RIP Joe Bageant

Joe Bageant was a writer whose main topic was the marginalization of poor white people (in his own words, "rednecks"), but I actually first discovered his blog while reading elsewhere about collapse and peak oil.  He was quite the wordsmith, and I've been meaning to read his book "Dear Hunting with Jesus: Dispatches From the Class War", but have not gotten around to it.  He passed away a few days ago from cancer.  I suggest visiting his blog and reading a few of his pieces, they struck quite a chord with me. 

Poll: Most Living American Dream

This article about a survey in which nearly 60 percent of people state that they are living "the American Dream" reminds me of that George Carlin quote, "they call it the American Dream because you'd have to be asleep to believe it".  With home values continuing to drop, millions still out of work or stuck in part-time jobs, and food and energy prices climbing (I just found out the other day, I didn't know this, that our government doesn't count food or oil prices in their inflation statistics.  So, an alien from another planet who happens to read these inflation numbers would have to think that humans don't have to eat or drive cars), how can anyone but the ultra-rich say that they're living the American Dream?  Were those the 60 percent listed in the survey? 

New URL for "Life After the Oil Crash"

Images From the Nuclear Age

It's funny how when something like the Japan disaster happens, the world as we know it seems to stop spinning. All the many other important events and developments, like the growing unrest in the Middle East, the war on public workers in Wisconsin, as well as other domestic and international problems, seem to take a back seat. This is a good article on NPR that shows images from the 1940s and onward of our nuclear age. Other than this, I don't have much in the way of memories of nuclear occurances. I was 7 when Chernobyl happened, and current events weren't exactly the first thing on my mind when I was that age. As far as pop culture goes, the only show or movie dealing with nuclear warfare or radiation that resonated with me was the show "Jericho". I've really wanted to play the "Fallout" series of games, but have not gotten around to it.


As to whether I think nuclear energy is a viable option for our country moving forward, even after Japan, I have to give a hearty "yes". Out of all the alternatives to using fossil fuels to power electricity, I think that nuclear energy is the only way to keep the lights on once we really start feeling the energy crunch of declining fossil fuel production. I think that wind and solar, as well as other alternatives, are years away from being profitable and being able to show a significant return, as well as being able to be produced on a significant scale.

Probably the Best Source of the Latest Japan News

This is a live, streaming feed from NHK World, the international outlet of the only Japanese public broadcasting station.  So, this is pretty much devoted 24/7 to the effects of the earthquake/tsunami on Japan, as well as the unfolding nuclear situation.  No lifestyle segments or the latest hijinks of Mr. Sheen or Ms. Lohan like you still see in American media.  My cable provider has a temporary free feed of NHK, but that's of the actual Japanese station, so it's not in English.  This has English translation.

The Tragedy in Japan

My condolences to the people of Japan following the earthquake and tsunami that hit it the other day.  The footage on the news is staggering, and on top of that, there is the nuclear crisis to contend with.  The latest I've read is that the U.S. military ships sent to Japan are moving away from their coastline to distance themselves from a possible nuclear meltdown.  If the radioactive fallout blows far enough (across the Pacific), it can hit us as well.  This could be far worse than Chernobyl.  Russia could afford to lose a few acres, whereas Japan cannot.  Also, it could affect Tokyo, one of the largest, most busy cities in the world.  Chernobyl was a single-reactor meltdown, whereas in Japan, 3 possible reactors are in states of meltdown.  Eh, it makes me dizzy just to think about it. 

If the footage on television and on the Internet isn't enough to convince you that Japan is in a really bad way, here are aerial photos from NASA satellites.  You can use the slider below to contrast the before/after footage.  It looks like a completely different country. 

High Gas Prices Affecting Restaurant Business

The difference between higher gas prices in America and in say, Europe, is that Europe has an infrastructure that is designed partially around high energy prices.  Gas may cost more there, since it's more heavily taxed, but the tax goes to subsidize forms of public transportation.  Additionally, European cities are much more walkable than what we have here; in some towns, it's almost inpractical to drive since they aren't designed for cars.  So, if you're a car driver in Europe and gas prices go up to a level that you're not comfortable with paying, you can always switch to public transit, or even bike or walk if your job is close enough. 

Not so here.  Since America's infrastructure was centered around the automobile, and public transportation is often neglected (if not outright eliminated in some parts of the nation), and people often live long distances away from where they work, they have no choice but to drive, no matter how high the price of gas goes.  So, since they can't find work-arounds around their driving dilemma, they'll just have less disposable income for other things, like eating out.  This will have a ripple effect on the economy, since it affects consumer spending, which drives most of our economy.  Unless gas prices drop soon, I don't think we have long to wait before a repeat of '08. 

BTW, although I usually dismiss speculation as a large part of our soaring energy prices (and I might be wrong to do so), I do think it is playing a big part in why our energy prices are rising right now.  Long-term, I think we face a dire situation when it comes to energy, but this current situation is being driven by speculation that there will be further unrest in other oil-exporting countries, specifically the largest, Saudi Arabia.  There doesn't seem to be a shortfall in production, and demand seems to be being met.  As one peak oil proponent has put it, this time in history won't be defined by continually rising energy prices, but voliatile prices, in which they will continually either rise or drop, and often dramatically.