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DrumBeat: April 22, 2007
Posted by Leanan on April 22, 2007 - 9:21am
Topic: Alternative energy
Big Wheel: Lee Iacocca ran Ford and saved Chrysler. Now 82, he's trying to save America.
What's the most important new technology auto buyers don't know about yet?Plug-in hybrids. They're being touted as the wave of the future, and I think they are. I can imagine a scene in the not too distant future when a wife will turn to her husband at bedtime and say, 'Honey, did you remember to turn off the lights, bring in the cat, and plug in the car?'
How do you think the auto industry can and should face concerns about the environment and rising gas prices?
I have to confess that like many business people – especially in the car industry – I came late to enlightenment on global warming and the energy crisis. But now I'm making up for lost time. Automakers have to get aggressive about building hybrids. Why is General Motors building Hummers? That doesn't make sense. I'll go a step further: I think we should raise the gas tax and spend the money on developing alternatives to oil. Let's face it, finding more oil does not constitute an energy policy.
Pittsburgh should follow Portland's example and get ready for the end of the fossil-fuel era
Carter had a powerful energy idea
Thirty years ago this month, a solemn Jimmy Carter sat behind the historic Resolute desk in the Oval Office to announce to a prime-time national television audience his new comprehensive energy plan. In the most memorable line of the evening, the president declared the challenge of energy "the moral equivalent of war."
The Philippines: Agriculture and climate change
Rice fields emit methane. Large-scale rice farming will increase the volume of methane in the atmosphere. Departments of Agriculture in rice producing countries will have to address and solve this problem singly and collectively.
Filipino Poor to Suffer Most from Brownouts, Climate Change
"It's the 'little people' in the Philippines who suffer most from heat spells and extreme weather conditions caused by climate change: those who do not have access to electricity, let alone the luxury of air conditioning and other amenities or travel to cooler climates."
Certifying Coffee Aids Farmers and Forests in Chiapas
Miguel Moshán Méndez’s troubles have piled up over the past two years.Like other coffee growers here in the impoverished state of Chiapas, he suffered devastating losses when Hurricane Stan passed through 18 months ago, tearing coffee trees from hillsides. He lost half his trees, then borrowed money to get by. Now, he must find extra work as a laborer to pay his debt, which will make it harder to maintain his tiny farm.
“I have always fallen to the moneylender, God yes,” he said, sitting in the office of his coffee-growing cooperative.
One source of hope: the increasing number of programs that help growers get higher prices for their beans if they show that they are protecting the environment, investing in community projects and treating workers well.
A Good Provider Is One Who Leaves
God answered in a mysterious way. Not long after, Emmet’s boss offered him a pool-cleaning job in Saudi Arabia. Emmet would make 10 times as much as he made in Manila. He would also live 4,500 miles from his family in an Islamic autocracy where stories of abused laborers were rife. He accepted on the spot.
Bush Administration Gains Support for New Approach on Food Aid
A Government Accountability Office report released on the eve of this conference described in stark detail a system rife with inefficiencies: the amount of food shipped over the past five years has fallen by half as shipping and other logistical costs have soared. Only a little more than a third of federal food aid spending actually buys food. The United States feeds about 70 million people a year now instead of the more than 100 million it fed five years ago.And experts worry that the food aid budget will feed even fewer of the world’s 850 million hungry people as soaring demand for corn to make ethanol drives up the cost of that staple, a mainstay of food aid programs.
Oil, gas boom could hurt mineral values
The Gregg County Appraisal District will release its 2007 property values May 4. Mineral values are expected to drop after three years of increases amid the area's recent oil and gas boom.About two decades ago, even a hint of declining energy revenues would leave entities to scrape their reserves and slash expenditures. In the years that followed, however, East Texas has seen a diversification of its economy, and while oil and gas remain a symbol of the region, they are no longer the cash cows on which taxing entities rely, officials say.
India Debates Its Right to Nuclear Testing
The other important sticking point is the right to reprocess spent fuel, an enterprise that the Americans fear would allow India to generate plutonium for its weapons programs. India says it needs the reprocessed fuel for civilian use alone.
Germans having second look at use of nuclear energy
Germans are not ready yet to mothball their country's 17 nuclear power plants despite government plans to gradually abandon atomic energy by the year 2021.
8 ways to save the planet if you live in Texas
Green living isn't a trend; it's a lifestyle choice that more people are feeling compelled to make. And as Texans, there are certain things we can do to help protect our little — OK, large — piece of the planet.
Bag the plastic, NY assemblyman says
State lawmaker [William Colton] said his bill could help ease the national energy crisis.San Francisco officials estimated that the ban will save some 450,000 gallons of oil a year, Colton noted. “In San Francisco, there are 740,000 people. In New York State, there are 15 million people. Imagine how many millions of gallons will be saved if New York implements the ban,” the state lawmaker said.
Companies jumping on Earth Day wagon: Experts warn some businesses are not very environmental
How one man showed them the light
How many people does it take to change the light bulb? One: Shuji Nakamura, inventor of so-called solid-state white lights made from light-emitting diodes, commonly known as LEDs.
Schwarzenegger lets MTV 'pimp' his ride
The governor's appearance on a special Earth Day episode of the popular show "Pimp My Ride" set for Sunday is the latest environmentally themed event for Schwarzenegger, who drew international attention for signing a global warming law last year.
So you want to save the planet? What should you consider first?
April 22nd is Earth Day and you might be wondering what should we do? After all, the problem of global warming is huge and we have an administration that is worse than an ostrich in facing the problem. Yet, there are so many things we can do, that the question becomes where do we start?
More than 3.6 billion barrels of crude oil discovered in S. Iran
More than 3.6 billion barrels of crude oil has been discovered in southern Iran over the past 3-4 months, Iranian Assistant Oil Minister and Managing Director of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) Gholam Hossein Nowzdi said here Saturday.
Canada's oilsands invoke images of giant mines, giant trucks and giant companies. Yet the unconventional oil deposits in Alberta are also the playground of numerous Canadian startups that are poised to become the next generation of oilsands developers. While often unappreciated because of the perceived size of the task, this group of players -- all Canadian-owned and controlled -- are also the innovators in the business and most likely to find ways to navigate its many challenges, from high costs to high greenhouse gas emissions.
Japan, US eye emission-free coal plant
Japan and the United States will lead a five-nation project to develop a coal-fired power plant which discharges no carbon dioxide into the air, a press report said Sunday....The new plant will cut carbon dioxide emissions by some 20 percent from the level of conventional models by gasifying coal with oxygen before burning it.
Then the carbon dioxide generated at the plant will be liquefied and locked in an underground storage facility, the report said.
China is on the cusp of a dramatic new energy paradigm that could push it ahead of other nations when it comes to environmentally friendly renewable energy.
Could America lead the world on global warming?
Leaders from three steadfastly right-wing arenas - church, military and industry - are now calling for limits on US emissions.
Rosneft to spend 10 billion dollars on eastern oil and gas projects
The implementation of oil and gas projects in Siberia and in the Far East is a priority task for Rosneft. “This is borne out by the proposed growth rates of the regional oil and gas sector,” he noted. “Russia will benefit above all by the eastern assets,” Kuznetsov believes. However, he added, the needed capital investments to tap the East Siberia deposits will be 1.5-4.5 times bigger than in West Siberia.
Looking for something to do?
The Nature Conservancy's Earth Day page lets you find a nature preserve in your area to visit, send an Earth Day e-card to a friend, and of course, donate to the cause.
Yesterday, members of my local community "celebrated" Earth Day early by watching the film "Crude Impact". My wife and I passed out flyers telling people what they could do to cut down global warming. We also sold CFLs at a substantial discount to those attending and other people passing by.
An indequate response? Probably, but we have now begun the genesis of the first local community group in our immediate area to focus on relocalization and alternative energy. Our first step will be to go to the local utility, which is the exempt from the Colorad mandate for a 20% renewable portfolio, to get them to permit PV and wind connection to the grid and buyback.
For me, personally, and mostly because of The Oil Drum, I learned very little new from the film, but this is an excellent film laying out all the horrific impacts of oil/energy production and use on people, the land, water, animals, and the planet in general. It also talked about the unsustainability of our population. There were people in the audience who were in tears because of the dramatic impact of the movie. After the movie, there was suddenly a flood of people who wanting to buy CFLs. Coincidence? I think not. People just add to do something right then, if only a little token effort.
Stealing one of my favorite phrases here from Alan:
Best Hopes for more community action on energy and global warming.
Tom Street
Tstreet,
Excellent to hear people are seeing "Crude Impact" I purchased the DVD several months ago and showed it to friends and family. As a long time reader to TOD I personally knew much of the films content, however I found it a great tool to bring that knowledge to friends and family who do not follow the subject.
There was also an excellent show on Discovery channel last night around 9:00 p.m. EST called: Green The New Red, White, and Blue. The show had about a 90 minute discussion about the different alternative energies available to us personally and on a national level.
"There is no silver bullet...to solve our energy crisis we will need, Solar, Wind, Nuclear, and Algae to Biodiesel."
I noticed that the few sites selling the 'A Crude Awakening' DVD recently stopped selling it. I have a friend who is renting it from Netflix for me. The first 3 minutes of the film can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HRZPpbpSjg.
Does anyone know the owners of the film? It really should be posted on www.YouTube.com, www.LiveLeak.com, or another free internet video portal. The celebs participating in Global Green USA and the Environmental Media Association will surely sponsor this effort once they see the film.
It is a swiss movie from Basil Gelpke and Ray McCormack
A Crude Awakening / The Oil Crash.
I don't know if the dvd is already on the market, although I could see a very good version on the p2p network. I recommend it.
I could only access the film trailer. Is there really a copy of the film on this site?
Netflix has it, or so I'm told.
I've got it at the LATOC store. I have to import them from Canada as there is no U.S. distribution at this point.
Thanks. I will order it.
It's now available for rental, at least in Canada, at "Blockbuster" video stores.
No new mat'l for regulars here, but a good into. flick for newcomers to the subject...
I believe it's still being shown on the Sundance channel this weekend...was mentioned the other day here. I watched it the other night and was quite impressed.
Posting it on those sites would consitute a MAJOR copyright violation.
Remember, these guys went all over the world and spent a tone of cash to make the film. You think it got made for free? Geez louise dude, get a clue.
You can count yourself as an unappreciatie ass with no understanding of how energy, money, or pretty much of anything in the real world works by encouraging such behavior.
My guess is you're the type to expect a plant to grow even when you rob it of sunlight and water.
There's a contradiction here, Chimp.
On the one hand, we have a tradition of copyright and intellectual property rights. We feel that people should be rewarded for producing articles, books, movies, works of art.
On the other hand, it is vitally important that the word get out about global warming and peak oil. Also, that detailed information be available about solutions and technologies to alleviate the problems.
With the Web we have a situation that has never existed before. Marginal distribution cost is basically zero. It costs no more to distribute 1,000,000 copies over the Web than it does to distribute 10 copies. It's foolish not to take advantage of the Web.
Some ideas:
Many of these strategies are being employed right now. I personally would like to see the works of H.T. Odum and some of the permaculturalists put online.
Bart
Energy Bulletin
Bart,
Don't pull my chain. There is no contradiction here.
In this case, that is all a bunch of bullshit. If you want a film like this to be produced using the methods you detailed above, it will never and I do mean NEVER get produced.
If somebody can afford access to the web they can afford to freakin buy a copy of the DVD. ONce there's a distributor here in the US the cost will be in the $25 range.
You can't expect a plant to grow without a flow of sunlight and water. You can't expect a film to get produced without a flow of capital.
Please, sweet Jesus please, I hope this is the last time I hear somebody advise "go begging from some rich person or the government" which is essentially what your advice is when you say they should get a wealthy patron or the public to finance it ala the public broadcasting system.
Come on dude. You've been around the block a few times. You should know that if somebody is going to wait around for a rich person or the gov to fund something like this it ain't gonna get funded. So the producers slap a pricetag on it and sell it.
I will never understand why people have such a problem with this. I'm sure you did not work for free during your working years did you?
Chimp: I'm sure you did not work for free during your working years did you?
Actually I did work for free on many occasions. It's a great way to enter a new field, to make connections, to do something interesting and worthwhile.
At other times I concentrated on making money and acquiring financial independence. There is a time and a place for everything.
If you want to operate in the for-profit sphere, Chimp, that is absolutely fine. You are young? You may see things differently as the years go by.
Much worthwhile work is done by non-profits, volunteers, government grants, etc. I could go on and on about the various groups I've seen at work or been involved with.
Some of the most exciting opportunities will be to develop new forms and institutions, so that people who are doing good work can earn a living.
Bart
Energy Bulletin
The operative word here is "occassions." As in it was not the norm.
Not sure why you're objecting to the filmmakers getting A) reimbursed for the considerable capital they layed out and B) actually make some profit from it by simply having people pay for the freakin DVD.
The proposals you made in your previous post for alternatative forms of financing are all well and good as generalities but they are not practical in this case. In this case, expecting the filmmakers to finance it that way means either A) it doesn't get produced or B) they go into debt and become paupers.
This was an absolutely breaktaking movie and I am sure it cost big bucks to produce. I can be rented, of course, and it costs nothing extra if you belong to something like Netflix. And let's just say these filmakers were in a position to make it "for free". Well, it can't be done, even if there were no salaries. And besides, even if this were a nonprofit, we would want to reimburse them to encourage more good efforts in the future.
To ask that this movie be free is criminal, in my opinion. It was an absolutely beautiful and compelling film.
This is a documentary and does not have a big name like Al Gore behind it. It will mostly be shown to groups of people who are into alternative energy and other issues such as the murderous behavior of the likes of Shell in Nigeria. As such, it will be a fringe film and will not make very much money, if any.
I wish this were not the case and the film would make millions so that the producers and filmakers could continue to put out similar films in the future.
But people want this to be free? Jeeesh.
Right, I'm not objecting to filmmakers getting money for their work -- not at all. More power to them!
In fact, I would say that one of the most important things we can do as individuals is to support these small entrepeneurs. I try to publicize documentaries, films, books, whatever people are doing.
I know how hard it is, though, to earn a living this way, having worked for small newspapers and written for a living. I'm pointing out some ways that might smooth the way for people.
Bart
EB
Bart,
Yes, but one of your ways - web based distribution for free - means they *won't* get paid for all practical intents and purposes.
The other ways, which amounted to A) getting a wealthy patron to sponsor or B) getting the government to pay for it are equally problematic.
I'm most familiar with the economics of writing, so let me mention some things.
Most writers don't make money. At one point, successful published writers on average earned less than the minimum wage. Some writers are able to make a living from speakers fees - the books may not bring in any money, but the lecture circuit can pay. Trying to get published through a publisher is a HUGE hassle - time-consuming, emotionally draining, etc. This is especially true for writing that is not considered commercial.
The overwhelming percentage of a book's price goes to production, distribution and the overhead of the publisher. Very little gets to the author. As I said before, most writers are not in it for the money -- there are much easier ways to earn money. Writers want recognition, to get their message across.
You can self-publish on the Web instantaneously, for almost no money at all. Therefore, many writers can get 90% of the benefits of writing for 10% of the hassle.
As writers get more of a reputation, they can get better deals and start earning money. Even successful writers, though, can put things on the web that will enhance their reputation but not cost them any money. For example, some writers post preliminary versions of articles or books, or ephemera that they can't market. One great opportunity is to post the text of out-of-print books.
Government support? Right now, many wonderful reports and presentations are government sponsored, either written by government employees or contracted out. When the Bush Administration leaves office, we can expect a greater openness to subject matter. In the 30s, the WPA sponsored some extraordinary works of art, reports, guidebooks, etc.
Patrons. This is happening right now, though it is not publicized. There are some very wealthy people who are concerned about energy issues and want to make a contribution. Yes, of course there are problems. But it is a great opportunity for people and groups who are able to deal with them.
Basically, I'm saying ... let's use creative thinking and not stay fixated on the old inefficent ways of doing things. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures.
Bart
EB
What I meant by
was to calculate the revenue the film will make by selling DVDs and whatever other sales channels they're using over the next X years. Then ask the green celebs who have gobs of cash lying around to pay that amount to the film makers so they release the extremely important documentary to the public today... not after tshtf.
We now live in a world where we can disseminate knowledge instantly. Although I have not yet seen it, A Crude Awakening sounds like the perfect tool to get the uneducated educated on PO.
I supposse it could happen although I doubt it as the film is so scary and depressing I'm not sure what green celeb would want to do that. But it's not completely out of the question I suppose. If and when that does happen then feel free to download it for free! But until then, either pay the money to get it through net flix or through a retailer as it becomes available in your neck of the woods.
All very true in regards to book publishing. Completely irrelevant to the production of the Peak Oil documentary we have been discussing.
Most writers don't have to fly from Europe to D.C. to interview Bartlett, then to CA to interview Goodstein, then to Baku, then to Texas, then to Saudi Arabia, etc as the producers of CRUDE did. You can publish on the web for next to nothing. You need money and ALOT of it to produce a film like "A Crude Awakening."
As far as the following bit, it seems you are processing the arc of current events through your ideals/hopes*, not through a realistic appraisal of where things are heading:
Within a few years of the Bush admin leaving office, we can expect the federal government to have completely collapsed due to the effects of Peak Oil and nultiple other emerging catastophres.
That's if we don't get a full blown Nazi in office that makes Bush look like mild by comparison, as Kunstler pointed out in EOS.
Some will say "but we may get a Roosevelt. . ." Sweet Jesus that might be even worse if you follow things out to their logical conclusions. Roosevelt launched a war against Japan over the oil deposits in the south china sea that he provoked before his successor (Truman) initiated a regional nuclear holocaust at a time when the world's nuclear arsenal was 1/1000th what it is now.
I will concede (and I do hope) that if the real problems do not manifest until 2012 or 2016 then if Barack becomes the prez in 2008 there could be a 4-to-8 year period where things improve a bit or at least slow down their current (rapidly accelerating) descent into darkness.
*"not that there's anything wrong with that"
You mean, the Japanese who'd been murdering civilians by the tens of thousands in Nanking for years before the US embargoes?
The Japan which attacked Pearl Harbor in an attempt to take over the embargoed oil, rather than just pull out of China?
I think someone's been reading too much Howard Zinn.
I think somebody's been drinking too much Kool-Aid.
We did not go into World War II to save the Chinese any more than we went into Iraq to save the Iraqis.
And fyi, I've read "The RApe of Nanking" from cover to cover so I am well acquainted (intellecutally) with the horror that took place there. If I recall correctly, one of the "good guys" in the situation was a Nazi general who wrote to Hitler asking for Germany to intervene as the situation was so horrific. For those who have not read the book, that should give you some idea how bad it was.
No, we went into WWII because we were attacked by the Japanese (it was the event which deflated the forces which wanted the US to ally with the Axis). We embargoed the Japanese because of things like Nanking.
I think somebody is one generation too far removed from the ones who actually lived through the Great Depression and then fought that war. You're getting it through revisionist interpreters, but they were my parents, aunts and uncles.
The amount of money required to do documentary film, and as I haven't seen this one yet to see what its "production value" is isn't small.
Insurance. Do you have any idea of what an insurance package costs for film production. Its specialty, google video/film insurance and see how many hits you get. Then see the price is dependent on many factors, but I can tell you, its not cheap for the lowest fee's.
Travel cost, and going country to country with film/video equipment. This is one big headache, and it can be expensive when you have to declare the equipment. You have to have special forms, and payments. Insurance for production gear. LOL, talk about high dollar. Around FIFTEEN/TWENTY PERCENT a year of the cost.
Clearance rights. No production house is going to distribute this work until its been gone over with a fine tooth comb for possible copyright/trademark infringement, all contracts are correct, and on and on. That cost is very high.
Production costs. Without seeing it I couldn't guess, but if they travel, and bought footage (aerial etc) its got a bunch of dollars involved.
Then lets talk POST PRODUCTION. Music rights, and the cost of editing. Cheapest online you might negotiate is a nice PC based final cut, or similar Windows system. 75 bucks an hour, and I doubt that, no decent editor will work for that rate with his gear. Avid production in a production house with a great rate,.. 350 an hour. One hour of finished editing depends on the amount of footage shot. 100 hours easy.
I wish it was so easy to get people to pay you, thats not easy. Everyone today because they can buy a video camera and they WATCH tv, think they know how to do TV. Far from it, and the people jumping into the business like that are hurting it greatly. From many directions, but that is another story, but its part of all production these days. I just finished working on a reality tv show where the field producers were in their twenties. The sound man who worked for them the day before I started told me what to expect. He was right. They didn't even understand basic production terms, and really how to shoot a show. Had the same experience on "daddy's little girl". The lowest dollar amount and "fix it in post" is the rule of the day for far to many productions. Why all that reality crap is on. I see offers for the jobs on those crews. The ability to get a "credit" in exchange for slave wages in many cases. I have plenty of credits, my rate or I don't roll.
TV/film production is very specialized and expensive.
Quid Clarius Astris
Ubi Bene ibi patria
Chimp: "we can expect the federal government to have completely collapsed due to the effects of Peak Oil and multiple other emerging catastophes."
That's a slightly bigger topic than the economics of book and film distribution! More than I can deal with in 200 words.
As for documentaries, there's been a technological revolution with digital cameras, digital editing, DVDs and the web. Compared to 20 years ago, the opportunities are staggering, leading to independent documentaries like those of Michael Moore and Who Killed the Electric Car? that bypass the traditional commercial process. At another scale, Global Public Media and Peak Moment can produce informative interviews and post them on the Web. And at yet another scale, there are the homespun efforts one sees on YouTube.
It's true that if you fly around the world to make a documentary and insist on expensive special effects, your costs will be higher and your financial options fewer. It all depends upon what you want to do.
All rather amazing to someone who started working on newspapers when the hot-lead Linotype machine prevailed.
Bart,
Everything you mention is still paid for. The market is not designed that way for the majority. Their are actual classes you can take to learn to request money from sources to do documentaries. Guess how many people ask each year. The classes are to "help" you. feedback loop, heterodyne alert.
Carpentry tools have been around for ages too, longer than Tv tools. How many people are able to be good carpenters.
That in a nutshell is what I now face each day when talking to clients. Access to tools is not the same as having the knowledge of how they work and all the tricks you can do with them.
Ever seen a big tv production truck or a those semi's with all that gear. I can walk you through each one of those and tell you what each thing does. Know what an onkybonk is, how bout a duckbill, can't say I need a beaver board anymore, or, bring me the dykes. Really. (normal "tools" on a set)
Quid Clarius Astris
Ubi Bene ibi patria
PrisonerX: "Access to tools is not the same as having the knowledge of how they work and all the tricks you can do with them."
You said it. The new tools offer possibilities, they don't guarantee results.
Here's the good news: knowlege is power. These days if you have the skills, it is much easier to get your ideas executed and distributed.
More good news: grassroots groups often have more talent than money. Granted that professionals like you are rare, but you know what? Many documentaries that need to be done do not require high production values.
It's the same with writing. Some of the articles I read on the Web make me squirm with frustration -- what a difference it would make if people knew how to write and edit. People who learn the skills could be much more effective.
But at least the information is getting published, and a few people typing away on discussion boards will eventually move on to quality writing.
Those people who have the skills are in a much better position than before.
I disagree with this statement.
"Many documentaries that need to be done do not require high production values."
Need is not specific. Yes images are powerful and just showing them can get a reaction. However take those images and use the knowledge of motivation, manipulation, from camera angles, position, and more, then an even more powerful video can be built.
Gestalt
I teach or used to at Rockport's TV film school, that just closed after a long run. David sold out for money and wishes to take his young wife and sailboat and do what David likes to do.
The still photography part though is still running I hear.
I;ve seen good work from amateurs I've helped many. Though remember the discussion is about copyright infringement and making money. Its the Copyright owners choice, not the publics.
Also, I bet you a dollar to a donut that many of the documentaries etc done by amateurs have beacoup problems that would keep them off the air. If they made money lawsuits coming out their rear end for images, trademarks, copyright infringement etc.
Quid Clarius Astris
Ubi Bene ibi patria
I have a huge library (kids call it my doomers DVD library)
most of which I saw for FREE on the internet first. If they had substance I got right online and ordered it, even though often they cost two or three times the average DVD.
I am certain that the dozens of people I have loaned out to would not have seen them any other way. Several people have told me they bought their own to show to people.
IMO this "word of mouth" is the best possible way for these kinds of productions to get out there.
BTW all must see "The Century of the Self" best docu. ever.
Bart, I cordially say, "don't get greedy!" IMHO the best imaginable pro bono PO education is available right now, on this site. I am constantly pleasantly amazed at the quality of contributions by WT, R Squared, Khebab, Leanan and others. These folks could all get richly compensated elsewhere for the time and effort they expend here, and I am very grateful for their generosity.
Oh, and JHK, Matt Savinar, and Dmitry Orlof have all been very generous with their public access writing as well.
It's not unheard of for films like this - meant to educate and encourage political action - to be distributed free. The John Kerry movie, Going Upriver, was put online for free download at the same time it came out DVD and in theaters.
Having read Alan Drake's post "Saudi Arabia has Peaked..." and all the comments, I was primed to effectively criticize Tom "The World Is Flat" Friedman's discussion "Green is the New Red, White and Blue." (This Discovery Channel presentation parallels Friedman's long piece by the same name in NY Time's Magazine.)
Neither "rail" nor "railroad" was mentioned once. The airlines weren't covered. I can see Kunstler's critique, "Tom seeks to perpetuate the 'happy motoring' suburban culture." To follow the progress down thru the years of his typical suburban family is laughable. No change is lifestyle, just tech solutions that let the non-negotiable American Way of Life continue.
Friedman is so invested in the paradigm of "the flat world" (perpetual growth of international trade in goods and services on the back of cheap energy) that he is unlikely to understand the idea of power-down until it's too late to make a contribution in the public arena.
If Tom runs for president, his motto will be "A Chicken in Every Pot, a Windmill in Every Yard."
__________
Rex Tillerson says, "The peak is so high up you can't see it from here..."
There has been a similar trend in my wife's and my family. Starting with my parents generation, my wife's parents had three children, my parents had three children. Four grew to six.
My son is the only one, we're done. None of my siblings or step siblings have had children, and has claimed to want any. Six (plus spouses) down to one.
We've gone through a fairly steep necking down on our side. Can't speak for our cousins, which have had 1 to 4 each.
BTW, I'm 3.3 earths. We don't have any public transportation here. Too rural.
Best,
Tony
Happy Earth Day TODers!
This may be old hat to most of you but I've had my mind stretched by this gem I found on a search to gain a better understanding of the relationship oil has with global heating. Surely deserving of a thread of its own, I post it here for your consideration. From our friends at ASPOItalia..