Heard About the 'Net...

Here's a handful of things I read lately that I can recommend.

Bill Herbst's latest newsletter is out, and it's fascinating as usual. And again, even if you're not into astrology (I'm not myself) you can skim over the technicals and just read the interpretive commentary for stimulating gems like this:

"For instance, the Saturn-Neptune opposition now fully upon us in 2006-2007 carries as part of its symbolism a collective feeling of psychological exhaustion, deep confusion, and helpless impotence. We are tired to our bones of the propaganda, false promises, subtle deceit, and outright lies that poison our society. And EVERYONE feels that, regardless of cultural or political leanings."

Like a lot of people I've been following Riverbend's excellent Baghdad Burning over the last few years. I hadn't read it for a while, though, when I saw the most recent entry referenced over at LATOC.

"...He stood in front of the television and watched the words about corpses and Americans and puppets scroll by and when the news item I was watching for appeared, I jumped up and pointed. E. and I read it in silence and E. looked as confused as I was feeling.

The line said:

“The Ministry of Defense requests that civilians do not comply with the orders of the army or police on nightly patrols unless they are accompanied by coalition forces working in that area.”

That’s how messed up the country is at this point."

Riverbend is intelligent, educated, sensitive and expressive. She has the natural writer's talent for weaving vast pictures and questions into seemingly prosaic details. Also, her tone of voice is so familiar in many ways...it's like having a friend inside the bizaar city that is Occupied Baghdad. In fact, all told the site has long been a better barometer for getting a glimpse into what is happening there than anything that's being reported in the regular media.

But lately Baghdad Burning is starting to have a disconcertingly Anna Frank-ish feel to it. Death seems to be closing in around her every post now, and it's becoming clear that Iraq is verging on collapse--with or without American forces (and their "enduring bases").

"In the last weeks alone, thousands have died in senseless violence and the American and Iraqi army bomb Samarra as I write this. The sad thing isn’t the air raid, which is one of hundreds of air raids we’ve seen in three years- it’s the resignation in the people. They sit in their homes in Samarra because there’s no where to go. Before, we’d get refugees in Baghdad and surrounding areas… Now, Baghdadis themselves are looking for ways out of the city… out of the country. The typical Iraqi dream has become to find some safe haven abroad.

Three years later and the nightmares of bombings and of shock and awe have evolved into another sort of nightmare. The difference between now and then was that three years ago, we were still worrying about material things- possessions, houses, cars, electricity, water, fuel… It’s difficult to define what worries us most now. Even the most cynical war critics couldn't imagine the country being this bad three years after the war... Allah yistur min il rab3a (God protect us from the fourth year). "

Still...check out her latest post, which is a collection of Iraqi April Fool's Day jokes.

A few days ago I referenced Rob Hopkins' "Kinsale Energy Descent Action Plan" for taking the town of Kinsale, Ireland "off grid". Well I've been poking around his website Transition Culture as well and found this interesting rumination on the role fear can play in bringing about change.

"My sense is that what Satish was alluding to as ‘fear’ is the moment when the scale of the problem and the challenge REALLY sinks in . A few days after I first showed the End of Suburbia, followed by a talk by Colin Campbell, to my students at Kinsale FEC, someone asked me “what’s wrong with all your students? They looked ill all week”. That moment of really grasping the enormity of the challenge was not a comfortable place, neither for me nor my students."

He goes on to suggest that fear is generally only useful if one can identify definite, convenient steps toward resolving the issue. It's a good read...and there are good comments as well. This one especially rings a bell with me:

"I think, at this point, energy issues are an intellectual exercise. People are not ready for change. They want to think about it, talk about it, discuss it, be “pleasant” about it. Gas is still cheap, my home is still warm, more food than I need on the table, etc, etc. So most people will hear the words, get upset and go back to their lives....People are filled with words. They are not at the action stage yet. The need has to be a reality. People, at this stage of the process, are frustrating as hell for those that are at the action stage already....Not much is going to happen until gas is $7-8 a gallon, food is twice what it is now, I’m having trouble heating the house, etc, etc."

Comments

[Mike Lorenz]

"I think, at this point, energy issues are an intellectual exercise. People are not ready for change. They want to think about it, talk about it, discuss it, be “pleasant” about it. Gas is still cheap, my home is still warm, more food than I need on the table, etc, etc. So most people will hear the words, get upset and go back to their lives....People are filled with words. They are not at the action stage yet. The need has to be a reality."

Making that jump from talking to acting (or more specifically, convincing my family to do so with me) is where I find myself right now. Mr. Hopkins is right, it is frustrating. Just curious, do you agree with his assertion that gas will have to reach $7-8 a gallon before lots of people are forced to change their behavior? After seeing the reaction from friends and family to the post-Katrina gas spike (which hit $3.29 here in St.Louis,MO), I have to believe that $4.50 - $5 a gallon will at least be the tipping point for a mass change of driving habits. I think increased food prices are going to be the straw that breaks the camel's back. The question is, will most people be able to make the connection between oil and food costs?
- Mike Lorenz
The Blank Page

[mm]

We have seen a definite slowdown and cutback regarding driving for the past 2 years (SE Idaho - outlying areas) Lately it has become even more noticeable- I think some areas are slower to respond than others, but I think when gas is at $3.00 a gallon the reaction will be dramatic. We have been aware that people we know are getting out of debt, putting in alternate heating systems, and stockpiling food and supplies. So, I think that there are a number of people who have gone beyond the talking stage. And their numbers will continue to grow. Yet, some poor souls will not notice there is a problem until the gas pumps are empty.

[Dutchcat]

Alex Jones exposed:

http://www.iamthewitness.com/DarylBradfordSmith_Sheen.html