge's bibliography, and anyway, Chaos is well aware that book reading is becoming more rare with each passing day. However (knew this was coming, didn't you?) Chaos has recently completed a surpassingly profound piece that begs to be read, for those wishing to understand the developments in globalization, the CIA's role in developing torture techniques, the war in Iraq, the 2004 tsunami, and other disasters. The book is The Shock Doctrine, by Naomi Klein, and Chaos cannot recommend it more. If reading a book is too much, there is also a short film here, but Chaos cannot recommend it, since the simplification to film robs the relatively complex metaphor which forms the core of the book of most of its power.

To The People Of Costa Rica, Regarding CAFTA

Chaos is aware that your country has been struggling with a dilemma, specifically, whether or not to become the last signatory of the Central American "Free" Trade Agreement. Chaos, in vast admiration for the national character, values and good judgment of the people of Costa Rica, would nonetheless humbly offer the following advice:
Reject this agreement. There is no mystery as to its consequences, no matter how rosy the promises being made to you. The purpose of this agreement is to enrich the few at the expense of the many ("few" refers in this context to multinational corporations). Even better, for the price of a plane ticket or the few clicks of a mouse, you can see the future of your country under this odious treaty in the country of Mexico today. Ever wanted to be forced to leave your homeland and illegally cross the US border to find work? This agreement will ensure it. Care to give up your family farm and move to the city, there to reside in a vast shantytown, and eke out a living performing degrading labor in a sweatshop factory, or beg on the streets for subsistence? Vote yes on CAFTA. We have a saying in Estados Unidos de Tejas, where Chaos currently and temporarily resides: "you got to dance with what them that brung ya." Costa Rica, what brought you to this dance was your strong history of real democracy, your rejection of militaristic jingoism, your commitment to education, and your ecological awareness. Cede not your sovereignty in these things in exchange for false promises of economic benefit. Perhaps other parties to this agreement think they will gain economic development, but they are not you. Look around the world today and try to find examples of the shining promises of benefits to all that proponents of this scabrous document would have you swallow without question. Chaos begs you to read the scandalous history of free trade imposed on the Second and Third World, and recall the murderous behavior of the US multinationals (United Fruit, ITT, and many others) in Latin America. Proponents of this fraud are counting on you to forget the lessons of the past. Do not permit this. It is no accident that the US has made this a priority. Think well upon these things and do whatever it takes to resist.

Quote of the Day

Only after the last tree has been cut down,
Only after the last river has been poisoned
Only after the last fish has been caught,
Only then will we realise that money cannot be eaten.
- Cree Indian saying

Next: an open letter to Costa Rica...

Regarding The Latest Gasoline Price Increase...

The Empire is the most wasteful nation on earth, without any doubt. Moreover, the people herein are the grasshoppers of the world...partying incessantly for the last 30 years of so, drunk on cheap energy, while the ants of the world (we mean in this context, Europe and other more sober nations) stored food for the winter. With the latest price increases, the people of the Empire are receiving exactly what they deserve, no more and no less, for their profligacy, as colder weather approaches. No sympathy will be given, and no attention will paid, to their whining and moaning. The economy, constructed of papier-mache and delusional thinking, has begun a swirling motion reminiscent of toilet water circling the bowl. Alas! No more bubbles exist to be blown to keep the illusion alive. What follows is pain, and all the worse since so very few actually understand what different directions a people not so obsessed with material gain and grandiose stories could have gone.

Oh, and here's a nice piece by Michael Klare on why gas prices won't be coming down again. Ever. In case you didn't want to just take Chaos' word for it...

New Oil Drum Video On Olduvai Gorge

For those who are new or not conversant with the oft-mentioned theory...try this

American Values #5: Prison Nation

It is not new, but nonetheless of interest, that the Empire has the largest prison population on the planet (#2 is China). The rate of incarceration is staggering (1 in 100 overall; 1 in 35 adult male Hispanics, 1 in 9 black males 20 to 35), especially when compared to other OECD nations (Germany: 1 in 100,000). Besides being big believers in the death penalty (an honor the nation shares with certain benighted Third World nations, and no others), American values apparently encompass imprisonment as the first resort in corrections. Needless to say, the cost of this ruinous policy is equally unsustainable, and so, some states are "discovering" that rehabilitation is preferable to expensive housing of prisoners. Alas, Chaos' experience in the state which has the largest prison population in the Empire leads to the conclusion that choosing rehab over incarceration to save expenses inevitably results in underfunded programs, or the costs simply transferred to oversight departments ("probation"). The current article is enlightening, although not particularly helpful (what % of people are imprisoned for the ridiculous "war on drugs?" doesn't say...).

The State of the Oceans: Bad, And Getting Worse

Thanks to humanity's ever-increasing heavy "footprint" on the planet, the state of the oceans has never been poorer. Having killed off most of the larger fish in the oceans (by overfishing), unsurprisingly researchers are discovering that these predators are responsible for the health of the coral reefs. Comes now a couple of articles (here, and here) confirming what Chaos has recently read in a book (specifically, The World Without Us, highly recommended), to the effect that most of the oceans have suffered greatly from the human population explosion. It requires very little prognostication skill to see that the planet in the future will be terribly degraded, and no, humanity will not "wake up just in time" to mitigate its tremendously negative impact. It's not news (at least here it's not) that humanity has overshot the carrying capacity of the planet, and not by just a little. Just a few thoughts on what actually matters, as opposed to the ridiculous gladiatorial contests sweeping the national and local news media.

Why Global Climate Change Comes Quickly

This somewhat long and dense article is well worth the wading through, in order to have the bejesus scared out of one, once the realization sets in that the climate has, in the past, changed rather quicker than previously supposed. Also worth a mention are the potentially mischievous possibilities of releasing methane from melting permafrost, increasing the feeback effect dramatically (money quote: "Thresholds may produce unexpected system responses").

Olduvai Theory Update: Doomer Edition

Nothing beats reading a true doomer like Richard Duncan, author of the Olduvai Theory, i.e., that industrial, fossil-fuel-using civilization has a life expectancy of about a hundred years, and guess what? It started about 80 years ago. Ooops! Oddly enough, it's real hard to think of valid objections to this pernicious idea (at least, Chaos is not aware of any effective critique), and of course, this adds to the shivery fun one has in reading all about it, which Chaos is now going to encourage you to do (but you knew that, right?) This particular rendition is the 2007 update, (pdf file) so it's pretty, you know, current. Has some scary charts to go with it.

More Vital Than Gasoline

The most very excellent and perceptive Tom Whipple of the Falls Church News-Press has a very nice roundup of the state of electricity around the world (or more properly, the lack of electricity). A preview of coming attractions, in Chaos' view, although it is pretty much widely acknowledged that the poorer nations and people of the planet will do the suffering first.

Health Care Update

A perennial favorite on this blog is the subject of healthcare in the Empire, both because of its potential to bring citizens to financial and physical ruin, as well as its symbolic meaning of the gradual decline of the Imperial US. To this end, the current picture is remarkably unpretty....doctors are now encouraged by insurance companies to report patients omissions, i.e., to spy and tattle on their own patients, the better to report increased quarterly profits by the corporation. To their credit, the doctors are resistant to this violation of doctor/patient privelege, but Chaos must ask, is there really any privacy left, after all? No insurance is obtainable without a complete disrobing and naked display of one's medical conditons, past and present.

On a more abstract note comes this piece on a seemingly simple remedy for many hospital errors, which in turn lead to more sickness and death. Are you ready? It's....a checklist! That's right; some ICU specialist figured out a few years ago that this actually does work. The interesting part comes at the end, when we find out that no, the US is quite resistant to changing this complex system simply because it works (and it flies in the face of the ego-centric doctors' sense of infallibility...) and that some other countries are implementing it with significant results. A lengthy article, but worth the read, for symbolic reasons as well.

An Engaging Video: The Story of Stuff

Apropos of practically everything that is mentioned here at the Edge, is this quite entertaining video (for those not inclined to read) that summarizes a good deal of what's wrong with the endless, mindless consumerism which has replaced a lot of meaningful activity here in the Empire in recent years. Check out The Story of Stuff....

The Human Ecological "Footprint"

Here is a somewhat scholarly and technical article (pdf warning)on measuring the human ecological "footprint," a popular concept in environmental circles. Suffice to say, the factors of population and affluence are the prime indicators of the said footprint (and of course, the US has by far the largest one). Article includes a nice graph of current footprints among nations and projected increases out to 2015. Observe (with alarm) how much China's footprint is projected to increase, with India not far behind. The road to 2015 and beyond is projected (by Chaos) to be more than a little interesting...

Relocation: The Corruption Perceptions Index

For those whose thought processes have mirrored Chaos', here's an interesting dimension to consider when deciding on a location to settle in. The Index purports to measure perceptions of corruption by "business people and country analysts" and rank the world's countries according to a scale of corruption. Presumably, less corrupt countries are better places to alight. (Note, for example that New Zealand is #1, while the US is #20; would've thought?)

Oh, and for more comparison info, check out this Wikipedia ranking of economic inequality among nations.

Predatory Nation: Credit Card Issuers Face The Music

Chaos has previously referred to a favorite meme (ok, Chaos came up with this one) as Predatory Nation: to wit, that the large corporations and institutions in this nation have evolved into simply trying to take advantage of the unwary citizenry. Here's a fine example (actually, the credit card industry itself is a perfect example) by way of the nation's paper of record. Money quote:
"Ronald J. Mann, a law professor at Columbia University and a credit expert, describes credit industry practices as intended to enslave borrowers in a 'sweat box.'"
In an interesting twist, consumers who seek to settle their debts have been further preyed upon by unscrupulous "debt relief" services, who sometimes advise them to suspend payments to creditors and save the funds for future lump sum payments (the disastrousness of this course of action should be apparent to the financially literate...). So, in essence, we have predators springing up from predators.
Just a brief example, and of course Chaos will continue to point these out.

The Role of Time

Chaos has observed that changing carbon-spewing lifestyles, by changing the corresponding vehicle fleet, public transportation system, energy sources, and the like, is not a "just in time" process. To the contrary, it seems to take many years (and lots of money) and determined effort. The difficulties mentioned in this article in the Times are illustrative of this principle. Communities around the nation (including Austin, Texas, for our regional readers), although willing to begin altering their vast energy consumption find it difficult, since the infrastructure built up over many years precludes easy conversion. For the counterexample, consider the fine system of public transportation now existing in the city of Portland, Oregon; said system was begun approximately thirty years ago. The people in this country, by and large, are now beginning to vaguely realize that they are going to reap what they've sown over the last thirty years. Changing the way people move around and the energy sources relied upon to power the complex society would be a vast, expensive, and long undertaking, even with a national consensus, which of course is lacking at the moment. Chaos expects gradual awareness to take hold, albeit much too late to do much.

The Empire Declines

Here's a special issue of the Edge, dedicated to the declining US. First, a somewhat long and thoughtful article on the new world order (sorry), you know, the one that arose while the US was busy "projecting" American power by starting up and continuing wars throughout the globe, ignoring vital needs at home, becoming the most despised evil empire abroad, and just generally doing what empires do before they collapse. Kindly ignore the "prescriptions" at the end; they will not be undertaken in any event. Up next is the oft-cited Chalmers Johnson, author of the Blowback trilogy, and general chronicler of US military overreach, on how the vast sums spent on the US military will be the downfall of the Empire (and who could doubt it, really?). Do not fail to click on the embedded video interview link within the post; the man makes for a fascinating subject.

The Consequences Of Believing In Fairy Tales

Something Chaos has said for quite some time, in slightly different words, has been confirmed by an actual report. In this article,which wrings its hands about the US' loss of dominance in math and science (itself a rather dated story), we find out the truth, as is often the case, at the bottom:

"Many Americans remain ignorant about much of science, the board said. Many are unable to answer correctly when asked whether Earth moves around the Sun (it does).

They are not noticeably more ignorant than people in other developed countries except on two subjects, evolution and the Big Bang. Although these ideas are organizing principles underlying modern biology and physics, many Americans do not accept them.

“These differences probably indicate that many Americans hold religious beliefs that cause them to be skeptical of established scientific ideas,” the report said, “even when they have some basic familiarity with those ideas.”

Well, Chaos has nothing particular to add to this...

Quotes Of The Day

"If it hurts, make it hurt more."

"Any race you can walk away from, is a bad race."

News Release You Won't Read In The News

One of the most useful links here at The Edge is TheOilDrum.com. Providing a plethora of energy and collapse news and articles daily, it's an addicting read. If you've noticed that the price of oil recently has hit new highs, you're not alone. Here, in its entirety, is the news release by the editors of The Oil Drum (note the realistic, fact-based view of the situation):

A Signal Ignored

Coming as it does on the eve of the Iowa caucuses, the breaking of the $100 dollar barrier for oil prices will likely be treated by many as an almost imperceptible change in our world. By Friday it will likely be lost in the discussion of the political events unfolding.

The $100 a barrel price is a sign that times will never be the same again. According to TheOilDrum.com, the world is entering a new era, where the supply of energy will come to dominate the political landscape in a way that is currently not recognized by any of the leading candidates.

Over the past two years, citizens have been repeatedly assured that there is no problem with future oil supply. Because of a perceived need to present both sides of the argument, the public has heard false promises of lower future prices, and been beguiled by the possibility of a price collapse in the face of excess supply.

Recently, various qualifiers have started to appear in oil discussions. These qualifiers include the need for increased investment in exploration and improved production technologies. The media fails to mention that the needed investment will be at an increasingly diminished rate of return, to the point where it becomes economically unattractive to search harder and harder for very small quantities of oil and gas.

Both oil and natural gas resources around the world are found in underground reservoirs of a finite size. Many of these oil reservoirs have now been producing for over fifty years. In that time, the vast quantities of oil that were in place have been reduced. As the quantity of oil remaining in place falls, the rate at which oil can be recovered also falls. This makes it necessary to drill additional wells into the reservoir in order to maintain the level of output.

According to TheOilDrum.com, at some point enough oil will have been extracted that no matter how many more wells are drilled, overall production from the field will go into irreversible decline. And as field after field reaches this condition, the overall production of oil for the region will begin to fall. This happened to the United States in 1970 when oil production reached a peak. US production has since declined from a maximum of over 9.6 million barrels a day (mbd), to the current level of around 5 mbd. More recently, the oil fields of the North Sea, the Alaskan fields on the North Slope, and the huge Cantarell field in Mexico have entered irreversible decline.

As these fields deplete, smaller fields have been brought into production, but these small fields do not last as long. Drilling activity must be increased in order to find even smaller fields. These, in turn, deplete more and more rapidly, exacerbating the need for new wells.

According to TheOilDrum.com, the world is now reaching the point where all of the oil fields of the world are in aggregate coming to peak production. As peak world production draws near, the rate of increase in oil production can be expected to stall because of constrained resources. This can happen even with rising demand. Once production falls short of what is needed, oil prices can be expected to increase, so that demand is brought in line with available supply.

At this point, countries that still have a surplus of oil to export are seeing their economies boom. This growth brings an increase in their own demand for oil, which reduces the amount that can be made available for export. This higher oil use by exporting countries reduces the available supply to importing countries, further accelerating the rise in price. The countries least able to afford the increase are likely to be affected most.

The consequences of energy supply shortages can be surprisingly great. Energy shortages can lead to public unrest, such as occurred recently in Myanmar. In times of inclement weather, energy shortages can lead to a loss of export supply, if the supplier finds that domestic demand is consuming all that is available. Problems for importing nations then suddenly become worse. One such example is the Iranian gas import situation this past week, and the consequent cut in exports to Turkey.

According to TheOilDrum.com, the world has now entered a period of fragile balance between demand and available supply. Unfortunately the situation cannot be expected to improve. The increasingly limited ability of nations such as Saudi Arabia and Russia to increase oil production is already becoming evident, leading to a reduced potential for raising world production.

It now appears unlikely that the world will ever see a daily oil production rate of 90 mbd, even when natural gas liquids and condensate are included. Thus, future projections that speak glibly of numbers above this level are foisting a canard on the world's population that all will come to regret.

In the coming months, the $100 per barrel marker will be lost in the debate over other issues. According to TheOilDrum.com, limited oil supply is not an issue that will go away. Rather, it is an issue that will steadily increase in importance. Eventually, the cries for action, and for culprits to blame will become over-riding -- at a time well within the first term of the presidential candidates.

These candidates now pay little attention to energy policy, but that must and will change. Hopefully, greater concern for energy policy will occur before events force a change, but so far the grim markers along the way have largely been ignored.

Now, contrast that with this clueless MSM article which appeared in the local rag a couple of days ago:

$100 oil likely to hit pocketbooks soon

Web Posted: 01/06/2008 08:08 PM CST

Brett Clanton
Houston Chronicle

U.S. consumers are likely to feel the sting of $100 oil soon, and in perhaps more ways than they realize.

Crude reached the symbolic milestone, albeit briefly, a couple of times last week, before closing Friday at $97.91.

More directly ominous for consumers, AAA reported Friday that the average price for a gallon of regular gasoline nationwide was $3.07, up from $2.32 a year ago. In Houston, the average price at the end of the week was $2.92, up from $2.18 last January. (San Antonio: $2.94, compared to $2.17)

Higher gasoline prices likely will pinch consumers the most as more crude costs are passed through to drivers, analysts said.

But if oil prices stay up, Americans also may see higher prices for a host of other petroleum-derived products, from lightbulbs and paint to golf balls and deodorant.

"There's oil in everything around us," said Edward Morse, chief energy economist at Lehman Bros. in New York. So it's impossible not to be touched in some way by $100 oil.

"Whether it's the direct impact of heating oil or diesel or gasoline, the indirect impact is sort of ubiquitous in the world we live in," he said. "And it affects everyone's pocketbook because it affects the amount we can spend on the things we need and want."

Oil prices continued their ascent in the first days of this year after climbing nearly 60 percent in 2007 amid rising global energy demands, geopolitical tensions and betting by speculators in commodity markets.

Yet the effects of the sharp increase in oil prices have been slow to hit consumers.

Profits dipped for most major oil companies in late 2007 because crude oil costs rose faster than their refining operations could pass those costs on, leaving the companies stuck with the bill. Other industries also have been absorbing higher energy costs to avoid raising prices for their products, analysts said.

"But somewhere down the line, if (oil) prices are sustained at where they are today, you'll probably start to see it creep into consumers' pocketbooks," said Brian Youngberg, energy analyst at Edward Jones in St. Louis.

That creep is well under way at the gas pump.

It was on the minds of drivers late last week at a Shell station in southwest Houston, where regular unleaded sold for $3.14 a gallon.

"It takes a toll," Chris Emuchay, 20, a security guard, said as he gassed up his aging Cadillac Sedan DeVille. "It makes you worry about just going to work and getting home."

David Dixon, 37, said higher energy costs have spurred him to hunt for bargains at gas stations, to install more energy-efficient appliances at his home in Pearland and to cut unnecessary spending.

"Anything we don't need to spend money on, we're trying not to," said Dixon, a service manager at a local sign manufacturer, who was filling up his 1992 Mitsubishi Montero SUV.

Dixon may not be alone. Recently, the Federal Reserve has warned that higher energy costs could force many consumers to pull back spending in other areas and lead to a broader slowdown of the U.S. economy.

That worry has deepened in recent weeks amid signs of slower growth in several parts of the economy, prompting speculation by analysts that a recession is near. Those signs include softer growth in retail sales, continued trouble in the housing market, declining industrial production and slower job growth.

Many eyes also remain on consumer spending, which accounts for about two-thirds of the U.S. economy.

Growth in consumer spending, at 4 percent in the first quarter of 2007, fell to about 1.4 percent in the second quarter amid higher gas prices, but then recovered to 3 percent in the third quarter. Economists expect consumer spending numbers for the fourth quarter, which have not yet been released, to show slower growth.

"You would not expect high gas prices to depress consumer spending growth forever," said Nigel Gault, an analyst with economic forecaster Global Insight. "What we would expect to see is if gasoline prices go up, that squeezes spendable income. People adjust to that."

For some, that may mean driving less. During the last four weeks, as pump prices have climbed, U.S. gasoline demand rose only 0.1 percent compared to the same period a year ago. Analysts consider year-over-year demand growth of less than 1.5 percent to be soft.

A similar pullback occurred last spring and early summer when gasoline prices hit record levels, said Michael McNamara, vice president of research and analysis at MasterCard Advisors, which collects data on gasoline demand based on MasterCard receipts and other payment types.

"In 2007, it seemed to be that at the $3.00 to $3.10 per gallon level, people began to pump less gas," he said.

While $3 gas has appeared during the peak summer driving season in recent years, prices always fell again in the fall on softer demand for motor fuels. But in November and December of 2007, average prices surpassed the $3 mark for the first time ever in each of those months, AAA said.

If oil stays high, gasoline prices could continue their march upward, hitting new records, analysts said.

The record national average of $3.23 per gallon was set May 24, according to AAA.

Tom Kloza, oil analyst with the Oil Price Information Service in Wall, N.J., believes gas prices could keep rising this year, but probably won't reach $4 a gallon.

"I think a range of $3.25-$3.75 is a reasonable guess of where gasoline prices may peak in 2008," he said.

About 3.5 percent of U.S. household budgets now goes to gasoline and fuel costs, up from 3 percent in the fourth quarter of 2006, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

From early 1986 to 2004, families never dedicated more than an average of 3 percent of their total spending to gasoline. In the fall of 2006, gasoline expenditures jumped to 3.8 percent. The record was 5.2 percent in 1981, when oil prices, adjusted for inflation, were about where they are today.

With gasoline price spikes in recent years, Americans have responded by cutting vacations, saving less and borrowing more on credit cards, said Christian E. Weller, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, a Washington, D.C., think tank, and professor at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

"The main point still holds that families cannot adequately plan for large jumps in gasoline prices," Weller said. "And that they will have to cut back elsewhere."

Very few facts here, mostly just spin for the masses. Let's not inquire too closely into the actual situation, folks, the entire economy depends mostly on "confidence" (now there's a loaded term).

Two Views On Population: What We Cannot Say

It is not news to regular readers that Chaos wholeheartedly agrees with Dr. Bartlett's assertion that overpopulation (along with exponential growth) constitutes the root of most of humanity's troubles. Equally clear is the fact that these topics are not permitted to be discussed on any level; don't look for your favorite presidential candidate to add them to a stump speech, or your favorite flavor of political party to adopt them as 'planks' in their 'platforms.' Why not? Well, read Kurt Cobb's explanation of what happens when you do bring up the issue. Along the way, the author provides an excellent overview of the concept of "carrying capacity" and how OECD countries export their resource degradation to the rest of the world. Another view of the issue comes from this op-ed in the nation's paper of record by the eminent anthropologist Jared Diamond. Diamond reflects the current understanding among those concerned about the natural world that one's resource 'footprint' is more important than the numbers of humans inhabiting the planet. An other wise insightful article is marred towards the end by the now almost obligatory references to hopeful examples of growing awareness of the problems (along with an exhortation that diminished resource consumption need not constitute a diminished lifestyle, a ridiculous assertion but one necessary to publish in a mainstream newspaper, because nobody wants to hear anything like they might have to live differently than they do now), which Chaos found to be underwhelming at best, and mendacious at worst. Chaos' own view is that both population control and resource conservation are essential components of an effective strategy of solving the current woes, but not to worry: the Cobb article explains quite clearly that even a discussion of these is not ever going to happen.