I decided that a chatty post about Burning Man, and our grand experience in 2008, is long overdue. I think I will reprint my journal here, it's not too long, and will have the best flavor to share with you.

Burning Man 2008

Human Frolic Project

Playa Info:

NO: Driving on the playa
        Commercial Vending
        Advertising
        Firearms
        Dogs
        Unregistered video cameras (35 mm cameras also need registering)

LEAVE NO TRACE

Respect, rethink, reuse, recycle, reduce, restore

-Precycle-

No grey water on playa

Pack it in, pack it out

Clean up after yourself

Beware the hungry wind

Prevent dunes

NO: Fireworks or flares

Being found in the inside perimeter area can lead to fines and citations

NO tickets sold at event box office

-Participant Delivery Policy-

Kostume Kult 8:08 & Esplanade Tues-Sat pm


MONDAY 8/18
12:37 am

Almost ready. The evening was very productive. No laundry (to speak of) for 3 weeks!

Hope we have it all-nervous, but happy.

Bright and early tomorrow-time for sleep.

MONDAY 8/18
11:00 am-about to pull out- I think we have it all. So onward to Detroit & the family.

Odometer: 43105
Trip tik: 5.1 m

11:41am/1:00 pm



20 mpg x 130 gallons= 2600 m (1/2 way)
130 gallons x 3.60 gal= 468.00 gas (1/2 way)

5:30 pm-Salt Springs Rd, OH, stopped for gas. Trip tic 264m   21.4 gal
Arrived MI 10pm.

Tues 8/19 up at 8am.

Repack trailer

1:29 pm 519.5 m

Off into the unknown-
We will know it and it will know us
Other meets other

Trip tic: 525m $73.00 gas (cash)

6:53pm (5:53 CT) Joliet IL

$75.00 csh 809 m,

Davenport, IA We crossed the Mississippi just after dark. We'll be stopping soon for the night.
Super Eight Motel $60.00
Dinner Thunder Bay Grille $50.00

Stayed at a motel where we met 3 men on motorcycles who'd ridden to Alaska and back in 5 days. They were from Allentown. We parked in the parking lot of Thunder Bay Grille and had a late dinner. (steaks)

Then we met another 2 people from PA. Also the manager's brother in law is in school at Kutztown

The waitress asked me if Id been to Bonaroo (my t-shirt) She had been! (I haven't, its a gift from a friend) I told her we were going to Burning Man and she said how she would love to go one day.

Wed 8/20

Breakfast: Gramma's Kitchen
Caramel corn cob for Abby
Gas: BP: 3.57 $43.00 980.4 m

307 m to Nebraska Nebraska: 455 m

MacDonalds lunch $5.00

1348 m: rest area  mm 343- met our first burners!

Driving a blue and silver Bio-Bus (2nd in a convoy) They had just rebuilt the engine in 1 1/2 days & driven today from Wisconsin. Going to San Fran, picking up people to shuttle to BRC, then back again afterwards. Inside, they were running electricity and working on converting it into a usable shelter: stove, beds, etc. A traveling hostelry.

They travel to schools to talk about democracy & climate change and other stuff.

YAY!

Fill up, $73.00

Grand Island NB: spent night at KOA- fire late and drinks- hard to sleep: COLD!! very damp. No shampoo yet.

otherness
minimalist

went to Walmart for dinner stuff: pork chops, caeser salad & potato salad- yum! $28.00

Thurs 8/21 10:50 am 1425 m

Exit 318: breakfast @ Perkins in Kearney NB $24.00 w/tip

Gas $74.00 21 gal 1472 mileage trip tik

$485.00 cc ttl

3:53 pm Sidney NB $73.50 1st debit 1691.3 m

9:00 pm Elk Mountain WY $20.00 gas (debit) $4.20 gal (ack)

Laramie WY, Walmart $28.00

we were going to camp again but the KOA was all gravel, so we drove around and around in a maze of road work in Rawlins WY, looking for a cheap hotel. Good thing we had the Garmin gps thingy.

Travelodge: $96.00
Big City Bar & Grille: $36.00

______________________________________________________________________________

We met the Bio Bus folks again! They were parked outside the Big City Bar & Grille, waiting for the other bus, and they were getting used oil from the restaurant for the bus.













       

Been a long time since I posted here. Much is changing. I start a new job this week, in Wilkes Barre. Waldenbooks has blown a fuse and doesn't seem to be recovering. We are also in the midst of obtaining a fantastic used RV, with which we hope to do a great deal of traveling!
Hopefully I will get a bigger card for my new camera, as it is prime picture taking time of year here, and then I will do a real post, with pictures and everything.

Until then, I hope you are well.

Love, Sue

I so agree, and continue to strive to be more open minded. It aint easy but is a worthy pursuit. Enjoy!

http://www.solopassion.com/node/4895

 

Memo to Bleeding-Heart 'Libertarians': Grow the Fuck Up!

Bob Dylan's 'Ballad of a Thin Man'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFYlhw3g4P8

You walk into the room With your pencil in your hand You see somebody naked And you say, "Who is that man?" You try so hard But you don't understand Just what you'll say When you get home Because something is happening here But you don't know what it is Do you, Mister Jones? You raise up your head And you ask, "Is this where it is?" And somebody points to you and says "It's his" And you say, "What's mine?" And somebody else says, "Where what is?" And you say, "Oh my God Am I here all alone?" Because something is happening here But you don't know what it is Do you, Mister Jones? You hand in your ticket And you go watch the geek Who immediately walks up to you When he hears you speak And says, "How does it feel To be such a freak?" And you say, "Impossible" As he hands you a bone Because something is happening here But you don't know what it is Do you, Mister Jones? You have many contacts Among the lumberjacks To get you facts When someone attacks your imagination But nobody has any respect Anyway they already expect you To just give a check To tax-deductible charity organizations You've been with the professors And they've all liked your looks With great lawyers you have Discussed lepers and crooks You've been through all of F. Scott Fitzgerald's books You're very well read It's well known Because something is happening here But you don't know what it is Do you, Mister Jones? Well, the sword swallower, he comes up to you And then he kneels He crosses himself And then he clicks his high heels And without further notice He asks you how it feels And he says, "Here is your throat back Thanks for the loan" Because something is happening here But you don't know what it is Do you, Mister Jones? Now you see this one-eyed midget Shouting the word "NOW" And you say, "For what reason?" And he says, "How?" And you say, "What does this mean?" And he screams back, "You're a cow Give me some milk Or else go home" Because something is happening here But you don't know what it is Do you, Mister Jones? Well, you walk into the room Like a camel and then you frown You put your eyes in your pocket And your nose on the ground There ought to be a law Against you comin' around You should be made To wear earphones Because something is happening here But you don't know what it is Do you, Mister Jones?

Copyright © 1965; renewed 1993 Special Rider Music

Apparently this song is about a journalist. See the Wikipedia entry here for further interpretive speculation:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballad_of_a_Thin_Man

 http://transitionculture.org/2008/06/12/fatih-birol-offers-the-world-an-oil-health-check/

12 Jun 2008

Fatih Birol Offers the World an Oil Health Check, and the prognosis isn’t good.

The International Energy Agency used to have the role of being the energy optimists, reassuring Governments and markets that there would be sufficient supplies to keep the world sufficiently fueled for the foreseeable future. Indeed, it is still one of their wildly outdated and wildly optimistic forecasts that still underpins the UK government’s absurb assertion that oil will cost $67 a barrel in 2020.

Every year the IEA publish their ‘World Economic Outlook’, which gives their assessment of where the world is in terms of oil and other energy supplies. Last year’s talked of a ’supply crunch’ in 2012. This years has been based on their going back to the data and reassessing the state of the world’s supply. What they have found has clearly shocked them, and already IEA Chief Economist Fatih Birol, a man with the perfect hang-dog glum expression to be breaking this news, is doing the rounds preparing people for the forthcoming report.

What follows is an interview he gave recently in International Politik, the Journal of the German Council on foreign Relations. If ever there was an example of a man with bad news to break breaking it in the most straightforward way possible and not mincing his words, this is it. Essential reading.

The International Energy Agency gives the alarm: The world could run out of oil faster than expected - the danger of a supply shortage is rising.

Hunger for energy vs. energy shortage: While the demand for oil is on the rise, the production is decreasing - shortages, escalating prices and inflation are looming. When talking to energy politician Astrid Schneider, Faith Biro, chief economist of the IEA demands a change in policy from the member countries. His motto: leave oil before it leaves us. Astrid Schneider: Mr. Birol, in your “World Energy Outlook” which was published in November 2007 the IEA has warned for the first time that there could be a slump in oil production and escalating prices in the time from now to 2015. The reason you give is that there has been to little investment in oil production.

Fatih Birol: Indeed. There are three reasons why that is so. The first one is the increasing demand, mostly from China, India and the Middle Eastern countries themselves. These countries are the main reason for the increasing oil consumption. Even if there should be a recession in the USA, this would not slow those countries down much, because India and China have a strong internal economic growth, while high oil prices will help the economy in the Middle East. The demand for oil will therefore remain high.

Schneider: The second reason …?

Birol:

… is, that we see a sharp decline in production from the existing oil fields, especially in the North Sea, the USA and many non-OPEC countries. Even here money should be invested, to slow down that decline. The third reason why we expect a risk for overall production is, that we looked at all oil exploration projects around the world: 230 altogether, in Saudi-Arabia, Venezuela, the North-Sea, everywhere. Even if all those projects which are already funded will be implemented, the overall capacity they can bring for new oil production is too little.

Schneider: How much is missing?

Birol: Exactly 12.5 million barrel a day are still missing, about 15 % of the global oil demand (the current global oil consumption is 84 million barrel a day, note from the editor). This gap means that we could face a supply shortage and very high prices during the next years.

Schneider: Is there still a way to avoid this?

Birol: There are only three ways out of this dilemma: First of all we have to increase energy-efficiency drastically, we have to build more economical cars, trucks and airplanes, to slow down the incline in oil consumption. Secondly we have to use more alternative fuels in the traffic sector. If you take a look at how little governments are doing to help higher efficiency, though, I have little hope that there will be such a change of policy. The third thing is that we need many more oil production projects, especially in the key countries in the OPEC.

Schneider: You write that 5.4 trillion dollar have to be invested to meet the global oil demand. In which countries should this money be invested?

Birol: In the Middle Eastern countries with a large oil supply - but I am not sure that those countries and their oil corporations will invest as much as would be necessary. They might think that it is not in their own interest to raise the production that much, to keep the oil prices up. A further part of the investments has to go to the OPEC countries, to the USA and to the North-Sea, to prevent the decline of the oil production there.

Schneider: In the WEO 2007 it is mentioned that the rapid decline of oil production will be between 3.7 and 4.2 percent per year. Is that right?

Birol: Exactly-

Schneider: This decline is even steeper than the one predicted by the Energy Watch Group!

Birol: I can already tell you that in our “World Energy Outlook 2008″ which will be published in November we will deal in depth with the prospects of the oil and gas production. We will take a look at the 350 most important oil and gas fields and explore how much production rates are sinking and what that means.

Schneider: What do you mean by that?

Birol: As far as I know this will be the first profound public study in which we verify and revise our knowledge about how much oil and gas is going to the markets. Many people will come to new conclusions about this.

Schneider: One of the statements of the WEO 2007 is that the complete additional oil production has to come from the OPEC countries and especially the Middle East. Salem el-Badri, the general secretary of the OPEC has announced on a conference regarding energy security in London last February, that the OPEC wants to invest 200 billion dollar until 2012 to create new production capacities of 5 million barrel (mb) a day. This is a sharp contrast to the WEO 2007 where you state that to the year 2020 we need 24 mb per day in new production capacity to satisfy the rising demand for oil. So de facto Salem el-Badri says that the OPEC will not be able to meet the expectations. Doesn’t that mean that we will run into serious problems?

Birol: Indeed. this is the reason that this year for the first time we announce a “supply crunch” situation. There is a gap between the global demand for oil and the amount which is or can be brought to the market from that region. We think that the oil producers have to increase their production output significantly, but we are not sure that they will do it or even can do it.

Schneider: Because they don’t want to?

Birol: Let’s look at the numbers: up to 2015 there will be a gap between what we expect and what the oil producers are willing or able to do to increase their capacity. This gap shows the real and serious picture of the oil market. It could mean a supply crunch and escalating prices.

Schneider: So the things I see in the WEO are more - if I may say so - a wishlist?

Birol: You could put it that way. I think we are entering a new world oil order. The new players, which decide how much oil is going to the markets, are mostly public oil companies. For many reasons things will not be as easy as they have been before.

Schneider: The Energy Watch Group has pointed out in its studies that the oil reserves in the Middle East are likely estimated 50 % too high. When you ask the Middle East countries today to increase their production capacities, how good is your knowledge on their oil reserves and on the amount those countries could produce if they wanted to?

Birol: We are talking about a very important issue here and the most important accomplishment I expect from the WEO 2008 is more transparency as far as the oil reserves of the national as well as the international oil corporations is concerned.

Schneider: Who are you hinting at?

Birol: Just remember that a very well known international oil company has recently run into trouble because it did not have enough transparency. Therefore the IEA would like to see more openness in accord to data about oil reserves - it might be the national good of the individual states, but the rest of the world, other economies, the common wellbeing of everyone are dependent on it. At the moment we are flying almost blindly and we desperately need more insight here.

Schneider: Does transparency alone help?

Birol: Even if the oil reserves of Saudi-Arabia should be estimated wrongly by 50 %, they could increase their production from 12 mb a day to 18 mb. But I don’t think they will raise production that much in the next 25 years. So there are mainly three different problems: geology, investment and policy of the main oil producers. Those three aspects taken together make the future of oil very difficult.

Schneider: If I look at all those countries, there are big problems with Russia and its restrictive policy against international and market oriented oil corporations like Yukos; Iran and Iraq are international crisis hot spots, Saudi-Arabia has a very reluctant policy and seems to be difficult to approach for western companies …

Birol: Indeed, but that is completely legitimate.

Schneider: … and last but not least Venezuela which has just stopped its oil exports to the energy corporation Exxon Mobil. These countries together hold 60 % of the world’s oil reserves. But de facto we have no access to them, neither politically nor economically.

Birol: That causes great strain on everyone and on our economic systems. When I look at the future, I see three strategic challenges in the energy sector: The first is oil and gas security. Just recently Russia has lowered its gas delivery to the Ukraine by 25 %. The second is climate change. And the third, and one has to admit we don’t much talk about this, is the connection between energy and poverty, for example in Africa. Today 1.6 billion people, that is 40 % of the global population, have no access to electric power.

Schneider: Will we be able to meet all three challenges?

Birol: If you look at the dimensions, I don’t think that the markets alone can solve those problems. We cannot leave everything to them. The national governments as well as international institutions have to help to define the rules and follow them. The issue is too important.

Schneider: You are not alone with your warnings about supply shortages - at the world economy summit in Davos Jeroen von der Veer, the Shell CEO, admitted for the first time that conventional oil and gas will not suffice to cover world demand from the year 2015 onwards. Will this not lead to a further decline in production?

Birol: Several people now think that the global oil and gas production will get into troubled waters soon, but this is not only due to resource depletion. The lack of investments are another problem, as well as the fact that some countries don’t want to increase production.

Schneider: For which we cannot blame them, can we?

Birol: No. Before I joined the IEA I worked for the OPEC in Vienna. And every oil person had the same thoughts: I don’t use up all the oil that I have today, but leave some for my children and grandchildren, so they will be able to make money from it as well. And I understand that. In many oil producing countries, oil is the sole or at least most important source of income.

Schneider: So what is your conclusion?

Birol: I would be very surprised if the oil productions would effortlessly increase during the next 20 to 25 years to meet, lets say, 120 mb a day without any problems. Even if the potential should be there, we will not get this oil to the markets. The conclusion is that we have to be prepared to see very turbulent, tight and high prices oil markets - this will not be good for the economy.

Schneider: Let’s assume the prices escalate - who will be hit first?

Birol: It will be about who can afford x dollar per barrel. Some will be able to, others won’t. The OECD countries will be among the lucky ones, but the developing countries will …

Schneider: … be the losers …

Birol: Exactly!

Schneider: If I understand you correctly, you say that the demand for oil could rise 3 % globally every year, while we have to expect a decrease of 4 % in oil production in the time from now until 2015. That would be 7 % each year which are missing.

Birol: The demand might increase a little slower. But there could be a large gap between what should be there and what actually will be there, especially if we do not put massive efforts into improving the efficiency of cars or change to other transportation systems. If we don’t take measures on the consumer side, the consumption will continue to grow. And if we have not invested enough into oil production, we will flounder.

Schneider: But when you think of the life cycle of goods, of the long investment cycles of machines, power stations or air conditioning systems: do you think an adjustment of the consumer side to a lower supply path could be done that fast?

Birol: No, but I don’t think that prices will go up that rapidly. We can see a gradual incline and that will give the people some time to adapt. But on the long run it has to be clear: if oil will be gone by 2030, or in 2040 or 2050 does not change much.

Schneider: You really say that?

Birol: Yes, one day it will definitely end. And I think we should leave oil before it leaves us. That should be our motto. So we should prepare for that day - through research and development on alternatives to oil, on which living standards we want to keep and what alternative ways we can find.

Schneider: How will the global economy react to a new oil crisis?

Birol: If there is a great gap between supply and demand, the economies will be hit hard - yet with large differences worldwide. The German economy will suffer less than that of the Sahel Zone countries. Nevertheless we expect less economic growth, rising inflation and more unemployment for the OECD countries as well.

Schneider: And the poor countries?

Birol: In the poor countries, most of all in Black Africa, in India and similar countries, the effects will be much more devastating. We have calculated for example that the oil importing countries in Black Africa have lost three percent of their economic growth due to rising oil prices. We should not forget that half the people in those countries live below the poverty line of one dollar a day.

Schneider: Do you see the danger of military conflicts between countries with high and low resources, caused by the tension on the world market?

Birol: In my official mandate I don’t often speak about wars and such. But what I can tell you is, that energy issues and geopolitics are interwoven too much. The energy supply is becoming less and less an economic enterprise, but instead an economic enterprise plus geopolitics! That’s bad news, and I don’t like that at all. We need a dialogue between the producers and consumers.

Schneider: You mentioned that we are at the eve of a new world energy order. Who are the new players?

Birol: On the consumer side clearly China and India. They used to be very small participants in the market and we did not see much of them in the energy game so far. They have been mere street players but now they are growing more and more into full sized protagonists.

Schneider: And on the producers’ side?

Birol: There it is the major oil producing countries: Saudi-Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Russia. All those countries have one thing in common: the oil production is regulated by public oil corporations instead of the free market. That changes the game setup. They are not only new players, but it is a completely new situation. The rich OECD countries become less and less relevant. They are still important, but they will play a lesser role when we look into the future.

Schneider: So the whole world economy depends on a few oil producing countries - and those countries you mentioned are not very democratic.

Birol: Every country has its own political system which it should have set for itself. What we would like to see, though, is the opening of the markets of those countries. The free flowing of capital will be very important, so that everyone is free to invest in what he wants. But in the end these countries are free. They can decide what energy policy and political system they want.

Schneider: What does that mean for us?

Birol: At least we have to realize, that our oil and gas will come from countries where public corporations decide about production in the future. That is different from the past when more market oriented corporations did supply us. That is an important change.

Schneider: The IEA has the mandate to keep watch over the oil market and to warn the OECD countries when there could be problems or shortages on the global oil market. How loud are your alarm bells ringing by now?

Birol: We are talking about two different functions here. The first is that we can put reserves to the market when there is physically not enough oil to meet the demand. We did that in 2005 for example when the hurricane Katrina hit the USA. The second task is, as you have mentioned, to “sound the alarm”. That’s what we have done last year.

Schneider: You already did ring the bell? When?

Birol: With the World Energy Outlook 2007. It was a clear signal to the governments of all our member countries. They take energy and oil security much more important than before, now. And when we present the WEO 2008 this November, I think it possible that the sirens will shrill even louder.

Schneider: But don’t you have a process to call together the heads of state or the ministers of economy to talk to them about an oil supply crisis?

Birol: We do have processes like that for a supply crisis. We call this an emergency situation and we can exchange information with the governments of all member countries in only a few hours time if that happens. We did that when Katrina hit.

Schneider: Don’t you see a difference there? On the one hand a crisis which is caused by a natural catastrophe which destroys some oil platforms and on the other hand something like a “longtime emergency”?

Birol: Yes - and that is the reason we asked our member countries to switch policies. Just recently the USA and Japan did pass new bench marks for cars to reduce the energy consumption. We desperately need new rules and standards here. Europe is trying to meet the same standards at the moment, but I know some countries will have their difficulties with them.

Schneider: Like for example Germany.

Birol: They are still reluctant to put them into effect. But I think we give them the clear message to do it. All these are examples on how we are ringing the alarm bells, and we are ringing them loudly. I can tell you that I am very pleased to see many ministers moving into the right direction now - but it is not enough. Especially if you set the new measures in perspective to the dimension of the problems we are facing.

Schneider: But isn’t it time to give a clear signal? Especially since a lot of money is wrongly invested by the OECD countries - for example for building new airports, even though there will not be enough oil to constantly increase air travel?

Birol: We do not only tell that to our member countries, but also to Peking or New Delhi. We explained to our Chinese and Indian colleagues how higher energy efficiency can help them, how public transport can change their life and where infrastructure investments should be put. But in the end it is up to the governments, how seriously they take our statements and warnings.

Schneider: In the face of the looming supply crisis, wouldn’t it be the right time now to call in a government conference on energy issues?

Birol: We are discussing and checking the situation regularly. The next important step will be the WEO 2008. In 2009 we will invite to a ministerial meeting and and I expect the energy security to be among the most important issues alongside climate change. But again: It is up to the governments to take actions now. We have warned them.

Schneider: So far we only talked about oil because it has the largest share in the global energy mix. The Energy Watch Group states that we cannot just double the amount of coal or uranium once oil starts to run out. Aside from climate issues, those energy sources are not unlimited either. What does the IEA say about this?

Birol: There is a difference between coal and uranium. Coal is a global resource, it can be found almost anywhere and we have large amounts. But the problem is - if we leave the climate change out of this for a moment - that it is becoming more and more difficult to transport the coal from the mines to the consumption centres. After having talked about oil prices already, let me tell you that the price for coal has more than doubled since the beginning of 2006. The coal prices, too, are rising because China has become an important importer while we don’t see a major increase in production anywhere.

Schneider: How do you judge the situation for uranium? Today only 60 % of the supply comes from the mines, the rest comes from storage reserves which will be used up soon.

Birol: For the uranium reserves we see no problem for the time after 2015 to 2020, as long as there are exploration efforts in key regions like Kazakhstan, Australia, South Africa and elsewhere. I don’t think the uranium supply is the main problem for the nuclear economy, it is more a question of public acceptance.

Schneider: In the light of the shortage and problems with oil, coal and gas, the OECD, the IEA and the United Nations have called for the building of more nuclear power stations to fight climate change. However, we would need three to four times as many nuclear power plants to be able to contribute enough power to make a difference.

Birol: To limit global warming to two degrees (Celsius I suspect, note from translator) we have to change our system of energy production. There are four ways to do that in a climate neutral way: Energy efficiency, renewable energies, CO2 deposition and nuclear energy. If you split the necessary CO2 reduction to those techniques evenly, we would have to build 30 new nuclear power plants worldwide every year. That is almost impossible. We are currently building 1.5 new nuclear power plants a year.

Schneider: So a renaissance of nuclear energy is out of the question as well?

Birol: Nuclear power should at least keep its current 15 % share of the energy mix. When people from my own country ask me, if they should build a nuclear power plant, I tell them about the advantages and disadvantages. But I also tell them that a nuclear reactor should not be built against the will of the people who have to live in its environment. It might be good for the global economy, good for energy security and good for climate protection, but when the local people have a problem with it, we should definitely consider that in the planning

"We need to create a WWII type of ethos here - victory gardens, conservation, (voluntary) rationing, recycling, etc, etc..... Mobilize the population to stop this madness and get our country back from the clutches of these companies and their poisonous products. Your parents, grandparents, and Great-grandparents all did this willingly to defeat a bigger threat to our way of life."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/henry-blodget/oil-crisis-your-primer-on_b_105690.html

Allow me to take the opportunity to talk to you about the humble compost heap. It is the wall flower of the garden, usually making itself at home in the background of your yard or property. It is shy and modest, hiding its moist, warm, sweet-smelling interior beneath a dry coating of brown leaves and twigs. Despite its retiring nature, it absolutely thrives on bring thrown around....in a way like pounding the dough for homemade bread. (The homeliest tasks often are the most exercise!) So, the one tool you really must have is a pitchfork, to toss the heap and mix it up. Its not an absolute, but you would find yourself up to your armpits trying to toss the heap in its middle stages, when it is also wet and decomposing.  It can be heavy.

Well, I love my compost heap. I've had one continually since 1986. During that time Ive lived in 4 different homes, with 4 different gardens, and 4 different compost heaps. The garden was radically different from home to home, but the compost heap stays the same. I've used every scrap over the years, and while I'm sure that other people's compost is wonderful, I think mine is the best on the planet, and I'll tell you why. I only use vegetation, no meat or anything that rots. Included might be grass clippings, leaves, pine needles, weeds, ferns (they grow like weeds here), kitchen vegetable scraps. Then in the winter we pour ashes of one kind or another on the pile. Spring arrives, and I begin pulling the fresh greenery and adding it. I think the fresh smell of a proper compost heap is unmatched! Somewhat lemony, definitely earthy and fragrant.

So, you've been wanting to make a compost heap, but were afraid the neighbors might complain that it is unsightly. First of all, screw the neighbors. That compost heap could save your life one day, and don't you doubt it. Second, keeping it neat and orderly isn't hard. If you  love yard work like I do, you already know that there will be a reward for your diligence in working a compost heap, more than one actually. I'm not talking about a composting box, that keeps everything neatly contained, or one of those composting barrels that you spin sideways to toss the whole mess. I'm talking about a pile that is permanent, on the ground.

Choose a spot that wont get in the way of anyones fun in your yard. The closer to your vegetable garden, the better. On that spot begin to pile any yard debris that you have...grass clippings, leaves, weeds trimmings. I would avoid wood chips, they take much longer to break down in the heap, and take up valuable space that could be filled with more tender offerings. The more variety in greenery, the better. A pile that is all one kind of vegetation is going to get slimy easier, and that is icky. Healthy humus needs many different ingredients to form. Water, and air circulation are also important, hence the pitchfork. Add warmth, and your compost heap will hum its way through the summer, and by fall will reveal luscious dirt that you just know will foster plant life to the max. I give mine away sometimes, and people have come back asking for it again. Of course I say "Why not make your own compost heap?" So many folks just can't be bothered with it. I typically toss the heap once a week, maybe twice, maybe less. The recipe never fails. I sort out the chunky stuff by hand later...wood chips or rocks of pine cones. Some stuff I leave in, for added nutritional value. I use no chemicals whatsoever in my yard, gardens or compost.

I lived in suburban Detroit for most of my life. Our most recent home there had city dirt that was silty and spent. After 10 years of letting the shade gardens self compost, and adding the compost back into the other gardens, the dirt was much improved, and the gardens, thriving.

Here is another argument in favor of composting: a recently published article from (some) medical journal said that getting your hands literally 'into' the dirt brings ...bacteria? or enzymes, gosh now I have to go find the article...some kind of organisms that enhance a sense of well being. I am not a bit surprised. 

I would love to see this start springing up everywhere!!  Although I think it will take a big jump in prices, or an electricity blackout to achieve it, I continue to be hopeful that Americans will dig deep into their native ingenuity and work out some real solutions for the energy shortages .

http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/060108/opi_285173311.shtml

"Empire editorial: Crisis lesson: Communities should unite

It's too soon to say Juneau's energy crisis is over, but Alaska Electric Light & Power Co.'s announcement late last week that transmission line repair work will be completed in a matter of days came as welcome news.

Juneau experienced a wrenching month and a half of uncertainty following the April 16 avalanches that cut the city off from its main source of cheap hydroelectricity and forced the utility to raise rates by 447 percent to cover the cost of expensive diesel fuel.

When the avalanches struck, no one knew how long this crisis was going to last or how painful the economic hit would be. The prospect of paying extremely high rates for up to three months had many people and businesses doubting their ability to weather the crisis.

But rather than panic, our community kept cool and started to conserve electricity. People began turning to conservation Web sites and online forums, as well as their neighbors, for tips on how to cut back on energy use. Armed with this information, people switched off lights, turned down the heat, lowered the temperature of water heaters, and dried their clothes on racks and clotheslines.

The result: The community cut its energy consumption by an unprecedented 30 percent.

When the crisis began, our community leaders sought assistance from the state and federal governments. When aid wasn't forthcoming, again, rather than panic, our leaders quickly realized that we alone had to pull ourselves out of this crisis.

The city partnered with the United Way of Southeast and Catholic Community Services to form Juneau Unplugged, a program that provides grants for lower income households. The program was recently expanded to households earning as much as 300 percent of the federal poverty guideline.

The city also charged the Juneau Economic Development Council with providing low-interest loans to needy small businesses. Along with federal aid from the Small Business Administration, these loans are helping local businesses weather the financial storm.

And finally, Juneau started catching some breaks. After the avalanches, the weather warmed up and remained relatively clear, which undoubtedly helped construction crews at the repair site. The warmer weather also helped residents cut back on their electric heat.

But the biggest break of all was that the concrete foundations of the destroyed transmission towers survived. If the foundations had been damaged, the repair work would easily have lasted into July. Instead, we're looking to be back on hydroelectricity in a few days. And instead of the 54-cent per kilowatt-hour rate we paid last month, the new rate to be issued June 16 will be around 18 cents per kWh - and maybe even lower.

It will undoubtedly take some time before we'll be able to assess the true impact of the April 16 avalanches. Hopefully, our conservation habits remain ingrained long after hydro power is restored.

We also hope this ordeal has helped policymakers realize the need for a statewide energy policy, for many communities throughout the state are seeing their rates skyrocket. Just as Juneau came together as a community to meet this challenge, the many communities of Alaska need to join for the benefit of all."

'The average U.S. citizen has become far softer than our tough forebears who worked the land and could create and repair anything their lives depended upon. Crucial skills have been lost along with community. Most other countries have been called impoverished, but even after being ravaged by corporate and government manipulation, they remain –- compared to Northern Americans -- close to the land, and their peoples retain family cohesion.'

Written by Jan Lundberg   'Ten unfortunate assumptions of energy addicts'  May 2008

http://www.culturechange.org/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=173&Itemid=1

(Disclaimer:I haven't figured out how to make the links bold yet, but I will eventually. You'll have to copy and paste it into a browser for now...sorry!)

When I was a little girl, in the 60's, I became acquainted with another little girl, who had been born one hundred years before me. She lived in a log cabin, and her family was cheerful, and amiable, and gentle. I fell in love with them, and followed their adventures across the country, facing all manner of good times and bad times, yet they as people didn't change: they were as good and kind and tough and intelligent as they had ever been.

Laura Ingalls life and writing are a clear message of hope to all of us today. Yes, we need each other. But we really need to take responsibility for ourselves, and our own survival. I can think of no higher ideal of integrity than Laura, and her family. Sure they didn't talk about the outhouse(...sheesh what a bore anyway, its an overdone subject in my life  :/), but they did butcher, and milk and tend and garden and took care of themselves with simplicity and moral courage. I aspire, even if my reality is quite different.

My deep concern is that the world will be changing hard in the near future (tomorrow) and we (all us Americans) will be caught like deer in the headlights when this downturn falls, yet again, farther downwards. I so wish I had studied economics because this is a thrilling time to document the global goings on. And I believe we are going down.

Now, how to survive it gracefully? (I want to buy a gun.) I want to start stockpiling food. I want solar panels so we can power ourselves. I want to help my neighbor in need, and receive help for myself in return. I want to gather my family around me (500 miles away FTLOG). I need to live more and more in as self sufficient a manner as possible.

We need a leader who can connect openly with the current state of affairs. Having someone speak the plain truth to the nation now could prevent greater social unrest later. I, like many others, am watching this entire process of politiking very carefully. Mr. McCain, Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Obama: whomever of you has a soul, please show it now.

Thank you.

(Was that graceful enough? If not, let me show you the lovely hot pink and green begonias I am planting in my garden. Right this way...)

 

For the first time John and I will be traveling across the country, near Reno, Nevada, to attend the 2008 Burning Man festival, held Labor Day week in August/Sept. There has been much work to do to prepare, and we are still in the midst of preparations. Fortunately John is a detail wizard, and has been hard at work perfecting his and our plans for this event.

Here is the link : www.burningman.com 

Here's a good book : Burning Book, by Jessica Bruder   ISBN# 1416928243
Here's another: The Next Exit, an interstate highway service guide IBSN# 0971407363

We will drive there and back from our home in NE Pennsylvania, hauling food, shelter, water and living necessities in our pull behind trailer. As it sits today, we have mapped out a 5 day drive, with stops for camping each night. It is about 2600 miles one way, and that entirely on I-80.

At the festival, we'll be camping in the desert, at around 3848 ft elevation, so the days could be scorching and the nights chilling. Our shelter consists of a 20 x 40 shade canopy, with 4 sides. Underneath we will pitch 3 tents, have a kitchen and eating area, and also a gathering area. We've also planned a smaller, more private area nearer the back that will afford some down time, as we expect the event to be stimulation overdrive. We've ordered an LED paper lantern, and a string of soft blue lights for the center ceiling of the main canopy. We have solar lights for the perimeter, and will be erecting a (very) simple toilet area and sprayer/shower area. Did I mention the winds can also be real intense? We are using iron pipe for shade canopy poles, and rebar sledge hammered into the ground to stake it down and  keep our desert home stable. We will be powering our camp with 2 golf cart batteries that will be regenerated once daily through use of a generator. I'm hoping (and believing) that we will invest in solar panels for next year (then turn around and use them in our home as well).

We must bring all our necessities with us. Water enough for 1.5 gal per day, (times 4 people as friends are going with us), equals almost 50 gallons. 400 lbs of water would really put a drag on our mileage, so we will get most of our perishables and the water, and dry ice for the freezer, in Reno. We also reserved a hotel room there, for the night before we go into the desert, so to get a fresh sleep and a shower (and maybe some black jack!)

We'll be hitting the Black Rock desert, and Black Rock City, Sunday morning, August 24. The city, which a month earlier did not exist, rises up from the alkaline 'playa' dust of the desert floor thanks to the work of the Black Rock City DPW, who work tirelessly to lay out the streets and the lights, etc. The city is set in a circle, which is like a discontinuous clock. The area from 10 o'clock to 2 o'clock is missing. The streets run in concentric lines following the arc of the circle, and are puncuated with side streets that are named for their radial clock counterparts: 6:00, 5:30, 5:00 etc. The concentric streets are named for the current years' theme, which for 2008 is 'American Dream'. The street names haven't been announced yet, but you could imagine that we will be camping near 7:30 and Freedom, and it wouldn't be far off the mark.

At Burning Man, there is no commerce, except for the sale of ice and coffee. Instead there is a 'gifting' ethic, which is to say that all come willing to give freely (and accept gracefully) the offerings of all. The tribal instinct is encouraged and promoted, as are self expression and all forms of art.. It would be worth the time to browse the website, just to see the incredible art installations, some of which may be up to a 1/4 mile away from Center Camp, which is the center of the circle that is the city. Center camp is a place of near constant activity. No wonder, as in the very dead center of Black Rock City stands the 80 ft+ wooden man who will burn on Saturday evening, the climactic moment of the festival. Then on Sunday, everyone burns their art.

On Monday the exodus of 50,000+ participants begins.

 I hope this is a fair beginning, and I hope to write more about our adventure as time goes on.