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Thursday, April 24, 2008

Scary news stories

Good heavens
watching the news will make anyone think that the world is nearing an end as we know it.
Rushes on Costco and Sam's club for flour and rice

Come on people you forgot the sugar!! and what about yeast!! you can't make bread without yeast! well you can but it just is not the same at least to me

and what about Milk I mean I know that if I am not having a cow right now most people will not have a cow!
or
maybe they will

(nasty reference to the 80s LOL I crack myself up)

now I am all for jumping on bandwagons and I love mob mentality I find it brings out the best in all of us ...well ok it brings out the real animal in all of us

I think the time for more moderation is needed

going nutso over things is only going to scare you more

also remember that the news in America is more sensational than anywhere else in the world all the doom and gloom is shown because American's dont pay attention to good news they are more likely to watch or pay attention to something that says

DONT MISS THIS YOU LIFE DEPENDS ON IT !!

FOOD SHORTAGES RACK THE NATION

ENERGY CRISIS !!!

GAS PRICES REACH AN ALL TIME HIGH

we have to remember as a group and I am not talking a small group of people but a LARGE group of people we have power over things we have the power to change things

I know things are changing but attitude is a must we should look at the change as something positive mass consumtion is not good for anyone it is not good for our health it is not good for the planet and being spoiled is a bad thing

Remember being told as a kid "you will appreciate something more if you work for it"

I know I do my Dad used to say that to me all the time and being the spoiled princess I was I did not want that to be true

WORK?? what!!

well I have to say this and if he was alive he would be so happy

Dad was right

I appreciate and like things better when I work for them

I actually eat (GASP) vegetables when I grow them myself (belive me this is shocking I hate veggies)

The great depression brought out the survival instinct in a generation of people they went on to change the world in WW2 and after

so who knows what this new "downturn" will bring about for the future I am excited to see it happen!

6 comments:

Marc said...

I agree.

Let the commoditities rise! These little spikes in prices are but tiny forshadows of what's to come as supply and demand shifts start to quicken. Those forces are the real catalysts of change.

There are significant market shifts under way and neccesity is the mother of invention.

Sue said...

many"downshifts" in the economy brought about many great new ways of living for the lower classes and prosperity followed

Granted the life we are looking at living will not be as easy as it has been but American's have advantages over most of the rest of the world that many Americans refuse to even look at

I know for myself I have a lot of fat I could cut out in so many ways from energy consumption to food consumption

If people would look at things in a more positive light they would see that changes have been happening for years but we little people have a great deal of control over where this change goes we choose things with our purchase power. and it is our purchase power that drives the economy not big bussiness not the government

Marc said...

Amen and Hellelujah!

If we could all just form a conscensus and row in the same directions - even if only on one point - we could have a massive impact. Maybe that's what our GDP-obscessed government is afraid of.

Don't they realize that there are no jobs on a dead planet??!!

Municipalities frequently dictate water restrictions during drought. We should currently have national energy restrictions in effect given the drought in oil production being created by the OPEC regime.

But no wait! National restrictions might send the wrong message to the consumers which may encourage them to face reality and curb spending (as if gas prices and food prices aren't already)..


Of course, like you said, we can all make decisions that have an impact, but most Americans are so arrogant, spoiled, and glutonous that they can't be bothered. And we also clearly have a government of, by, and for the corporations.

Who killed the Electric Car? Probably the Lobbyists.

Here in the South, I've noticed most people light up just about every room in their houses at night as if they are display cases. Why!? Are that many people still afraid of the dark?..or burglers? Or are they simply showing the "Jones" just how big indeed their "footprints" are? Here's an idea: a national building code that all household lighting must be motion sensored, you know like Wal-mart now does with is freezer case lighting. When you leave the room the light automaticly cuts off. That would save millions of tons of coal and keep hundreds of thousands of tons of Mercury out of the air, water, and land. They also should mandate retrofitting and greenfield codes for all CFL bulbs henceforth....but then I'll bet the tungstein filament industry will be working overtime to try and make sure that never happened.

Unlike the bygone era of hardship (such as the days of the Great Depression and Hooversvilles) we are no longer ask to sacrifice, plant Victory Gardens, or conserve - actaully the opposite is true. Now that there is a chicken in every pot, we are now asked to please remain mindless yet prolific consumers. 911 really brought home what a house of cards the whole consumer cycle is.

I think there will have to be significant adversity and turmoil for many fat cat Americans to be snapped out of their complacencies. A rude awaikening is quickly coming and it will shock many who are hard-pressed to change their wasteful ways in the least bit.

Consider, for example, many evangelicals who are convinced we are in the "end times" or Rapture or whatever - so "why bother", destiny is all about the "will of god" anyway.

This is one of the most problematic crowds who will have no part of Science and who are actually retarding the public's view about global warming and the delitarious affects of humans on the environment, not to mention the proper level of scientific education needed in an extremely complex twenty-first century society on the verge of self-inflicted cataclysm. Sure the implementation of Science causes major problems, but so too will it be our savior if there can be one.

And then there's the tidal wave of tens of millions of baby boomers who have worked and saved all their lives and who have a strong sense of material entitlement. It will take legislation to curb the conspicuous consumption surge as they approach the dawn of their lives. They want their big cars, second homes, rvs, ect, ect. My parents say all the time, "thank god we won't have to worry about what's coming".

These are the macrotrends inhibiting progress toward a more sustainable society. America is a disgrace environmentally - aren't we now the only hold out on signing the Kyoto Protocol - even as we invade other countries to try and secure future supplies of finite, non-renewable resources? Not to mention consume more resources and energy than any other country, to the extent that we'd need FIVE PLANETS to sustain our ravinous appetites. We are the Hobbgoblins of Earth.

Yes I am an American too (not YET an ex-patriot) and no I am not perfect by any stretch. In fact, I'm ashamed of the convoluted lifestyle I'm trapped in. But being ashamed is what most Americans don't know how to be. That shame is what drives me to make the changes in my habits that I do have the power to make. The rest is up to the government and my "black box" vote. I say voting with your dollars is much more effective.

I understand about looking at things in a positive light. That works best for the decisions we can make on a personal level.

However, we all need to get a little bit mad too to change those things like the transportation, food, and energy systems that involve well-entenched government regulated infrastructure.

Gas price is striking a nerve and that's good. The PollyAnna mindset will only go so far. We all need to get our heads out of the sand and become Realists.
Unfortunately, I think real conscensus will only come reactively rather than proactively.

If people weren't brainwashed into thinking it's not ok to question things, we would all be more skeptical, and wouldn't be living in such a Rube Goldberg Apparatus-like society.

Don't get me wrong Sue. None of this is directed at you. This is a rant to the American people in general. I'm sure Homeland Security will pick this up as well. Good! We need to let the Feds know us natives are getting restless! LOL

Sue said...

Professor I take no offense at all at what you are saying but as my Mama said "you get more flies with Honey than Vinegar" Iam a bit of a pollyanna in things because I have the luxury of being able to do that. I KNOW that I can make my family survive through any crisis even if it is by my will alone.

You are quite correct in saying that many people are mindless when it comes to thier consumerism much of our lives are disposable. I know people that throw away things like clothing if it becomes too stained or has a rip in the seam rather than sew it or clean the stain or repurpose the cloth somehow.
many Americans have been far too spoiled for far too long. I am a baby of the 70s I was a teenager in the 1980s the time when buy buy buy and GREED were the main themes of life. my parents were older so they were not young people in the 60s they were young in the 1950s so you can see where my family mindset comes from.

Change is so hard for so many and I would LOVE to see people understand that they have power we have purchase power we have the duty to our part of the world to change things. Big bussiness is afraid of the little people because of the power we have we have the power of choice in what we buy. Our descisions should not be made by flashy commercials.

I find the change in advertising and television programs so fasinating there are so many more things drilling greener options into the minds and conscienous of us greedy Americans. I think making that change on television (which lets face it many americans get thier information from commercials) will make a difference

Even Walmart has been making changes granted a haven of consumerism the likes the world has never seen but the changes it makes are fantastic and showcase how it can be done on a large scale

The problem I see with demanding change legally is that there are many people who once they are told they MUST change will only out of sheer stubborness say NO WAY

My Dear Darling is like this he hates with an all consuming passion CFLs and any florescent bulb they give him a horrific headache because his hearing is so acute he can hear them buzzing as they warmup I told him to get ear plugs they are here to stay

Also many changes that will make a huge difference most average Americans cannot afford I think changes need to be gradual and that the mindset more than the instruments needs to be altered

I think the mindset of BUY BUY BUY and the thoughts of well there is always tommorow has to change we need to think more about how much we use how much we consume.

Again I am lucky I have my boys I tell them they are the light cops if a light is on turn it off even if someone else turned it on. we have lights that get left on often those were the first ones to become our CFL lights I had to introduce these things slowly into our home and as people became more accustomed to them it helped to make it more of the way WE do things rather than some new gadget mom wanted to try

Change comes slowly to people and people are very resistant to things in thier life being altered we are not used to things being even remotely uncomfortable.

I know people who will leave thir thermostats turned way up in the winter so they dont have to wear a sweater or turn down thier AC in the summer so for the two weeks we have really hot weather they do not have to sweat

the concern for the environment is minimal in those people so I like to appeal to thier wallets
I know people up in my farming area LOVE to get locally produced food mainly because it is cheaper in season and prettier and tastier in winter our options are Walmart and Walmart

Canning foods is not done unless your family is amazingly poor (I can think of one family at all that cans food because they love a certain kind of jelly made from wild berries)

most people do not know the abundance that grows on our roadsides FREE FOOD but again that would take time away from things they might enjoy more.
My kids are disappointed because in science class they get told by thier teachers about conservation and recycling and they then learn thier school does not recycle

It is the double standard and conflicting messages that upset me most
I have given up faith in my government (long ago) to make any real lasting change and I know that big bussiness will not change it's ways unless forced to

so I in my small way take my message to the little people I ask them to join me in becoming a catalyst for change in thier own areas in thier own ways simple easy changes that will not greatly alter lifestyles once those changes are in place we can work toward changing other things toward teaching people to grow container gardens to offset thier food purchase needs to growing an energy garden (victory garden)

to taking a walk to pick up som garbage on the roadside turn off the lights one night a week and turn off the TV and get to know your family by candlelight. take a local vacation instead of flying out somewhere. there are tons of things we can each do in our lives that WILL make a huge impact even if we make only small changes

but again attititude needs to change more than laws. Americans need the green movement to be cool to do it. and I am happy to see it become so. I am annoyed that it is cool because it again is more consumer driven you know the buy organic cotton shirts thing. I would love to see it more conserve the shirts you have and buy USED items because there are lots of those too...but I have babbled enough. I love chatting with you professor! and you are right the natives are getting restless we are angry that we have to choose between milk for our kids and gas to get to work.

I Tried to get Senetor Obama's attention but I got ignored except to get a whole bunch of SPAM in my inbox about coming to campaign for him PPPBBBLLLTT!!!

Marc said...

Thanks again Sue for conscientiously sharing your thoughts. Your voice is one amongst millions now on the internet which collectively are starting to affect change by showing what's possible and weaving a conscensus.

And as I type this, Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" is on HBO - a good example of an effective larger scale conscensus weaver.

I love this Upton Sinclair quote from the movie, "It's difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on him not understanding it." Such is the plight of our political system, but I do think that is veeeery slowly changing to the inverse now.

Obama seems to me the lesser of the other "evils", but like you, I don't have much faith in any sweeping changes coming about. It'll have to get really ugly first.

By the way, you inspired me to start unplugging the power strips to cut out all the "phantom charges". I already do a lot of the other things you have covered but I had been procrastinating on the plug thing. Thanks for the nudge;^)

And it's not that I can't afford a higher electricity bill, food bill, gas bill, or water bill - I can (somewhat), but I actually think it's now more than ever an ethical and moral obligation to not waste or use more than is needed to be reasonably sustained.

All in all, I think the small eco-wise steps you are taking every day undoubtedly have a tangeable and positive impact on your family's budget, your childrens' practical education, your hope and options, and your "human footprint". There are also intangeable dividends that get paid over the long term such as reduced stress from money matters, closer family bonds, and a sense of long term well-being that comes from a sense of empowerment to overcome adversity no matter what the economy does.

Ok, I've caused enough emmisions from Google's server farm for one night...so I'm off to pick some fresh spinach, lettuce, and Broccoli Rab from my pesticide-free garden fertilized by my organic kitchen scraps and vermicompost (leafy greens love it.)

We'll save this planet one way or another by golly! Hope you and the family have a great evening!

Sue said...

Again professor it is always a joy! I am glad that I have inspired you to do something else. I have to say that my children are what have changed me more so than my desire to save cash (even though saving money is big with a cheapskate like me) MY boys are like many kids very passionate and thier passion is now about saving the world. So I made it a realistic goal for them and showed them steps we can take to make a difference. Which is what prompted the oldest one to form his group G-Force. Due to weather problems he has yet to have his first mission but he is so excited he has a teacher interested in proctoring it and he wants to make movies to advertise the idea for You Tube and he has plans to get the road sides cleaned up. He has done this on his own with his brothers for a few years but if they get more kids joining in they can ...make a difference.

Something frightened me today though my Dear Dave did not think I am going overboard with having a huge garden and my desire to be more self sustaining..he said "it makes sense" that to me says that the world is in a much more scary place than I will let myself see..

I hope you enjoyed your Salad I look forward to warmer temps up here to actually be able to plant our spinich!!