Be Disruptive on Monday

Hats off to pro-immigrant activists who are organizing a massive strike for Monday, May 1, 2006.

We all have an obligation in these times to participate however we can. Keep it nonviolent, but do not support destructive capitalist activity. Do not buy gas. Try not to spend anything and boycott as much economic activity as possible. If you don't feel well, please don't go to work to spread the germs around!

My Way News conveys a great forecast:

Organizers have timed the action for May Day, a date when workers around the world often march for improved conditions, and have strong support from big labor and the Roman Catholic church. They vow that America's major cities will grind to a halt and its economy will stagger as Latinos walk off their jobs and skip school.

How will you contribute to sending a message that we don't have the society we want?

Technorati tags: Immigration, Revolution, May Day, May 1

Oil Crisis Emerging

The mainstream media appear to be deliberately downplaying the acute skyrocketing of oil prices which threaten significant harm to the economy overall and certainly much pain to consumers both at the gas pump and in other cost of living impacts.

Crude oil for June delivery is now trading at $71.90 per barrel.

The Himalayan Times says:

"As one risk factor for the global economy is crude prices, which remain at high levels, I will closely watch how each G7 country discusses the issue," Japanese finance minister Sadakazu Tanigaki said...

In London, Brent crude futures have broken through $70 dollars a barrel for the first time, owing to tight supplies and to tensions over Iran's nuclear ambitions...

The higher the deficit goes, the greater the risk of the dollar crashing, "which would push US interest rates up sharply and possibly lead to a recession”," ...[the IMF] warned.

It is very possible that oil prices have entered territory which is economically destructive, and they will not ease much without a recession or depression which could cause demand to plummet. Barring capitalists having some clever or lucky cards up their sleeves, we may be just now entering a strange new era with much pain and some glimmers of hope for a future which is based on cooperation and sharing rather than competition and private ownership.

Technorati tags: collapse, peak oil, tribalism, anarcho-primitivism

We're In Hot Water

The current water temperature in the Gulf of Mexico at Pensacola, FL is 80.2 F. This is close to the average temperature (84) for June. April's normal is 71.

June is when hurricane season normally starts, but it would seem unsurprising if we see a very early start and fierce season this year since these storms obtain their energy from ocean heat. Global warming is now.

*** Update 4/17/2006 15:45 EST - Pensacola water temp is now 81.5F!

Technorati tags: global warming, environment, collapse

OM, Drums, Barefoot Dancing

Alan Ginsberg chanting OM may have helped end the Vietnam War.

I hope that maybe the drummers and we who dance barefoot at the Asheville drum circles at Pritchard Park on Friday evenings may also be rebalancing world Karma to help us all to our soft landing in the paradise of the noncapitalist future.

Peace and Love always, Brothers and Sisters.

Technorati tags: Asheville, peace, tribalism, barefoot, barefooters

On Blissful Liberation

Eula and Ran Prieur have been discussing some hazards of the terminology that we use to identify likely future trends. At issue is that "crash," "collapse," and "die-off" are perhaps poor branding choices compared to "involuntary powerdown," "Utopia," or how about "Blissful Liberation from the Capitalists."

Technorati tags: collapse, peak oil, tribalism, anarcho-primitivism

LATOC #1 For "Oil" on Google

The most straightforward and lucid explanation of peak oil and its consequences I have yet seen is found at the site Peak Oil: Life After the Oil Crash. I highly recommend familiarizing yourself with the facts and logic presented at this site.

They have now become the #1 result returned by a Google search on the term "oil." That's some huge writing on the virtual wall.

Technorati tags: collapse, peak oil, tribalism, anarcho-primitivism

DEA Agent in Video Shoots Self in Foot

And is apparently now suing for humiliation that has "crippled" his "career."

You can also see the video of the "agent" shooting himself in his foot here.

He should lose the case, because if his career is lost at the DEA, he now has a better opportunity to find an honest line of work doing some kind of good instead of harassing and destroying people for the morally legitimate use of spiritually helpful and medicinal plants, fungi, and chemicals.

Asheville Items

Since it remains unclear how long the system will limp along before crashing from oil starvation, it is good that communities like Asheville are engaging in positive action with results. It is also great practice for a community that will evolve a healthy tribal network post-capitalism.

Blog Asheville tells us that local activists have stopped a new Walmart infection:

Just as the forces were gathering to battle it out at Ashvegas City Council tonight, Wal-Mart has announced that it's not going to pursue siting a Wal-Mart Supercenter on Smoky Park Highway next to the Lowes' there.

Also from BA, we have a link to freep a poll on support for the Dem. (Schuller) candidate working to unseat the Republican (Taylor) incumbent in the local Congressional race. Scroll down this page and vote!

Technorati tags: Asheville, Walmart, politics

Oil's Well That Ends Well

The Globe and Mail is reporting on the continuing rise of oil prices:

Light, sweet crude for May delivery rose $1.36 to $68.75 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. If the gains stick, it would be the highest closing price since Sept. 1, when Nymex futures settled at $69.47.

My recent analysis of global production numbers leads me to believe that the Hubbert Peak of oil production was in June 2005. It is probably only massive efforts by producers that is delaying significant production decreases for perhaps a couple more months.

Given the fact that demand for oil will soon be running off ahead of supply, the oil price is a huge capitalist bargain. However, the pain of $2.79/Gal. and rising gas at the pumps is real and must get worse.

We must all learn to live without oil. And remember that when we say oil, we mean gasoline, plastic, fertilizers that allow large-scale agriculture, and many of the other building blocks of this civilization.

Technorati tags: collapse, peak oil, civilization, anarcho-primitivism

Pentagon Nuke Plans: Iran

Seymour M. Hersh reveals vile plans by the Pentagon to attack Iran:

One of the military's initial option plans, as presented to the White House by the Pentagon this winter, calls for the use of a bunker-buster tactical nuclear weapon, such as the B61-11, against underground nuclear sites.

Steve at BIO cites *political* risks for the self-styled Emperor Bush:

I think Bush has gone to the terror well too often. I think playing the only card in the deck for short term political gain, to bump the polls in advance of the mid-term elections, will backfire on him, for precisely the same reason Iraq backfired on him.

The moral implications of using nuclear weapons in conflict for the first time since 1945 are mind-bogglingly horrific. We each have a profound obligation to do everything (non-violent) that we can to stop such an attack by the U.S.

Technorati tags: peace, Iran

Wikipedia Offline

Wikipedia has been offline for some time today, and I am hoping to be able to report more info soon as to why or when it will be back up. I'll keep trying to find out. It is intersting to think about all the students with research papers due Monday morning among millions of other information seekers who must be in a huge jam right now. (21:00 EST).

Updates to come as I find out more information.

Update 21:06 EST - The front page is now showing, but searches still do not work.

Update 21:15 EST - Searches appear to be working and the site appears to be up and functioning. Apparently it was down for about 4 hours.

Update 21:27 EST - While some areas of the site are still having problems, Wikipedia is up and running. According to the Server Admin Log there were apparently problems associated with a mySQL install, and servers not booting or registering DNS properly.

Technorati tags: wikipedia

A Poster Showing Healthy Living

I am unspeakably flattered to find out from my new stats tracker that this blog is the #6 result in MSN Search on the terms "a poster showing healthy living."

Keep reading me brothers and sisters! It's great for your health!

And studies show that 2 out of 3 hippies say that posting comments at ryvr scrawl could reduce your risk of contracting Bird Flu, H5N1.

Technorati tag: meta

TEOTWAWKI: And I Feel Fine

(It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine).

Jason Godesky has a good analysis of the flaws of an article by Toby Hemenway:

Hemenway makes an argument about demand, and points out the basic economic fact that price is not only set by supply, but also by demand. This is the common Cornucopian reply to the question of Peak Oil: as supply contracts, prices will rise, which will simply extinguish demand. This entails a distinct lack of imagination, in my opinion, as to what "extinguishing demand" might entail. With a human population far beyond its carrying capacity already that can only be fed with petroleum-fueled, industrial agrictulre, a rise in the price of oil must be carried over into a rise in the price of food. That will increase the percentage of the population that cannot afford food, and that increases the desperation of a society very quickly.

I think the other point that cornucopians miss is that this will be a permanent and widening decrease in the amount of energy available to civilization. Capitalism is predicated on growth. Sustainability (at some level) will be possible, but not endless growth. This means that capitalism will fail completely.

Now, where I am more "optimistic" than many doomers is that I like to focus on the fact that many of the most spirited of tribes can look forward to a future that will be much better than the anti-human civilization in which we live. Many of us will be able to grow food, eat well, and see a new renaissance of art and music instead of Walmart and American Idol.

And don't forget Karma: stay non-violent and lead your tribe in peace, love, and happiness always.

Technorati tags: collapse, peak oil, tribalism, anarcho-primitivism

Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out

tom campbell writes:

[M]y grand scheme to 'save the world' is simply to walk away from participation in those institutions that diminish diversity and learn about or create a new way of living that increases diversity[.]

You don't hear too many people advising us to "Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out" these days. However, it appears beyond doubt that the "system" is even more broken beyond possibility of being fixed from within than it was in the 60's.

Many of us want a better world but continue to crank the engines that are driving it off a cliff. Compassion and love, shared with our communities can accomplish true good, and we are at the point where we must build our better world through ourselves without expecting justice to come from the top.

Tom is right. As many of us as possible do need to find a new way of living that brings peace, love, and happiness to our tribes.

Technorati tags: revolution, 60's, peace and love