In the Debtrix, there is no Red Pill
June 19, 2012A new Diner, Tao Jonesing contributed his thoughts on the “Debtrix”, a version of the Matrix that Neo was subsumed in for 3 Feature Films. RE Discuss this article inside the Diner In the last forty years, Americans have gone from citizens to consumers, from consumers to consumables. As citizens, we existed to participate in society by producing goods. As consumers, we existed to proclaim our individuality by consuming more goo...
PLAGUE!
Off the keyboard of RE
Published on the Doomstead Diner on June 16, 2013
Discuss this article at the Podcasts Table inside the Diner
Perhaps the most recent in the paradigms being pitched over the internet in terms of DOOM is the concept of Near Term Human Extinction (NTHE). In this article, I’m going to look at some of the rationalizations for why this could occur, and what might be done about it if it is in the offing.
What does NTHE mean? Well, in timeline terms, the folks who believe this is imminent talk in terms of a Century or less, and one of the main proponents of the idea, Guy McPherson of Nature Bats Last who we periodically Cross Post here on the Diner predicts such an Extinction Level Event (ELE) for Homo Sapiens could arrive by Mid-Century. Since it is already 2013, that leaves only about 37 years to wipe out Homo Sapiens. Guy, Monsta & myself had opportunity to hash over some of the possibilities on Friday, across 9 hours of Time Zones which was quite an edifying chat overall. You can listen to the Podcast here and see how it affects your own conclusions about the likelihood of [...] Continue Reading…
“Coming To A Theatre Near You…”
From the Keyboard of Surly1
Originally published on the Doomstead Diner on June 19, 2013
Discuss this article here in the Diner Forum.
In researching TWTWID, it is doom, doom, doom all the time. So for a break, let’s talk about movies about Doom.
It would be difficult to overstate just how oblivious I am to some aspects the world in which I live. While acutely aware of political developments on the local state and national scene, and while passionately devoted to a handful of vital causes,I am in fact one of the more popular-culture-ignorant people you could ever meet. There is an entire skein of knowledge about individuals and phenomena of which I am blissfully unaware. (Of course, any free time I have is devoted to reading the Diner Forum, a few other blogs, and eternal maintenance on my mouldering urban slum.)
With that admission in mind, consider this: on Fathers’ Day, my daughter took Contrary and I to the movies, which was a first, since I have been taking her since Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. The movie we saw was just fine, but what really struck me were the coming attractions.
I found, in the trailers we saw in the cool darkness, a remarkable [...] Continue Reading…
Who Are the REAL Traitors?
Off the keyboard of Jim Quinn
Published on The Burning Platform on June 18, 2013
Discuss this article at the Heroes of the Revolution Table inside the Diner
“I’m neither traitor nor hero. I’m an American.” – Edward Snowden
“If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen.” - Samuel Adams
There are weeks that change the course of human history. There are weeks when people must choose sides. There are weeks that expose the real American traitors. There is no middle ground in this debate. You are either on the side of freedom, liberty, truth, transparency and the U.S. Constitution or you are on the side of mindless obedience, oppression, deception, corruption and tyranny. A courageous young Millennial named Edward Snowden has risked his life and his future to expose the illegal, surreptitious surveillance programs being conducted by the United States government in clear violation of the 4th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The NSA, with [...] Continue Reading…
Paths of Folly
Off the keyboard of James Howard Kuntsler
Published on Clusterfuck Nation on June 17. 2013
Discuss this article at the Epicurean Delights Smorgasbord inside the Diner
Societies periodically go insane. Fallacious memes sweep through a frightened and confused populace and bad things happen, bad choices get made. Two bad ideas in particular infect the American thought-o-sphere these days: 1) that non-cheap oil can keep all the rackets of consumerism going; 2) that we can offset all the quandaries of non-cheap oil with accounting fraud and debt creation.
These ideas present themselves in the places of greatest authority and influence. The president says “we have a hundred years of shale gas.” The Wall Street Journal says that an inflating Dow Jones index stands for a growing economy. My recent favorite came out of the increasingly demented New York Times on Saturday: Even Pessimists Feel Optimistic About the American Economy. Quoting an econ professor named Tyler Cowen from George Mason University The Times said:
The recent surge in domestic oil and gas production signals “the start of a new era of cheap energy,” he said, while less expensive online education programs could open the door to millions of people who have been priced out of [...] Continue Reading…
Podcast: On the Guillotine
Off the Microphones of RE & Monsta
Aired on the Doomstead Diner on June 17, 2013
Discuss at the Podcast Table inside the Diner
I’ve long been known for writing some pretty Over-the-Top Blogs advocating for Capital Punishment for the Crimes Against Humanity perpetrated by the Elite Class of society. “Bring on the Guillotine” as it were.
In this Podcast with Monsta, I try to explain my POV on this topic without going TOO FAR OTT. LOL.
Anyhow, for long term readers of my stuff, I hope this Podcast gives you a little better perspective on my views, without the usual Graphics and Videos I use to make such things a bit more visceral. Trust me, even just in this short intro post, it’s tough for me to not drop on a Guillotine Video. LOL.
For newbies, I can only hope you don’t go running off after listening to my POV on this. It is NOT the most popular one on the Diner by any means, in fact I am pretty much in a Minority of One. My fellow Admin Surly takes the complete Opposite View, and has confronted me many times on this subject. The second part of his Podcast with Monsta is forthcoming [...] Continue Reading…
That Was The Week That Was in Doom June 16, 2013
From the Keyboard of Surly1
Originally published on the Doomstead Diner on June 16, 2013
Discuss this article here in the Diner Forum.
This Father’s Day edition caps a week that moved the story of Edward Snowden, and a host of stories examining his bona fides, and speculation about the provenance of the story worthy of a convention hall full of conspiracy theorists. A week in which we saw the collective IQ of Virginia dip a dozen points as Republicans nominated for Lieutenant Governor a man live and direct from the ninth century, a process enabled by the apathy of Virginians . . . and, on the subject of apathy, Sibel Edmonds placed the blame for the NSA whistleblower flap squarely where it belongs. and others speculate on whether the CIA is punching a hole in the NSA… And while we sleep, the Trans-Pacific partnership continues to be negotiated behind closed doors, safely out of sight of mere Muppets, interested citizens, and other annoyances such as elected representatives.
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E.W. Jackson runs for Lt. Governor in Virginia.
Meet E.W. Jackson, the gift that just keeps on giving in Virginia politics:
E.W. Jackson burst on the national stage a couple of weeks ago when the republicans chose him to [...] Continue Reading…
Podcast: Childbirth
Off the Microphones of Gypsy Mama, WHD & Monsta
Aired on the Doomstead Diner on June 15, 2013
Discussion at the Podcast Table of the Diner
In this podcast, we discuss the differences in hospital birth vs. natural birth.
As a Mother of two boys, (one born in the hospital using an OBGYN and the other born at a birthing center using a midwife), I spoke with William Hunter Duncan and The Monsta of Doom about both experiences.
This podcast has many layers of depth. In the discussion we speak about how the hospital has more or less created a ritualistic program for all mothers who enter the labor and delivery suites.
By viewing the expectant mothers as clients, hospitals are taking more and more liberties in scaring women into scheduling or inducing unnecessary Ceasarian Sections for profit’s sake…and not for the well being of their should-be patients (not clients).
We continue to analyze the differences between the societal norm of the hospital vs. the natural process of having a child without a doctor’s suctioning device or surgeon’s scalpel of intervention. I share my opinion of the two processes as someone who has experienced both the shadows and the open window of the paradigm.
A HOMOPHOBE WINDS UP HAVING A GAY TIME IN NYC
Off the keyboard of Stucky
Published on The Burning Platform on June 15, 2013
Discuss this article at the Epicurean Delights Smorgasbord inside the Diner
FLIRTING WITH THE ENEMY
It was Andrew and Richard who got married. So, there we are at the dinner reception, and Richard is thanking us for coming to such a momentous event, and then he says to Ms Freud; “You’re lucky to have found such a handsome man.” I say to Richard, “Well, if you weren’t married I’d ask you to go see the Superman movie with me.” Ms. Freud says, “Take him off my hands, please!”. Andrew says, “We’re married just three hours and you’re already turning into a whore!”. The whole table is cracking up. Wow. Me … flirting with a gay guy ……. and enjoying it. That’s the kind of evening it was. But, let me start at the beginning.
GOD TOLD ME SO
Yeah, I was a homophobe going way back to high school, where me and the guys made life hell in gym class towards those we suspected of being gay. Then, while in Basic Training the guys had a blanket-party for someone who we knew was gay. I did not take part in the [...] Continue Reading…
Obama Ups the Stakes in Syria
Off the keyboard of Steve Lendman
Published on the Steve Lendman Blog on June 15, 2013
Discuss this article at the Epicurean Delights Smorgasbord inside the Diner
Obama lied. He’s a serial liar. He claims Syria used chemical weapons. His so-called red line was crossed. No verifiable evidence provides proof. Clear facts prove he lied.
Syria’s Foreign Ministry called Obama’s accusations “a caravan of lies” and “fabrications.”
On May 5, Reuters headlined “UN has testimony that Syrian rebels used sarin gas: investigator.”
Geneva-based “UN human rights investigators have gathered testimony from casualties of Syria’s civil war and medical staff indicating that rebel forces have used the nerve agent sarin, one of the lead investigators said on Sunday.”
“The United Nations independent commission of inquiry on Syria has not yet seen evidence of government forces having used chemical weapon.”
Under heavy pressure, UN investigators back-tracked. They about-faced. They recanted. They lied. They claimed no “conclusive findings as to the use of chemical weapons in Syria by any parties to the conflict.”
Investigators failed “to determine the precise chemical agents used, their delivery systems or the perpetrator.”
Clear facts don’t matter. Obama manufactured his own. He twisted reality to fit policy. He replicated a familiar scenario. Doing so reflects another Colin [...] Continue Reading…
The Greatest Risk
Off the keyboard of Steve from Virginia
Published on Economic Undertow on June 13, 2013
Discuss this article at the Epicurean Delights Smorgasbord inside the Diner
Figure 1: if a picture is worth a thousand words, a chart should be worth more … in this case a lot more than securities listed on various Asian stock exchanges right now.
Conventional analysis suggests not-quite soothing words from the Federal Reserve Chairman and The World Bank as the cause for Wednesday’s market rout in Asia. The focus should be on Japan’s trade deficit; that country has become a failed exporter/mercantile state.
This failure gives pause to the other nations who are also exporters or whose ambition is to become one. Due to persistent high energy prices and the associated burden upon credit, the exporters’ customers are broke and unable to finance their own consumption, they are in turn unable to subsidize the consumption of others.
It is indicative when the only exporters who can afford ‘junk’ right now are the energy producers … because of high prices these producers can afford too much junk! The result is more wasted energy resources and less fuel to export.
What is emerging are the effects of Peak Oil. Supply constraints relative [...] Continue Reading…
YOPP!
Off the keyboard of Gypsy Mama
Published on The Butterchurn on June 13, 2013
Discuss this article at the Epicurean Delights Smorgasbord inside the Diner
I once owned “Horton Hears a Who” as a child (VHS, baby!) It was a short at the beginning of the full length movie, “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.” As an adult, I can still remember most of the words and song lyrics. I can also now deduct more meaning from the message of the film. Hope you enjoy my interpretation as of late. Amazing how everything around you can begin to change when you look at it through new eyes.
In this tale, the voice of ONE made a difference in minds of many. A single uttering of “YOPP!” opened the minds of the outside culture. A culture so thick in believing that the world they lived in did not need to change. A culture who were blindly comfortable with the way things are. They believed that this way was the ONLY way…that anyone who tried to change the status quo beliefs of their system should be shunned, deemed insane and be forced to abide and submit…or else face persecution and mental torture. Sound familiar?
I am currently [...] Continue Reading…
Ass(oc) of the Month
Off the keyboard of William Hunter Duncan
Originally published @ Off the Grid in Minneapolis, June 12 2013
Discuss this article in Epicurean Delights, in the Forum
Can you tell what is wrong with this picture?
This is a bag of Cedar “Path and Play” wood chips, otherwise known as mulch, which we sell @ uber retail outlet. It is one of many kinds of mulch, either cedar, pine or cypress, shredded or chipped, sometimes artificially colored red, brown or black.
I called the “manufacturer,” to ask if they could define what they mean by “Virgin Forest,” because to me, “virgin forest” has a very specific meaning: Forest that has never been cut, of which there is probably less than 1% remaining in North America. The woman I spoke with, who I had been transferred to, did not even know they sold a mulch called Path and Play. Then she told me it was pine or cypress. When I told her it was cedar, she acted confused. I asked her again if she could define “virgin forest,” and she repeated that it was “forest product found on the forest floor.” I thanked her for the “information,” and let it go.
Who really knows where they [...] Continue Reading…
Edward Snowden-American Patriot
Off the keyboard of Jim Quinn
Published on The Burning Platform on June 9, 2013
Discuss this article at the Heroes of the Revolution Table inside the Diner
The smear campaign will begin immediately. The US government is predictable. They will use their corporate MSM mouthpieces to denigrate and trash this martyr for American freedom and liberty. There will be an avalanche of negative articles and news reports by the usual faux journalists. They will attempt to convince the willfully ignorant masses that his revelations have endangered them and made them less safe. There is nothing further from the truth. This brave noble man has put his life in danger to reveal the Orwellian methods being used by the Federal government to control and monitor you. Edward Snowden is a true American Patriot. His plight should be the rallying cry for a revolution against the corrupt, dangerous, power hungry elitists that control this country. Think for yourself. Don’t let the controlled media tell you what to believe. This man has done a national service in revealing this secret spying effort that affects every person in this country.
Edward Snowden: the whistleblower behind the NSA surveillance revelations
The 29-year-old source behind the biggest intelligence leak [...] Continue Reading…
Petroleum Corn Sugared Zombies
Off the keyboard of Lucid Dreams
Published on Epiphany Now on June 10, 2013
Discuss this article at the Epicurean Delights Smorgasbord inside the Diner
Once again due to discussion over at the Doomstead Diner I’ve been asked to define what I consider a zombie to be. The issue is that the goal of the Diner is to “save as many as you can,” and from what are we saving all of these people in need of saving? Well, if you don’t know the answer to that question than I’m sorry to inform you that you are most likely a zombie. Now, don’t go gettin’ all pissed off at me cause you fit the description of a zombie. It’s alright to be a zombie. At least you won’t have to worry about not being able to find like minded folk to hang around with (which is a problem for us non-zombies). I’ll now begin breaking down the requirements for membership in zombiehood. First I’ll start with what Wikipedia has to say about zombies:
The idea of zombies is present in some South African cultures. In some communities it is believed that a dead person can be turned into a zombie by a small [...] Continue Reading…
Podcast: Politics & Mass Media
Off the Microphones of Surly & Monsta
Discuss this at the Podcast Table inside the Diner
In this interview with Monsta, Surly discusses his involvement with OWS, the reportage of the MSM, Union and Labor Movements and the future for the next generation inheriting the flotsam of the Age of Oil.
RE
Fire, Feminism & Collapse: Part II
Off the keyboard of Gypsy Mama
Published on The Butterchurn on June 10, 2013
VS
Zawacki vs. Orlov in the Thrilla in Doomervilla
Discuss this article at the Epicurean Delights Smorgasbord inside the Diner
Time to continue the bottle slingin’
Upon first glance at Gail’s blog Wit’s End, I connect with the sense of artistry that we seem to share. She posts many images to her blog, all designed to help her share her thoughts both visually and textually. I’ve always been one to visualize my thoughts and am most clearly a visual learner. She also posts many images of (and in) nature…which I also connect to. I feel the most spiritual when I am surrounded by nature.
I suppose it makes sense that I can connect to a female author’s blog much faster than a male blogger’s corner of the net. However, upon inspection, there are a few less welcoming aspects to Club Orlov. Orlov’s blog typically has one or two images per post. (The Age of Limits post being an exception) His written word is shrunk by the banner of self promotion that careens down the right side of the screen. (Can’t blame the guy for trying to make some cash off of [...] Continue Reading…
The Anti-Empire Report
From the keyboard of William Blum
Published in The Anti-Empire Report, June 4th, 2013
Discuss this article at the Epicurean Delights Smorgasbord inside the Diner
The Anti-Empire Report #117
What our presidents tell our young people
In this season of college graduations, let us pause to remember the stirring words of America’s beloved scholar, George W. Bush, speaking in Florida in 2007 at the commencement exercises of Miami Dade College: “In Havana and other Cuban cities, there are people just like you who are attending school, and dreaming of a better life. Unfortunately those dreams are stifled by a cruel dictatorship that denies all freedom in the name of a dark and discredited ideology.” 1
How I wish I had been in the audience. I would have stood up and shouted: “In Cuba all education is completely free. But most of the young people sitting here today will be chained to a large, crippling debt for much of the rest of their life!”
As the security guards came for me I’d yell: “And no one in Cuba is forced to join the military to qualify for college financial aid, like Bradley Manning was forced!”
As they grabbed me I’d manage to add: “And Congress has even passed [...] Continue Reading…
The Starvin’ Diner Cookbook
Off the keyboard of RE
Published on the Doomstead Diner on June 2013
Discuss this article in the Diner Pantry inside the Diner
While the Diner appears to have some of the most EXPERT Growers of Food and Green Thumbs around anywhere in the Collapse Blogosphere, taking said food and making it Tasty for Consumption is it’s own art form, and this is not a skill everyone has cultivated over the last couple of decades. Going way back to when I was a kid before Microwave Ovens even, you had your Swanson TV Dinners and Jiffy Pop Popcorn, not to mention of course the horrendous soggy Canned Vegetables many a Mom (including my own) popped out of the Can. It was in fact a Revelation to me just how good FROZEN asparagus was compared to the Canned Version, since my mom never bought or cooked a Fresh Vegetable in her LIFE far as I remember anyhow. LOL. Loved my Mom to the end a little while back, but man she was one really BAD cook. LOL.
Mom got distracted easily, and so even EZ to cook stuff like throwing a Steak under the Broiler got overcooked and ruined on a regular basis. Forget [...] Continue Reading…
Buy the Rumour…
Off the keyboard of Steve from Virginia
Published on Economic Undertow on June 3, 2013
Discuss this article at the Epicurean Delights Smorgasbord inside the Diner
Old Wall Street proverb says, “Buy the rumor, sell the fact”. Once upon a time, Wall Street was a real market, the idea back then was for traders to get a jump on the crowd. Smart money anticipates moves, the rest of the market reacts after moves occur. Smart money wins, the dumb money winds up with less, they are the lewzers …
It looks like the smart crude oil money is heading for the exits:
Energy Commodity Futures
Commodity
Units
Price
Change
% Change
Contract
Crude Oil (WTI)
USD/bbl.
91.97
-1.64
-1.75%
Jul 13
Crude Oil (Brent)
USD/bbl.
100.39
-1.80
-1.76%
Jul 13
RBOB Gasoline
USd/gal.
277.89
-3.36
-1.19%
Jul 13
NYMEX Natural Gas
USD/MMBtu
3.98
-0.04
-0.97%
Jul 13
Keep in mind, futures’ prices are benchmarks that do not reflect prices in cash- or over the counter markets.
World crude prices @ $100 per barrel or below are dangerous because so much of the revolutionary new forms of ‘crude oil’ are costly to bring to market.
Figure 1: Marginal cost of a barrel of crude oil from David Murphy (The Oil Drum) in late 2010. Marginal production costs relentlessly increase, they are much higher now. US conventional crude returns a profit to the producers at current WTI price but [...] Continue Reading…
Fire, Feminism & Collapse: Part I
Off the keyboard of Gypsy Mama
Published on The Butterchurn on June 8, 2013
VS
Orlov vs. Zawacki in the Thrilla in Doomervilla
Discuss this article at the Epicurean Delights Smorgasbord inside the Diner
The next set of blogs are my initial response to the little virtual bar fight I see going on between Stout drinking Dmitry Orlov at his blog, Club Orlov and his article, “Communities that Abide (Preamble)” vs. Pale Ale sipping Gail Zawacki’s post, “Our Revels Are Now Ended” over at her blog, Wit’s End.
Disclaimer: Before hearing about this battle between forces, I had never read either blog. I came across a description of each side’s argument inside a thread over at the Doomstead Diner Forum. I am going to attempt to read each blog, give my thoughts on the articles written by both authors, and share those thoughts with you. This might bring up some tension…but it is about time I took on a blogosphere challenge when it comes to comparison of ideas.
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Let the bottle breaking begin:
In this post, I will respond solely to Orlov’s blog. In a following post, I’ll respond to what I read in Gail’s.
The type of woman who can get so riled up about [...] Continue Reading…