Summer Reading Roundup

Since school ended in June, I’ve been gluttonously catching up on my reading. Ah summer….the time to read trashy books and light novels. I threw in a few non-fiction books for good measure. Here are the books I read that I can remember.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Okay, I can’t believe I’d never read this until this year. Damn funny, even after all these years. I’m looking forward to reading the follow-ups.

CSI graphic novels and CSI novelizations by Max Allan Collins
CSI was on summer break, so I got my fix by reading all of these that I could find at my local library (and some I had to get from Inter-Library Loan). I still need to read a couple of the graphic novels (Dominoes; Secret Identities) because they aren’t in the system yet. But MAC has the characters down! I highly suggest these for fun reading.

Pretty in Pink The Golden Age of Teenage Movies by Jonathan Bernstein
Ah, the 1980s and their teen movies. Such good memories of a time that held such promise. The author lambasts some of my most treasured 1980s icons and is still funny. There are even movies I never saw that now I must find and watch. Did you know David Caruso was in some 80s teen movies? How weird!

The Race: The Uncensored story of How America beat Russia to the Moon by James Schefter
I recently rewatched “The Right Stuff” and am totally intrigued by the early people and days of NASA. I happened to come across this book at the library and brought it home to read. I can’t put it down. From the sex lives Mercury 7 astronauts to Enos the Penis (the last chimp in space!), this book is a fun read and an intriguing look at mid-century America. It’s also a very good global look at the early years of NASA. I can’t wait to read “The Right Stuff”.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Another book that I’d never read before (although I love “Danny Champion of the World”)! I hate watching the movies and having the characters in my head while I’m reading the book. So I read this first (and have yet to see the movie). Although I’d seen the original movie so I was surprised at some of the differences (like the songs the Ompah Loompah’s sing). Dahl has a wicked sense of humor. The copy I read had an interview with him at the end about how he writes and comes up with his characters, etc.

Sahara by Clive Cussler
Cussler is one of my favorite authors (Night Train and Raise the Titanic are still two of my faves). I’ve had this book for about 10 years now to read. Since the movie came out this year, I thought I’d better read it. I figure the movie is nothing like the book and so I wanted to read that before I saw the movie so I could bitch about it. Turns out, I don’t even want to see the movie (despite Matthew M. being in it), because it can’t even be 1/10 as good as the book. What can I say? Double-fisted action, complex plot with an environmental twist (of course, again, here comes America to save the day but considering our enviro record…), a hot leading man (who doesn’t look anything like Matthew M.), Cussler writing himself into his book, trekking through the desert and a Confederate boat in Africa. I’d almost forgotton how awesome Cussler is. FUN, FUN, FUN.

News of the Weird: Commando dolphins missing

I heard about these military trained dolphins this morning on the radio news.

I found an article from The Guardian (UK)


It may be the oddest tale to emerge from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Armed dolphins, trained by the US military to shoot terrorists and pinpoint spies underwater, may be missing in the Gulf of Mexico.

Experts who have studied the US navy's cetacean training exercises claim the 36 mammals could be carrying 'toxic dart' guns. Divers and surfers risk attack, they claim, from a species considered to be among the planet's smartest. The US navy admits it has been training dolphins for military purposes, but has refused to confirm that any are missing. ....

The US Atlantic bottlenose dolphins have apparently been taught to shoot terrorists attacking military vessels. Their coastal compound was breached during the storm, sweeping them out to sea. But those who have studied the controversial use of dolphins in the US defence programme claim it is vital they are caught quickly. ...."

Dolphins are incredibly intelligent and lovely creatures...but still, how would you teach them to "shoot"?!?! Of course, who's the crazy person who thought this up in the first place? They probably were glad to escape so they wouldn't have to hurt any huans! : > Go little dolphins, go!


"Usually dolphins were controlled via signals transmitted through a neck harness. 'The question is, were these dolphins made secure before Katrina struck?' said Sheridan."

Well that explains how they can shoot, maybe. Humans are so weird!

The end of cheap oil

This blog is retooled from a commentary that I've written for "Street Roots", a newspaper that is operated by and for Homeless people. Thanks to Rowan for her collaboration on the original article.

The news for 2005 has been dominated by headlines about oil and rising gas prices around the U.S.: barrel prices nearing $70; truckers striking over high costs, low wages, and inadequate fuel surcharge compensation; and increasing transportation costs and airline bankruptcies; and most recently, Hurricane Katrina damaged oil platforms, refineries and pipelines, causing gas shortages in the Atlanta suburbs.

Oil is such big news that an email was floating around calling for September 1 to be “BUY NO Gasoline Day”. Another email I recently received from two different friends calls for the boycott of Exxon and Mobile to bring the gas prices back down to $1.30 price range.

Although the ideas are nice, I doubt the effectiveness. It’s a matter of supply and demand. Demand is outstripping the supply.

According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA) Supply is 84.12 million barrels per day; demand is 84.38 million barrels per day.

There are 600 million total vehicles worldwide that run on oil; 200 million of these are in the U.S. The world currently consumes nearly four times as much oil as is discovered. With car use around the world (including in the U.S.) growing, the demand will only continue to grow beyond the finite supplies of oil.

U.S. oil production peaked in the 1970s, and every year we have to import more oil to make up for the shortfall in production. There is proof that other countries are reaching their peak. According to Chevron, oil production is in decline in 33 of the 48 major oil producing countries.

The era of cheap oil is dead. We have reached the era of Peak Oil.

"Peak Oil" is the most common term for the end of cheap and easily available oil resources. The "peak" refers to a model created by M. King Hubbert, a geologist for Shell Oil. Briefly, the "peak" is the point at which any given oil well, field, or global oil supply, reaches the production peak. After that point, the remaining oil becomes increasingly costly to extract and refine. Peak oil as a term generally refers to the global availability of oil. See my previous blog, "The End of Suburbia..." or check out Wikipedia (Hubbert's Peak), the Energy Bulletin's Peak Oil Primer, or Portland Peak Oil for further information.

It's not just cars that use petroleum/oil. Modern societies and the global economy are driven by cheap oil. It has fueled the rapid developments seen through the 20th century. Everything from food production (industrial agriculture), to plastics, to transportation, is linked to this one resource. Any process, activity, or product that utilizes petroleum will become increasingly more expensive the further past the global peak we move. The cost and availability of petroleum will, and is, driving up the prices on all of these areas. Since the various industries this crosses also involves millions of jobs, each of those are impacted as well. This is why national and global economic collapse frequently comes up in peak oil discussions and scenarios.

Oil executives, including Mike Bowlin, Chairman of ARCO, petroleum geologists like Colin Campbell (formerly of Texaco and Amoco), and energy consultant Matthew Simmons, who was an adviser on Vice President Cheney’s 2001 energy task force, all acknowledge the existence of Peak Oil.

Peak oil is not a partisan issue. It will affect people in every economic strata; although people in poverty will be disproportionately hit by an oil crash.

We are already being effected to some degree in the Portland-metro area.

In Portland, mass transit riders are feeling the pinch. Tri-Met raised its fares twice this year. Tri-Met adjusts prices for inflation every September; this year’s fare increase was 10 cents, with five cents for inflation and five cents for rising diesel costs. The five-cent increase in April’s five-cent increase was directly related to diesel prices, said Mary Fetsch, communications director.

One neighbor, who uses oil to heat her home, said her bill rose by nearly $200 this year. The Energy Information Administration data shows that Oregon’s average prices in 2004 for heating oil were $1.59/gallon. In May 2005, prices had risen to $2.02/gallon.

Census Bureau numbers show the number of Americans living in poverty has increased for the fourth year in a row. This means more people using food banks and other social services to help make ends meet. The Oregon Food Bank’s preliminary reports show about a 4 percent increase of the number of emergency food boxes distributed this year by their network of hunger-relief agencies. The Oregon Food Bank sends food items around the state. This could have horrible consequences for people who need a little extra help feeding their family, especially if they pay extra to fill up their car to get to work.

When will this peak happen? Many argue we may already have passed the "peak." Some feel that peak will be reached in 2005-2006. Others believe that the peak will happen somewhere between 2008 and 2030. The variation in dates is based on several issues. The first is accurate information about existing reserves. In the last two years, it has come out that oil producing nations and oil companies have overestimated their reserves. They have done this because it is profitable to do so. More oil in the ground means more collateral and longer production capacity. Another factor is calculating increasing demand. One can only estimate demand and the usual "estimate" is 2% growth per year. However, Asian nations are in a rapid development cycle (particularly China and India) and U.S. consumption alone is increasing at above 2%. Since we are likely to "overshoot" (continue increased usage past the peak without knowing we have done so) it is likely that we will be at some point beyond the peak before we know it has happened.

I'm not normally one to say "the end is nigh" but after watching the aftermath of Katrina, I feel like I'm watching the end of cheap oil and a new era in our U.S. culture.

We have to prepare ourselves.

Only conservation will delay the oil crash. Although there are currently no alternative energy sources that can replace oil at the amount that we currently use, a delay may give us time to develop new, renewable sources of energy. Car pool, use mass-transit, bike, walk or get a more fuel effecient vehicle or one that runs on biodiesel or even hybrid or electricity. If you have a diesel car, fill it with biodiesel (made from recycled vegetable oil). The cost of diesel is quickly catching up to the cost of biodiesel and soon may be more expensive. Our car actually runs better on biodiesel than it does on diesel.

Learn all you can. There are numerous books, published articles and an excellent documentary entitled “The End of Suburbia”. For a listing of books, articles, and websites, see this webpage.

Tell your friends, family, neighbors (get to know them, we're going to need them) and local governments. Working together we can decrease the effects of an oil crash and ensure that we are prepared with enough food, shelter, and other basic needs. Also, plan how you and your neighbors can help each other in an emergency.

Localize. Support local farmers, restaurants and businesses who use local ingredients and products that don’t need to be shipped long distances using costly fuel. Besides, locally grown foods taste better and can be less expensive (i.e. you pick, farmer’s markets.)

Learn or re-learn how to farm and garden, can and store foods, knit, and other old, sustainable ways of living.

Prepare yourself. Check out the document-in-progress that lists tips and steps for preparing for the oil crash. After the Katrina debacle, we can't expect the federal government to come galloping in and rescue us. Make sure you have extra food, water, candles, batteries, and blankets, in case.

If you're in the Portland area, come meet others who are concerned about the issue. Portland Peak Oil meets every Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the St. Francis Dining Hall (1182 SE Pine St.) Find out more about our group and the issue. We strive to build community, get the word out, live sustainably and prepare for Peak Oil.

If you live outside of Portland, go to the Post Carbon Institute and see if there is a group near you. You can also start your own group in your neighborhood, church, city, or region.

Will we decrease our dependence on oil or will we have to learn the hard way?

The Gulf Coast: Abandoned by America

Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard put it very succinctly on Sunday, Sept. 4's

Meet the Press

:

We have been abandoned by our own country. Hurricane Katrina will go down in history as one of the worst storms ever to hit an American coast, but the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina will go down as one of the worst abandonments of Americans on American soil ever in U.S. history. I am personally asking our bipartisan congressional delegation here in Louisiana to immediately begin congressional hearings to find out just what happened here. Why did it happen? Who needs to be fired? And believe me, they need to be fired right away, because we still have weeks to go in this tragedy. We have months to go. We have years to go. And whoever is at the top of this totem pole, that totem pole needs to be chain-sawed off and we've got to start with some new leadership.

It's not just Katrina that caused all these deaths in New Orleans here. Bureaucracy has committed murder here in the greater New Orleans area, and bureaucracy has to stand trial before Congress now. It's so obvious. FEMA needs more congressional funding. It needs more presidential support. It needs to be a Cabinet-level director. It needs to be an independent agency that will be able to fulfill its mission to work in partnership with state and local governments around America. FEMA needs to be empowered to do the things it was created to do It needs to come somewhere, like New Orleans, with all of its force immediately, without red tape, without bureaucracy, act immediately with common sense and leadership, and save lives. Forget about the property. We can rebuild the property. It's got to be able to come in and save lives.

On this same "Meet the Press", Director of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff, being pressed on the response, and comments that they were surprised that the levee broke.

SEC'Y CHERTOFF: Tim, the way that emergency operations act under the law is the responsibility and the power, the authority, to order an evacuation rests with state and local officials. The federal government comes in and supports those officials. That's why Mike Brown got on TV on Saturday and he told people to start to get out of there.

Now, ultimately the resources that will get people who don't have cars and don't have the ability to remove themselves has to rest with the kinds of assets a city has--the city's buses, the city's transportation. You know, there will be plenty of time to go back over what the preparation has been with respect to infrastructure in New Orleans, with respect to transportation, with respect to evacuation. To confront a situation that, as you point out, people have been aware of for decades--this is not something that just came on the horizon recently.

My Note: Yeah, the state and local officials did start evacuating. They also alerted FEMA and Homeland Security on Saturday, a full 3 days before the hurricane hit.

Yet I saw Michael Brown, FEMA's head, say on the news, that "we aren't first responders, that's the police and fire of that city." So they are pointing the fingers back at the states? What about the fact that the Federal government for decades has been telling citizens that they will take care of us?

I heard an interview snippet with a spokesperson from FEMA's Northern Command that said they had military boats following the hurricane with aid. But they had to sit off the Gulf Coast until they got the go ahead from the Administration.

So basically, all of the responders suck. Mistakes were made on many levels and there was too much bureaucracy. We can't expect the federal government to save us. We have to depend on ourselves and our communities. The feds have trained us to not do community action.

Oh yeah, don't even get me started on FEMA turning people away. Both those trying to get out of New Orleans in the days after the hurricane. But also they've apparently turned away trucks of relief. Not to mention FEMA cutting communications inside New Orleans.

While the media is focusing on all of the devastation; we haven't heard much about the aid that other states and countries have offered.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported that The City of Chicago

has offered emergency, medical and technical help to the federal government to assist people in the areas stricken by Hurricane Katrina, but as of Friday (Sept. 2), the only things the feds said they wanted was a single tank truck.

That truck, which the Federal Emergency Management Agency requested to support an Illinois-based medical team, was en route Friday.

"We are ready to provide more help than they have requested. We are just waiting for their call," said Daley, adding that he was "shocked" that no one seemed to want the help.

The State Department press release

says offers of aid to the victims of Katrina have come from more than 20 countries and international organizations.

Sri Lanka, still recovering from a massive tsunami that struck in December 2004, has joined those wishing to help the United States and has urged Sri Lanka-born physicians now living in the United States to volunteer to treat hurricane victims.

Government officials in Indonesia and Thailand, also hard hit by the 2004 tsunami, say they are determining how they best can offer help.

Meanwhile, Germany and other European nations say they are ready to use their own emergency oil reserves to help alleviate the crisis.

Other offers of aid include disaster assistance teams from countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, including Colombia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guyana, Honduras and Jamaica. Venezuela has offered humanitarian aid and fuel, while the small Caribbean island nation of Dominica has offered 200 members of its special forces to work alongside the U.S. National Guard.

The Organization of American States (OAS) expressed its condolences and solidarity with the American people, made a $25,000 contribution from its emergency fund and encouraged donations to the American Red Cross. The OAS has created a special fund to receive donations from its member states to aid the victims of the U.S. natural disaster.

A Yahoo News article from Sept. 2

said that 40 countries have offered aid. The department listed donors so far as: Australia, Austria, the Bahamas, Belgium, Canada, China, Columbia, Cuba, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador , the European Union , France, Germany, Guatemala, Britain, Greece, Honduras, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Lithuania, Mexico, NATO , the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, the Organization of American States, Paraguay, South Korea , Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Sweden, Venezuela and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Even two of our so-called "enemies" have offered aid.

Cuban President Fidel Castro , calling a "truce" in Havana's ideological enmity with Washington, offered to fly 1,100 doctors to Houston with 26 tons of medicine to treat people in the disaster area. (Source:

From the BBC:

Iran has offered to send 20m barrels of crude oil to the US to help with the consequences of Hurricane Katrina.

The two countries have had no diplomatic relations for decades, but America did send help to Iran when a severe earthquake hit Bam in 2003.

Speaking on state-run radio, Iran's envoy to OPEC said his country was ready to send up to five shiploads of crude oil to the US.

But he said this could only happen if US sanctions were lifted first.

Here's a humorous take on the media situation (beware there are several F* Bombs).
Click on

Foamy the Squirrel Live from Louisiana

. Kinda, puts it all in perspective!

Links for Peak Oil

I realized last week that the links on my End of Suburbia Peak Oil blog weren't working. I fixed them and they work now.