DrumBeat: January 26, 2008
Posted by Leanan on January 26, 2008 - 10:25am
Topic: Miscellaneous
Plan ahead to avoid fertilizer shortages
The sharp increase in price and accompanying fertilizer N shortage is not a sudden development, the agronomist explained. Unprecedented market forces have markedly changed the fertilizer industry over the past decade which has set the stage for the current supply/demand imbalance and resulting high prices, he said."Over the past decade, much of our fertilizer nitrogen manufacturing capacity has shut down in the U.S. as a result of sharp increases and fluctuations in natural gas costs, lower-cost foreign competition, domestic environmental regulations, and so forth. In most cases, the domestic fertilizer manufacturing plants that have ceased operations will likely never come back on line despite the current higher fertilizer nitrogen prices," Leikam said.
..."More than 50 percent U.S. fertilizer nitrogen supply is imported annually---and our dependence on foreign imports continues to increase.
“Also, global demand for this supply of fertilizer nitrogen continues to increase, especially in countries such as China and India with rapidly expanding economies," Leikam said.
In oil-rich Alaska, an energy crunch
Kenai, Alaska - On the shore of Cook Inlet, site of Alaska's oldest oil- and gas-producing basin, the Agrium Inc. fertilizer plant for four decades produced a steady supply of urea and ammonia for international agricultural and industrial clients. Agrium's exports supported a prosperous petrochemical business, employing hundreds and bolstering local tax rolls.But operations ceased in December. The reason? Lack of natural gas, the feedstock for Agrium's products. Despite its perch atop a petroleum basin, Agrium couldn't secure enough natural gas to stay in business.
Agrium's woes symbolize a larger energy dilemma: Raw resources are in the ground, but lack of infrastructure and poor economies of scale hinder access to them, putting Alaska in an energy crunch.
Carstens Says Oil Will Help Mexico Increase Government Spending
(Bloomberg) -- Mexican Finance Minister Agustin Carstens said higher oil prices will allow the government to increase spending as a slowdown in the U.S. threatens economic growth.
Mexico's Cantarell Dec oil output hits 2007 low
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Crude oil output from Mexico's huge but aging Cantarell offshore field fell to 1.260 million barrels per day in December, the energy ministry reported on Saturday.It was the field's lowest monthly output level last year and a 16 percent drop from December 2006's 1.493 million bpd.
The fall in output meant Cantarell, the jewel of Mexico's oil industry since the late 1970s but now in decline, accounted for just 43 percent of Mexico's oil production in December. For years it had accounted for 60 percent of output.
Canadian coal producers could benefit from China's power shortage
CALGARY - China's hunger for energy resources presents a great opportunity for Canadian coal producers, the executive director of the Coal Association of Canada says.But Canada isn't a big enough producer to put a dent in the emerging superpower's fuel shortage, Alan Wright said Friday.
"I think it's a good thing for our industry. But we're not going to be the player that actually turns the situation around if they've got a shortage," he said in an interview.
Canada: Small oil firms could dodge new green laws
OTTAWA -- The Harper government is proposing to exempt up to 10 million tonnes of greenhouse gas pollution from Canada's upstream oil and gas companies in its regulatory plan to fight global warming, Canwest News Service has learned.Although the government pledged to crack down on pollution from large industries to reduce annual emissions by 150 million tonnes by 2020, a new Environment Canada document is proposing to exclude facilities that produce less than 10,000 barrels of oil per day.
Judging by their ads, some companies now revel in taunting environmentalists.
U.N. Chief Warns Of Water Shortages
CBS/AP) U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the world on Thursday to put the looming crisis over water shortages at the top of the global agenda this year and take action to prevent conflicts over scarce supplies....He said a recent report identified 46 countries with 2.7 billion people where climate change and water-related crises create "a high risk of violent conflict" and a further 56 countries, with 1.2 billion people "are at high risk of violent conflict." The report was by International Alert, an independent peace-building organization based in London.
Humans have pushed planet into a new geological era, experts say
All of recorded human history has taken place within the Holocene. But now, a distinguished group of British geologists has provocatively proposed that the Holocene is over and that we have entered a new geological era -- the Anthropocene -- in which humans have left such a distinctive footprint on the Earth's surface through carbon pollution, nuclear fallout, urbanization and other traces of our immense technological power that it should be officially recognized by international scientific bodies as "a formal epoch.""Since the start of the Industrial Revolution, Earth has endured changes sufficient to leave a global stratigraphic signature distinct from that of the Holocene . . . encompassing novel biotic, sedimentary and geochemical change," the scientists state in February's cover story of GSA Today, a publication of the Geological Society of America.
Murray Smith remembers what happened on the morning of April 9, 2003, the way other Canadians remember Paul Henderson's miracle goal against the Russians. For Mr. Smith, then Alberta's energy minister, the big score was a letter from his federal counterpart south of the border. It was about the oil sands – a resource that had long been underestimated at home and almost ignored internationally. No more, U.S. energy secretary Spencer Abraham wrote. From now on, when the Americans talked oil, they would be counting the reserves sitting beneath the forests of northern Alberta.
Gas bill hike looms, but it remains the fuel of choice
Natural gas sent to homes and businesses is measured by the dekatherm, or the approximate value of one thousand cubic feet. ONG, which purchases gas from various sources, charged $8.21 per dekatherm, which is up from $7.98 a year ago.“We’re still well off the all-time peak price for us, which is $12.01 in January 2006,” Sherry said. “Energy continues to be expensive, but it’s not quite as expensive as it has been. We’re in the distribution business, and with the increased use of natural gas, it has altered historic consumption patterns. It used to be down in the summer and up in the winter.”
Weekly Offshore Rig Review: 2008 Jackup Outlook
Currently, 337 out of 366 worldwide competitive jackups are under contract. That amounts to a 92% utilization rate for this month, which is one of the highest jackup utilization rates seen in any given month over the last several years. In addition, 337 competitive jackups under contract is the most jackups that have been contracted during one month for at least 10 years.
Russia-China trade growing fast - diplomat
BEIJING (Interfax-China) - Russian-Chinese trade showed a pace of growth in 2007 that had no precedent in several years before but it has been impossible so far to reach an agreement to boost oil and natural gas trade, "the key area of our cooperation," the Russian ambassador to China said on Saturday.
Elites love to pig out on energy
"We use 30 per cent of all the energy ... That isn't bad; that is good. That means we are the richest, strongest people in the world and that we have the highest standard of living in the world. That is why we need so much energy, and may it always be that way."–U.S. president Richard Nixon, November 1973.
Things have changed since Nixon proudly proclaimed America the world's biggest energy guzzler. Or have they?
Since then, the world has woken up to the stark reality of climate change and the role played by human energy consumption.
But this has had surprisingly little impact. Today, George W. Bush – and Stephen Harper – pay lip service to energy conservation, while doing little to actually reduce U.S. and Canadian energy consumption, which remain among the highest per capita in the world.
Writing more checks will accomplish nothing
Telling Iowans to turn down the heat in January is like shutting down air conditioners in July, banning booze in the '20s and ordering all cars to get 50 miles per gallon. These ploys won't work. Mandating cars that will get 50 miles to the gallon might be practical in San Francisco, but not here where there's a lot of space between things....What's needed is what made us great in the first place: Better education to help us compete with low-wage countries, the discipline to reign in spending and the good sense to actually exploit our abundant resources rather than to lock them up forever.
Poverty and the Fossil Fuel Crisis: One Potential Solution
My career goals involve promoting community forestry, a process of identifying and harvesting resources on forest lands for sustaining livelihood for rural inhabitants. The goal is true stewardship of resource lands by and for community. In a third world context especially, the first rule of community forest implementation is provision of benefits for the residents, financial and social.
No Matter What Iran Remains A Major Oil Field
UPI - In a nervous world facing triple-digit prices per barrel of oil and peering nervously into the abyss of recession, energy projects recently written off as untenable have, like Dracula, risen from the grave.What is most extraordinary about the energy feeding frenzy is how ideology is taking an increasing back seat to pragmatic concerns about securing long-range energy supplies.
In a World Short Of Oil, Provisions Must Be Made
MIDDLEVILLE, Mich. -- It was around midnight one evening in November when Aaron Wissner shot up in bed, jolted awake by a fear: He wasn't fully ready for the day when the world starts running low on oil.Yes, he had tripled the size of the garden in front of the tidy white-clapboard house he shares with his wife and infant son. He had stacked bags of rice in his new pantry, stashed gold valued at $8,000 in his safe-deposit box and doubled the size of the propane tank in his yard.
"But I felt panicky, like I needed more insurance," he says. So the 38-year-old middle-school computer teacher put on his jacket and drove to an all-night gas station, where he filled three, five-gallon jugs with gasoline.
Shell Admits Cheap Oil Is Running Out
I'm getting a ton of E-mail, from the congressional peak oil caucus and others, about Shell Chief Executive Jeroen van der Veer's acknowledgement that the world is running out of oil—at least, cheap oil.
$1 Ethanol Isn't Innovation, It's a Commitment to Business as Usual
Americans do not reduce. We may reuse, and we may recycle, but our economic system is predicated on steady consumption. So it makes sense that while trying to invent our way out of the consequences of global warming, we would seize upon those ideas that encouraged us to, well, consume. In other words, business as usual.Today's quick fix is brought to us by Coskata. This Illinois-based energy startup, thanks to a hefty investment from GM, has already announced its triumph in the race for a new global energy source. The winning product? Bargain ethanol.
Oil to remain above $81 despite slowdown in US
LONDON: Oil will climb to a record average above $81 this year, a poll showed yesterday, as analysts believe strong Chinese and Middle East demand will offset any slowdown from top energy consumer the US. The monthly survey of 33 analysts put the consensus forecast for US crude futures this year at an average of $81.33 a barrel, up $3.71 from last month's poll.
U.S. worried about Russia's Balkan energy grab
SOFIA/BELGRADE, Jan 25 (Reuters) - The United States is deeply worried that Russia's energy deals with Bulgaria and Serbia will tighten its grip on Europe's energy supply and turn into a tool of political pressure, diplomatic sources say.
Lofty Himalaya Magnify Global Warming Impact
DAVOS, Switzerland - The Himalayas are suffering the effects of global warming more acutely because of their height and melting glaciers could flood local settlements, the World Conservation Union (IUCN) said on Thursday."The Himalaya, that's really moving very fast. They're being hit very hard," IUCN Director General Julia Marton-Lefevre told Reuters at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum.
Blaming carbon on planes ‘is flight of fancy’
Which is worse for the environment – cars or aircraft? If your answer was aircraft, then you are among a growing crowd of aerophobes egged on by anti-aviation campaigners.But in terms of CO2 emissions you would be wrong. Official figures show an increase in the number of people duped into believing that flights are more damaging than car journeys.
Coal Rises the Most in Three Weeks as South African Mines Shut
(Bloomberg) -- European coal prices rose the most in almost three weeks as Anglo American Plc and other mining companies shut production in South Africa because of power cuts.More than a quarter of Europe's energy coal is shipped from Richards Bay, South Africa. Anglo American, the second-biggest coal producer in the country, stopped five of its nine mines after state utility Eskom Holdings Ltd. said it couldn't guarantee electricity supply.
U.K. Power Rises on Coal Price Gain, Coal-Fed Plant Shutdowns
(Bloomberg) -- U.K. power for delivery on the next working day rose as the network operator said a third of Britain's coal-fired electricity-generation units are halted and the cost of coal for delivery next quarter jumped.
China's railway ministry prioritises coal shipping
BEIJING (Reuters) - China's railway administration has pledged to prioritise thermal coal shipments to power plants in regions hit by power shortages, as part of efforts to help ease a supply crunch ahead of upcoming Chinese holidays.
Over the past 50 years the desert kingdom has consistently played the role of global provider of crude of last resort, stepping in at key moments to provide extra crude whenever the world has needed it. When the Iranian revolution resulted in oil from Iran going offline, it was the Saudis who stepped in and made up the balance, a role they played again in the first Gulf War. As provider of the single largest chunk of oil to markets, Saudi Arabia has been to this point the world’s swing producer, a role only the Saudis can play and one they have responsibly taken on over the years. So why now, with oil at record levels, are they not playing that role? What’s going on?
BRUSSELS, Belgium — The European Union on Friday called on other major oil-consuming regions to cut back on the amount of energy they use as oil supplies face a tight squeeze that has sent prices soaring.
Police arrest diesel fuel thieves
JAKARTA: Jakarta Police arrested six men for allegedly stealing 5,000 liters of diesel worth more than Rp 25 million (approximately US$ 2,600) from a Pertamina ship in Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta, on Thursday night.Jakarta Sea Police Director Adj. Sr. Comr. Jainal Arifin Palewang said the six men attached a pipe to the ship's fuel tank to transfer the diesel into tanks in their own boat.
UK: New green taxes for 'gas-guzzling' cars
Motorists face having to pay new green taxes as ministers step up their war on "gas-guzzling" cars.The Government wants to get people out of high-emissions vehicles by making them more expensive, while also cutting the cost of driving for more environmentally-friendly options.
Tuvalu struggles to hold back tide
The islands' main road is submerged and nearby homes are threatened by the rising waters."We have never seen this in the past," a concerned resident tells me. "We have never seen water coming in this far."
'Global health at risk from climate change'
Climate change is putting global human health at risk and requires an "urgent response", according to a new paper.The health risks include those from heat waves, floods and wildfires, changes in infectious disease patterns, the effect of worsening food yields and loss of livelihoods, according to the paper published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ).
Oman eyes Gulf's first coal power plant - report
DUBAI (Reuters) - Oman is considering building the first coal-fired Gulf Arab power plant in the latest sign of concern about a gas supply shortage in the world's biggest oil exporting region, the Middle East Economic Digest reported.Gulf Arab states have about 30 percent of the world's oil reserves and 8 percent of its gas, but an economic boom spurred by record crude prices is driving demand for power and water so rapidly that many are considering turning to coal imports.
We'll Begin To Run Out of Oil Within 7 Years
Jeroen van der Veer, chief executive of Royal Dutch Shell, predicts conventional supplies will fail to keep pace with population growth and booming economies.The comments, from the boss of a multinational energy giant, will be seen as a wake-up call to the world.
If proved correct, the shortages would have have devastating consequences for almost everyone.
Russian energy deal adds to Europe fears
MOSCOW - Russia expanded its growing European energy empire Friday, signing two more deals in a drive that is raising fears Moscow could use its vast oil and gas resources to meddle in the affairs of its neighbors.Russia already supplies a quarter of Europe's natural gas and oil needs, and some Western leaders worry the growing dependence is giving the Kremlin a powerful geopolitical weapon.
How the Alberta oil sands have changed Canada
How did the quest to retrieve the treasure hidden beneath huge swaths of northern Alberta go from fool's errand to monumentous payoff?What does becoming a global energy player mean for Canada's future?
The Globe's Erin Anderssen, Shawn McCarthy and Eric Reguly tackled those mega-issues Saturday in the first instalment of "Shifting Sands," an eight-day look in the newspaper and on the Web at how the Alberta oil sands are changing Canada forever.
Davos discusses how to address climate change, poverty alleviation
DAVOS, Switzerland (AFP) - The annual Davos gathering of corporate wealth and political power turned its lofty gaze on the world's poor Friday, with delegates chided over failures to deliver on development goals.Rock star activist Bono, billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates and UN chief Ban Ki-moon steered the conversation in the Swiss ski resort away from the global economy and geopolitics, towards issues such as infant mortality, poverty alleviation and climate change.
US pushes its climate change agenda despite criticism
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States pushed forward with its own agenda on climate change Friday despite criticism that Washington is attempting to undermine the global effort led by the United Nations.But as senior officials outlined the broad agenda of a meeting the United States is hosting next week in Hawaii -- which includes an emphasis on controversial uses of nuclear power and technology to trap emissions from coal plants -- they insisted they are simply supplementing the UN process.
Iraq ratifies Kyoto Protocol on climate change
BAGHDAD (AFP) - Iraq has formally ratified the UN's Kyoto Protocol on climate change, according to a government statement seen by AFP on Saturday."The presidential council ratified in its session on January 23 a law according to which the Republic of Iraq will join the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Kyoto Protocol," the statement said.
How remote is Davos? You would think that they would hold it someplace that was a little bit easier to get to. Or they should hold the conference in a train-only accessible resort in Switzerland.
No unwashed masses allowed. No protesters either.
Davos is where TPTB meet to share insider information.
Bono looks kind of scruffy.
And that says it all.
The pretend poor. Like 1788 Versailles Games.
They have probably noticed the French Aristocracy no longer exists---
There is real probability that will die hanging, or worse, and they secret;y know it.
Yep the last thing they want to be is accessable to the great unwashed. If they could meet at a place that's only helicopter-accessible they'd do it. There's probably a reason they're meeting in the winter when the snow's thick on the ground - some protesters know a healthy person can get to some pretty remote places by bicycle as long as the weather's decent.
French Revolution II is definately coming too. Bono and the rest of his ilk are Example #1 of why being rich makes you evil even if you didn't start out that way. Bono was probably a pretty nice guy once upon a time. Ran Prieur has some good observations about this today.
I remember getting free tickets to see U2 at the Park West, Chicago, way back some time in the 80's. Most in the audience were there free too. General opinion was B+ R&R, and where is the money coming from, why should we care? There was never any soul or energy in that band. A little professionalism, a lotta noise, nothing else.
Bono is a ponce. Always.
oldhippy--
That christian U2 think made me a bit nauseous also.
But they always played in the shallow end of the pool.
Bono believes the market will save us.
No soul or energy? Watch the Red Rocks video from 1983 ;).
the_rage----
Not to say U2 is not entertaining sometimes, but please, something a bit more chewy.
A sign of the times I guess. Homogeneous pabulum fed to the entire planet.
Going direct to stardom before ever having a hit record or song or even fans was kinda creepy. Woulda been early 80's when I saw them. Woulda been an empty house if tiks were not being given away and pushed. A good part of the audience walked out. Next tour they're bigtime. What's that about?
I suggested to a carpenter friend a good post-peak, non-discretionary job: building guillotines.
cfm in Gray, ME
I'm going to defend Bono here, because through all his arrogance I think the guy really cares about the world. He tries to use his fame to make other people's lives better. I can think of much less worthy celebrities. He is trying to work the corporate system to his advantage for his causes. Somewhat of a Robin Hood type figure. He plays the game well and uses his "hip" image to draw them in to cooperate with his cause.
Recently, my company (large card co. in KC) started producing (RED) products in conjunction with Bono and Paul Shriver. Bono flew into KC and paid the "boss" and the artists a "surprise" visit. It's finally a product my company makes that goes beyond just making a buck.
Regarding Davos and what to do about the poor, the only reason the global ruling elite is concerned about the issue of the 'wretched of the earth' is that these people can serriously theaten the status quo by creating all manner of chaos and instability.
While all sort of heartfelt concern and noble-sounding proposals will be expressed at Davos, the real unspoken sentiment among most of the world's rulers is that the best thing for the poor to do is to simpy go away and die.
I may be mistaken, but wasn't it none other than Henry Kissinger who once said something ot the effect that it should be the policy of the West to reduce the population of the Third World?
creating all manner of chaos and instability.
Cynics would say that is part of the reason 'the poor' got the handouts of the 1960's.
Let the wretched forge their own chains, giving then $5k per year beats $30k jail, keep waving in front of 'em the idea that they will get ahead. If they are working and getting $5k in subsidies, odds are they arn't being paid much, so wages say depressed overall.
Kissinger who once said something
Dr. Kissinger has said many popular things.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=quotes+dr.+kissinger&btnG=Google+Se...
I was surprised there was no 'collection of quotes' in the top 10.
eric blair -
Well, yes, during the Sixties in the US, Lyndon Johnson's Great Society essentially was geared toward throwing some money in the direction of the 'negroes' in the hope that they wouldn't continue to burn down America's inner cities, as they did in 1966 through 1968.
The whole thing was a good lesson in how power politics works. If the blacks hadn't have gotten into a 'burn, baby, burn!' mode, I think that today they would still be sitting in the back of the bus. A perfect example of the squeaky wheel principle.
However, I think that today, the 'squeaky wheels' in the this country are more likely to find themselves in Halliburton-built detention camps, as 'terrorism' is being increasingly defined as anything that challenges the power establishment or which upsets the status quo.
I just learned today that a rather famous fellow was born with the name Eric Arthur Blair:
http://www.infoplease.com/biography/var/georgeorwell.html
Wow. What kind of DailyKoz posting Peaknik hasn't read their 1984 and Animal Farm?
"Is our children learning?" You should try George Sand, that guy could really write.
Even I have my limits when it comes to absorbing minutia :-)
Ahhh, but it is the tiny details that make life worth living.
And sometimes are the difference between being alive or dead.
Joule
Take a cup of coffee print and read this one.
I think you are dead on btw, If you know Henry, and you know the 6 billion people Have to be Dealt with, you should read this one.
There can be little doubt that the elite is totally indifferent to the fate of billions -- except insofar as they represent a threat. There have been times when they wanted large populations, for their labor and for markets. Even the Nazis dealt with their concentration camp victims that way -- extermination was preceded by slave labor: slavery when needed, extermination when not.
But none of this takes away from the reality of overpopulation on a global basis. Gigantic devastation and suffering lies ahead if it is not dealt with globally through reproductive planning (e.g. providing for the elderly) and much else. One way or another the human population and the (declining) carrying capacity of the planet have to eventually match up. The elite will be content to let nature take her course (or even lend an assisting hand). But it's in the interest of the common folk (us) to deal with it realistically.
Yes the preferred method of the rich to deal with the poor would be to work 'em to death then compost their bodies or something.
Maybe this is the reason for the whole pipe dream that is high tech - it keeps the smartest of the poor busy and theoretically some good robot slaves will result that won't develop any uppity ideas, then the poor (yes, you, myself, we of the 99% of the earth's population who are not rich) can be done away with.
One thing really REALLY scares the rich - squalor. They hate squalor. They hate patches and irregularities and weeds and having to substitute something for caviar because some doofus among their ranks killed off all the professional fish-squeezers before their robot replacements were come up with.
So, that's what to fight them with. Look at the most recent Joe Bageant letter, the fellow talking about the people back in Appelacia (sp?) where his family's roots are - people who won't notice if there's a recession or Depression because it won't change their lives a bit. Get used to living without electricity etc for a bit, get used to chaos and good old fashioned squalor, that way when you along with the rest of us kill off the world of the rich by a million cuts, the terror for them will be gleeful fun for us. It's time we all started playing hookey and TP'ing the lavatories of the world of the rich.
It's time we all started playing hookey and TP'ing the lavatories of the world of the rich.
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-1955
Re: The Post-Bush Regime: A Prognosis
And the author of this piece is one "Richard K. Moore". Moore tells that in this article:
Well imagine that, the Rockefellers and a few others of this small wealthy clique owns and manages the United States of America! Now where have I heard such rhetoric before? At any rate Moore tells, in this article:
How about that, Gore's agenda is simply to kill people. All this Global Warming crap is just a cover. He wants to kill people by cutting off their food supply.
From Moore's Mini-Bio we learn what must be done:
A grass movement to do what? To expose the sneaky genocidal conspiracy of Al Gore to kill the poor third world people by cutting of their food supply in the guise of fighting global warming? Well, let's get going.
But what do we do? How do we expose this conspiracy? Is global warming a hoax? A hoax perpetuated by Gore and other of his ilk just to kill people? Then by all means let's expose this hoax! Let's all join this grassroots movement to expose this grandest of all hoaxes.
And while we are at it, let's expose this Peak Oil hoax as well. A hoax perpetuated by people like Matthew Simmons, Colin Campbell, Kenneth Deffeyes and other such ilk. They are all part of a genocidal conspiracy designed to kill poor third world people.
Okay, all the above was sarcasm, just in case a few people could not tell. But Dear God when are we going to stop paying attention to such bull crap as these Gore and Rockefeller conspiracy theories. There is no giant conspiracy theory to kill people. People may, nay people will, wind up dying because of peak oil. And people will also die because grain and other food products are transferred from people's tables to more wealthy people's cars. But that is just because of callousness and ignorance. There is no giant conspiracy to kill people in that manner.
There may be ways a grassroots movement could mitigate the situation. But calling it a giant conspiracy by Gore or Rockefeller or whomever will not assist anyone in any such grassroots movement. It will only mark you as a conspiracy theory wing nut and no one will pay any attention to you.
Ron Patterson
Thank God you put this to rest. I was worried for minute.
Francois
Thanks Ron...For a time I was on the fence about which camp to join...the nieve wing nuts or the conspiracy wing nuts. Of course, the conspiracy wing nuts believe that the nieve wing nuts are working for one government organization or another...Meanwhile the nieve wing nuts believe that the conspiracy wing nuts are just visiting this planet. I would like to tell all which group I have decided to join...but then I would have to terminate all. :)
River and Francois, could either of you give me your opinion of the piece rather than just making sarcastic remarks about my post? Start with these quotes from the article in question:
And:
Now River and Francois, is all this peak oil crap just a hoax to "selective and massive eliminate certain populations through starvation"?
This is your chance to either come down on the side of reality and say that peak oil and global warming are real, or to agree with this this guy that it is all a hoax, a giant conspiracy, engineered to massive eliminate certain populations through starvation.
Do either of you have the courage to give us an answer or would you rather straddle the fence, meaning that you think peak oil and global warming just might be a hoax, a conspiracy by the powers that be, by only replying with sarcasm about my post as both of you have already done.
Ron Patterson
Ron...there are as many realities as there are organisims that reason...or, rationalize.
BTW, I was not being saracastic but merely musing about my rationalization concerning which camp I should enter. Now, after the passage of some time, I have decided to put off my decision for a while.
I dont see why you should be upset by my answer...politicians make a living doing what I do for free.
"...there are as many realities as there are organisims that reason...or, rationalize."
With all due respect, I disagree utterly. There is one reality, and reality is what happens whether you believe in it or not. However, there are certainly many perceptions and models of reality, as you say. But I think it's critical to make the distinction between "reality" and "model of reality".
None of these models are completely accurate, obviously (where is it written that talking monkeys should understand the Universe in all its complexity and glory), but some are way more congruent to "the way things work" than others.
It doesn't matter what your "reality" is, or what you believe, or how you were brought up, or your cultural baggage, or whatever - if you jump off a cliff, you go *splat* at the bottom.
SGAGE...I believe that there are alternate realities based purely on my own experiences in 'this' life. I have lived through three seperate accidents in which one aircraft and two autos were torn asunder. After the accidents one could not determine what sort of mechanical contrivance had existed prior to the accidents. In one of the accidents I was thrown over 200 feet through large pine trees. I received not a single broken bone or cut and only one minor abrasion in these accidents. In one of the accidents I was involved in a state cop told me that 'I have never seen anyone walk away from something like this'...Yet three of us walked away without a scratch. The auto was a new '66 Chevy SS 396 Impala and it was in 6-8 different pieces after the crash. Nothing on the car was salvageable, not even the engine block...it was cracked as was the transmission case. The rear end and axles were twisted like a pretzel. None of us was wearing a seat belt. These are my realities.
So, you continue to believe there is only one reality because for you maybe there is only one. I will continue to believe that there are multiple realities for me...and I suspect but cannot prove that there are multiple realities for all creatures that have imagination.
Jumping off a cliff? No thanks. I do believe its possible to seal ones fate if one really wants to do the deed. It doesnt interest me.
Google "quantum immortality".... but don't count on it. As posed by Tegmark, it's much too simplistic. Still, if it were true, that's how you'd detect it - surviving an increasingly unlikely series of fatal happenstances.
Though QI is speculative, a quantum multiverse is less so, and in most 'parallel' realities you're dead.
This has nothing to do with the different subjective experience of reality by different people/critters, just the way the universe seems to actually work.
Well, It might not be QI but my neatest experience was going through a speed trap on a moderatly travelled quasi-rural road with a 35 mph speed limit at 106 - on my way to 110mph. The cops never tired to flag me down :). I took a round about way back home.