Monday, March 31, 2008

CLOUT Nehemiah Assembly


CLOUT Crowd 1
Originally uploaded by paynehollow
CLOUT (Citizens of Louisville Organized and United Together) had their largest and perhaps most successful meeting ever tonight. I haven't heard official numbers, but it would appear that well over 1,000 people met together to ask our local leaders to meet with us to develop and implement a plan for implementing Justice.

Our two issues tonight were to get eligible children enrolled in KCHIP (a children's healthcare plan) and to stop the closing of five swimming pools in our poorer neighborhoods. We got enthusiastic agreements from all officials involved.

Man! What a night!

God has told you, O man, what is good;
And what does the LORD require of you
But to
do justice,
to love kindness,
And to walk humbly with your God?

Goodbye, Larry


Shippingport Train
Originally uploaded by paynehollow
I found out recently that singer/preacher/weird guy Larry Norman passed away on February 24th. Larry had a big impact on my life and I'm sorry to hear he's passed on.

Larry was a Contemporary Christian singer before there was a category for it, very interesting, had some theology that I disagreed with, but I nearly always enjoyed and found challenging listening to his songs.

Rest in Peace, Brother Larry.

Here's a sampling of his lyrics...

Watch What You're Doing

mamma killed the chicken
she thought it was a duck
she put it on the table
with its legs sticking up

papa broke his glasses
when he fell down drunk
tried to drown the kitty cat
turned out to be a skunk

you gotta watch what you're doing
didn't you know
you gotta watch what you're doing
didn't you know?

Readers Digest

Rolling Stones are millionaires, flower children pallbearers,
Beatles said All you need is love, and then they broke up.
Jimi took an overdose, Janis followed so close,
The whole music scene and all the bands are pretty comatose.
This time last year, people didn't wanna hear.
They looked at Jesus from afar, this year he's a superstar...

It's 1973, I wonder who we're gonna see
Who's in power now? Think I'll turn on my TV,
The man on the news said China's gonna beat us,
We shot all our dreamers, there's no one left to lead us.
We need a solution, we need salvation,
Let's send some people to the moon and gather information.

They brought back a big bag of rocks.
Only cost thirteen billion. Must be nice rocks...

What a mess the world is in, I wonder who began it.
Don't ask me, I'm only visiting this planet.

Righteous Rocker #3

You can be a righteous rocker or a holy roller
You can be most anything.
You can be a child of the slum or a skid row bum,
You can be an earthly king.
Without love, you ain't nothing, without love.
Without love, you ain't nothing, without love.
Without love, you ain't nothing, without love.
Without love, you ain't nothing, without love.

======
Here's a link to his website and you can hear some of his music/see a slideshow of some of his photos:

http://www.larrynorman.com/multimedia.html

Phydeaux's on his own, now...


Howie on the Tracks
Originally uploaded by paynehollow
Larry was a "christian" singer who tackled controversial political topics at a time when nice Christians kept silent. Thank you Larry, for not worrying about being nice.

6 O'Clock News

Catch my plane flight back to the mainland,
I fall asleep to the engines' drone.
I see the flash of guns, how red the mud becomes,
I've got a close-up view. I am, I am, I am, I am, I am

I'm the six o'clock news - what can I do?
Guerilla Rendezvous - what can I do?
All those kids without shoes - what can I do?
Napalm tattoos - what can I do?

I'm the six o'clock news - what can I do?
I am, I am, I am, I am, I am
CBS, NBC, ABC....

Nightmare #71

and soon i saw atlantis rumble and rise high
and the great egg of euphrates came down out of the sky
and out stepped shirley temple with guy kippee who was dead
and that communist bill robinson whom shirley called black red
they have a marionette of harpo marx they said it was an inside joke
but when i honked his horn he came alive and these were the words he spoke

"with the continents adrift and the sun about to shift
will the ice caps drown us all or will we burn
we've polluted what we own will we reap what we have sown?
are we headed for the end or can we turn?
we've paved the forest killed the streams
burned the bridges to our dreams
the earth is bursting at the seams
and in pain of childbirth screams
as it gives life to what seems
to either be an age that gleams
or simply lays there dying
if this goes on will life survive how can it
out of the grave oh who will save our planet?"

Great American Novel

you are far across the ocean
but the war is not your own
and while you're winning theirs
you're gonna lose the one at home
do you really think the only way
to bring about the peace
is to sacrifice your children
and kill all your enemies

the politicians all make speeches
while the news men all take note
and they exagerate the issues
as they shove them down our throats
is it really up to them
whether this country sinks or floats
well i wonder who would lead us
if none of us would vote

and your money says in God we trust
but it's against the law to pray in school
you say we beat the russians to the moon
and i say you starved your children to do it
you say all men are equal all men are brothers
then why are the rich more equal than others
don't ask me for the answer i've only got one
that a man leaves his darkness when he follows the Son

Friday, March 28, 2008

Antiestablishmentarianism


Yewts
Originally uploaded by paynehollow
There is an article in a local entertainment magazine this week that caught my eye. The story was about how a couple of churches in Louisville - Sojourn Community Churchand St Francis of Assisi Catholic Community - who have provided church space for rock concerts.

Both churches sound like interesting places. St Francis sounds like a progressive Christian church where I might find some common ground and Sojourn, which is described in the article as having "conservative religious beliefs," nonetheless seem like cool people. I know at least one or two folk who go there and can find some good common ground amongst them, too (if nothing else, their annual celebration of Turn Off Your TV week sounds like great fun!)

The concerts are not "christian rock" concerts, but rather just secular bands, including uber-progressive Steve Earle's son, Justin Townes Earle. It was an interesting, positive article that represented both churches well.

But there was one line in particular that caught my attention...

"Rock is supposed to be anti-establishment - what's more establishment than church?"

Owch.

The church of Christ - who so upset the establishment that they crucified him! - whose church has been persecuted by the establishment deeply and frequently through the years - this church in THIS country has come to be understood as PART of the establishment.

Owch.

Not that this comes as a surprise to me, nor that I think this reporter has reported wrongly. I think this is indeed the attitude towards the church because the church has too often allowed herself to be coopted by the establishment.

And I think that's a shame.

Thursday, March 27, 2008

What's it all About?


Rainy Day
Originally uploaded by paynehollow
We have had some questions asked a coupla posts back that we want to consider further.

These are questions about Christianity and its tenets, so I suspect primarily of interest to Christians, but of course, all are welcome.

One of those questions have to do with Jesus' purpose on earth. It has been stated by some, that the "primary message of the Bible [is] the revelation of God's redeeming grace." In another place, "That was His primary purpose. To find us and save us who are lost in sin." and similar words in other places.

Secondarily (and related, I suppose) the question of what the primary role of Christians is. Again, these same folk have stated, "primary mission of the church, that is, to go and make disciples" or to "win people to Christ" or words to that effect.

These folk have as their "marching orders," the so-called "great commission," Jesus words at the end of Matthew 28. (As you go into the world, make disciples of people, baptizing them and teaching them to obey God's commands).

That's sort of one "side" (although I hesitate to divide us into sides, it helps in this discussion for clarification purposes).

My "side" has stated that we agree, that the bible uses words to suggest that Jesus came to save the lost, to forgive sinners, to do the work needed to give people the chance to experience God's grace and go to heaven (ie, to be saved from their sin). We don't disagree at all with this language.

We then go on to point out that the Bible also says that Jesus came to show us the way to live, to set an example for us, to serve, to give us abundant life, to do the will of God, to destroy the works of the devil, to tell us about God's love, to teach us how to love, etc, etc. In short, we point out that we agree with ALL the passages where Jesus or the apostles give reasons why Jesus came.

We further point out that none of those passages suggest that one or the other of these reasons has primacy, that they are all important. IF we were to point to one teaching that Jesus seems to (or directly) gives some extra priority too is the teaching that the greatest commands are to love God and love people.

As to the work of the church, we begin by stating that the church doesn't "win" ANYONE to Christ. That is the work of God. But most folk would agree with that and their use of "winning people to Christ" is just an expression, so that one we probably agree upon.

Beyond that, we tend to think that (as the Westminster Catechism states) "the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever." That our work is to be faithful to the teachings of Jesus. That we are specifically to love and love well. Love our neighbors, our brothers and sisters in Christ, even our enemies. That we are to give a cup of cold water, that we do for and with the least of these, to baptize and disciple folk, etc.

In short, we are to follow all the teachings of Jesus and the only "primacy" of the different teachings is to love.

In other words, we agree on everything, both sides, all the teachings of Jesus (although some of we on the Left think that some on the Right are too quick to spiritualize some of Jesus' teachings and not take literally what ought to be taken literally). Where we disagree is those on the Right feel a need to promote a primary role of Jesus and the Church, whereas we see no biblical support for doing so.

And now, I believe someone is going to try to take a stab at making their case as to why they feel this need to prioritize Jesus' teachings.

And a request: Let's let people's words stand for themselves this time. If you think they mean something other than what they've said, then ask ("So by X, do you mean Y, too?"). Let's avoid this assumptions about what they mean, at least for this thread. Thanks.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Easter at Jeff Street


Easter Celebration
Originally uploaded by paynehollow
Click here for photos of Easter Day at my church, Jeff Street.

======

Goodness is stronger than evil.
Love is stronger than hate.
Light is stronger than darkness.
Life is stronger than death.
Victory is ours through Him who loved us.


~ Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Monday, March 24, 2008

What are you trying to say, Dan?


Andy and a Flower
Originally uploaded by paynehollow
Because of a criticism that my blog gives the impression that I think Jesus was primarily concerned about political reform, I took a look at my last two months' worth of blogging.

My March posts were about:

* Four posts about unjustified attacks against Rev. Wright (which I find biblical support in the notion of criticizing those who'd bear false witness, who'd demonize the perceived enemy; also, I'm standing with the brethren in the times of unwarranted attacks - also a biblical and humane thing to do)
* Two posts in praise of God's Creation
* Five posts with quotes and photos from a sled trip which, for me, fall under the category of praise for God's Creation
* One post about the dangers of living unsustainably/our unhealthy dependence on fossil fuels
* One post condemning an attack that apparently killed/maimed civilians

My February posts were about:

* One post about the lack of wisdom in our dependence on and hyperconsumption of fossil fuels
* A post about finding God evidenced in the mystery of the Creation
* One posting of the money-related verses found in the book of James
* One post about meeting Wendell Berry and what he had to say about our church and pastor
* One post where I wrote why I was supporting Obama
* One post where I talked about the sinfulness of destroying God's Creation
* One post where I pointed out how cars were not really time-savers
* One post where I asked why the Right was so opposed to John McCain
* One post about the community meal group in which I take part

Or, to try to summarize these (as I would summarize them - others may summarize them differently):

I had:

8 Posts about God and Creation
7 posts where I criticized wrong actions/policies
3 Posts on the foolishness of our current energy/transportation policies
2 Posts on my church community
1 Post looking at some Biblical passages

Or, looking at it another way, I had 11 posts on God, the Bible and Church and 10 posts on naughty behavior.

(And, for what it's worth, I had no posts where I suggested Jesus was primarily concerned with political reform.)

Hmmm... What are we to make of that?

Friday, March 21, 2008

Last one...


Frozen Mayor
Originally uploaded by paynehollow
Oh no! Another Black minister has been mouthing off, attacking the US, demonstrating hatred for our beloved nation! And siding with the enemy, to boot!!

What's wrong with these black "pastors," false prophets pretending to be "christians"??!! What audacity, spreading their lies and hatred of the US!

"Now, it should be incandescently clear that no one who has any concern for the integrity and life of America today can ignore the present war. If America's soul becomes totally poisoned, part of the autopsy must read Vietnam. It can never be saved so long as it destroys the deepest hopes of men the world over..."

"Our government felt then that the Vietnamese people were not "ready" for independence, and we again fell victim to the deadly Western arrogance that has poisoned the international atmosphere for so long..."

"But instead there came the United States, determined that Ho should not unify the temporarily divided nation, and the peasants watched again as we supported one of the most vicious modern dictators -- our chosen man, Premier Diem..."

"Now they languish under our bombs and consider us -- not their fellow Vietnamese --the real enemy. They move sadly and apathetically as we herd them off the land of their fathers into concentration camps... They know they must move or be destroyed by our bombs. So they go -- primarily women and children and the aged..."

"They watch as we poison their water, as we kill a million acres of their crops. They must weep as the bulldozers roar through their areas preparing to destroy the precious trees. They wander into the hospitals, with at least twenty casualties from American firepower for one "Vietcong"-inflicted injury. So far we may have killed a million of them -- mostly children [!!!]..."


~Dr. Martin Luther King

=====
What's wrong with these black pastors?

Nothing.

What's wrong with the rest of our pastors who refuse to stand up to such atrocities?

Fortunately for us, King lived before YouTube, although he was certainly attacked and denounced for his prophetic, Godly words, too.

[Note: Not that I'm comparing Wright to King, exactly. Just pointing out that strong words are part and parcel of prophetic preaching. I still agree that Wright went overboard in parts, but this is just an attempt to try to demonstrate the tradition from which Wright springs. May God bless Wright for his intent and be merciful with his failures.

If Wright's hyperbole reached the level of crime, it was a misdemeanor. While too many pastors committed the felony of turning too blind an eye to - or even supported! - criminally immoral policy here at home.]

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Not This Time!


Splendor In Diversity
Originally uploaded by paynehollow
For we have a choice in this country. We can accept a politics that breeds division, and conflict, and cynicism. We can tackle race only as spectacle -- as we did in the O.J. trial -- or in the wake of tragedy, as we did in the aftermath of Katrina -- or as fodder for the nightly news.

We can play Rev. Wright's sermons on every channel, every day and talk about them from now until the election, and make the only question in this campaign whether or not the American people think that I somehow believe or sympathize with his most offensive words.

We can pounce on some gaffe by a Hillary supporter as evidence that she's playing the race card, or we can speculate on whether white men will all flock to John McCain in the general election regardless of his policies.

We can do that.

But if we do, I can tell you that in the next election, we'll be talking about some other distraction. And then another one. And then another one. And nothing will change.

That is one option. Or, at this moment, in this election, we can come together and say, "Not this time."


~Barack Obama, powerfully defusing those who'd lie and twist words to blow this nation up, yesterday.

Amen, and amen.

I predict that there are some few on the more Rabid Right who will hang on to this non-issue about Reverend Wright's sermons and strive to swiftboat Obama with lies and vapid, empty-headed non-charges and baseless allegations.

I further predict that this will only further serve to marginalize the Rabid Right as the haters and deceivers that they are, God have mercy on their souls; that the rest of us are ready to move on and, with Obama, say, "NOT THIS TIME!"

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Between Reality and Fantasy


Grass and Bridge
Originally uploaded by paynehollow
Following up on the previous post:

Out of concern of some preacher-bashing and truth-twisting that I've seen taking place, here are some REAL quotes expressing some of Reverend Jeremiah Wright's ACTUAL thoughts (as opposed to words and ideas that people are trying to foist on him):

“I don’t know how you can do ministry without having social justice as a piece of what you are doing."

“Jesus says, ‘As you’ve done to the least of these, you’ve done to me.’ [Each of] the ministries of our church address some of that Jesus agenda...”


[Trinity United Church of Christ members can get involved with more than 50 ministries, including those dedicated to supporting people affected by HIV/AIDS, victims of domestic violence and the un- and underemployed. TUCC also houses a community computer center and offers numerous educational opportunities for youth and adults in the congregation.]

“Don’t confuse your ‘bling-bling’ with your blessings. Don’t try to impress your oppressors.”

[One of the precepts of TUCC’s 12-Point Black Value System, established by the congregation in 1981, is the “disavowal of the pursuit of ‘middleclassness.’]

“In a democracy we need to learn how to disagree without breaking up our house and getting a divorce. We need to learn how to be unified in terms of nobody should go to bed hungry, nobody should die unnecessarily.”

[Can I get an Amen?]

"We bombed Hiroshima, we bombed Nagasaki, and we nuked far more than the thousands in New York and the Pentagon, and we never batted an eye, We should have nuked Washington DC..."

"We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because the stuff we have done overseas is now brought right back to our own front yards. America's chickens are coming home to roost..."


=======
Now, as I state in the next post, I don't know jack about Jeremiah except for some brief snippets and quotes. He may well be putting out hateful or at least ill-advised messages.

But from what I've SEEN posted about him (as opposed to his actual postions) I suspect there's an attempt at a digital lynching going on in some "christian" quarters.

Now, I'm not one to normally do the "quote" thing around "christian," but the behavior I've seen demonstrated is not Christian in any sense.

If you have a problem with a brother, you point it out to them and, if you must discuss it publicly, you point out exactly what he's done that you disagree with. You don't say he's a false teacher and a hater and a racist without supporting such dangerous accusations.

Shameful, shameful, shameful.

I join with Wright in saying, "God DAMN that sort of behavior."

If They're Not Against Us, They're For Us...


Stained Glass
Originally uploaded by paynehollow
Those who aren't against us are for us?

Isn't that backwards? If we've learned nothing during the Bush years, isn't it that, "If you're not FOR us, you're AGAINST us?" I mean, isn't that his whole legacy?

Well, that favorite philosopher of Bush - Jesus - did utter that saying once, but Jesus also said it the opposite way. In Mark 9, we see the boys on a journey...

They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house, he began to ask them, "What were you arguing about on the way?" But they remained silent. They had been discussing among themselves on the way who was the greatest.

Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, "If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all."

Taking a child he placed it in their midst, and putting his arms around it he said to them, "Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the one who sent me."

John said to him, "Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us."

Jesus replied, "Do not prevent him. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is for us. Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward.

"Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe (in me) to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea."


So, what? Shall we call Jesus a liar? Shall we say, "Anyone who gives a cup of cold water to one in need will not lose his reward - UNLESS, that is, he is a Democrat. Or a Republican. Or a Muslim. Or just anyone that we don't like..."??

I've seen many complaints here lately about Obama's former pastor, Jeremiah Wright. Now, I knew nothing of the man before this month and now, all I know are the little excerpts of sermons that I've heard or read.

But there are many, it seems, foaming at the mouth claiming he's not a Christian, that he's a false teacher, a teacher of hate and racism. When I've asked people what exactly Wright has said that makes them make such a strong charge, they've been reluctant to produce an exact quote, preferring to say, "If you can't see he's obviously an American-hating racist, then there's a problem with you!!"

Whoever receives a child in my name, receives me. Whoever gives a cup of cold water will receive his reward. If they're not against us, they're for us.

Could it be that one difference between some of us is that some tend towards Jesus' saying "If you're not for me, you're against me" (in Matthew 12) while others of us tend towards Jesus' saying "Those who aren't against us are for us"?

I tend to include those who claim to be God followers as a brother or a sister. Now, if they take actions that aren't Godly (encouraging hate, spreading rumors, bearing false witness), I will tell them that they've strayed from the way. But that is not the same as my saying, "You're not on the same team! You hate America! You're not a Christian!!"

Others seem to tend to be more quick to jump to the opposite conclusion. "I don't like the way that sounds, this fella must be a traitor, a communist, not a christian!"

In the case of Reverend Wright, I'll have to say that some of the snippets I've read and heard (out of context) sound more divisive or argumentative than I think is healthy for a strong community. His words have sometimes sounded a bit like Us against Them kind of thinking.

Now, I will say that most of what I've heard from him - even in these snippets selected to make him sound bad - I've tended to agree with. It's just how he's expressed it that I have some reservations with.

But short of some solid quote where he is expressing anti-Christian, ungodly thoughts, I would gladly tend to include him in my circle of faith community. He's not against Us, seems to me. He's for us. For the US, for the body of Christ, for the world community, for the poor and oppressed.

So why the animosity and presumption of guilt on the part of some?

He sure seems to be on the same team to me.

You think?

Friday, March 14, 2008

Spring approacheth


Racoon 3
Originally uploaded by paynehollow
We had a grand snowstorm last week, depositing nearly a foot of snow in a few brief hours. It disrupted the weekend a little, but for the most part, the streets cleared quickly and it gave everyone who wished a short time to go sledding, build snow creatures and otherwise cavort. Then, just as quickly as it had arrived, the snow was gone.

The snow left in its place the beginnings of Spring. Trees are beginning to bud. Lilies and crocus are poking through the nicely damp ground, in some cases, already flowering. Creeks are flowing with vigor and joy. And birds of all sorts and sizes are filling the air with their song.

I made a quick trip the other day over to the Friends' Farm across the river, and was greeted by an incredible symphony of song bursting from all of the above. I walked thru the woods and had to tear myself away from the beauty of it all much too soon.

In my very brief visit there, I spotted cardinals, a bluebird, a hawk and a crow soaring overhead, an eastern towhee, sparrows and multiple birds I could not identify from a distance. I also collected a few snippets of the symphony, shown below along with some photos.

Let those with ears, enjoy.

God writes the gospel not in the Bible alone, but on trees and flowers and clouds and stars. ~Martin Luther

I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it.... People think pleasing God is all God care about. But any fool living in the world can see it always trying to please us back. ~Alice Walker

But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will teach you: or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you. ~Job 12

Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life. ~Rachel Carson

Birdsong and Creek Music at the Farm

Monday, March 10, 2008

Wipeout


Wipeout
Originally uploaded by paynehollow
I went with my daughter and some friends sledding this weekend, to enjoy our rare snowfall deep enough to actually enjoy. The day was warm, the snow was soft and perfect and a grand time was had by all.

A few photos and quotes to share the day with you follow.

The snow notwithstanding, Spring is just around the corner, friends.

======
“Adversity draws men together and produces beauty and harmony in life's relationships, just as the cold of winter produces ice-flowers on the window-panes, which vanish with the warmth.”

~Soren Kierkegaard

Snowy Thistle


Snowy Thistle
Originally uploaded by paynehollow
Whose woods these are I think I know,
His house is in the village though.
He will not see me stopping here,
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer,
To stop without a farmhouse near,
Between the woods and frozen lake,
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake,
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep,
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

~Robert Frost

Sledding Kids


Sledding Kids
Originally uploaded by paynehollow
“Look round and round upon this bare bleak plain, and see even here, upon a winter's day, how beautiful the shadows are! Alas! it is the nature of their kind to be so. The loveliest things in life, Tom, are but shadows; and they come and go, and change and fade away, as rapidly as these!”

~Charles Dickens

Andy Sledding


Andy Sledding
Originally uploaded by paynehollow
“In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.”

~Albert Camus

Goose Aflight


Goose Aflight
Originally uploaded by paynehollow
“O, wind, if winter comes, can spring be far behind?”

~Percy Bysshe Shelley

Thursday, March 6, 2008

Behold the birds of the air...


Chickadee and Waxwing
Originally uploaded by paynehollow
In the news...

SINGAPORE (AP) -- Oil prices were sent soaring above $105 a barrel Thursday after a surprise drop in U.S. crude oil supplies and OPEC's decision not to boost production sent oil to a record settle Wednesday.

======

And more news telling us other ways that our auto-centric society costs, costs, costs...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Traffic crashes cost American motorists more than $160 billion a year while inflicting a staggering per-person toll on small cities such as Little Rock, Arkansas, Columbia, South Carolina, and Pensacola, Florida, according to a AAA research report...

...Maryland-based Cambridge Systematics Inc., which conducted the research for the automobile association, found that crashes cost U.S. motorists $164.2 billion a year, or about $1,051 per person. That's more than double the $67.6 billion in annual costs from congestion, which works out to about $430 per person.

=====

And, at ELAshley's place, Eric is citing an economist who predicts dire days ahead due to our oil dependencies...

...It all boils down to this, Maxwell told EnergyTechStocks.com: We live in a world where there is only about 1.2% more oil available each year, not enough to keep up with 1.5% annual demand growth. Between now and 2010, this supply shortfall will be made up through a drawdown in inventories, helped out by a slowdown in demand in 2008 and 2009 due to a recession or near-recession in the U.S.

But in 2010, Maxwell said, the shortfall will become greater than can be made up by what’s still in inventory, and thus will begin a long period of global oil scarcity that will get worse starting in 2012 or 2013, which is when Maxwell foresees a “peak” in conventional oil production. It gets even worse in 2015, which is when he expects a peak in the production of all liquids, a category that includes condensates, tar sands oil and biodiesel.

Maxwell described the period 2010 through 2015 as the “letting down” of production. In 2015, he said, the all-liquids peak arrives, after which production “starts down,” even as demand continues up. He added that production will start down even though new oilfields will go into production, and even if there is only a 4.5% average annual depletion rate from existing fields, which is what Cambridge Energy Research Associates has optimistically concluded. (Others believe the depletion rate is significantly higher.)

=====

What is significant (and a little slimy) about this Maxwell scenario above is that it isn't coming from some "environmental wacko" but rather an investing "expert," who is telling people how best to invest in the pending crises (that's the slimy part...) It is becoming more evident that changes will be forced upon us. I'm wondering how we will embrace those changes?

Perhaps now that Cuba may be seeing some changes come their way, perhaps we can open our minds enough to learn some of their oil-free wisdom (without embracing any of their idiocies).

And that's some of the news that's fit to consider today.

We ought pay attention...

Monday, March 3, 2008

Another Drop


Raindrop
Originally uploaded by paynehollow
In the news today:

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The United States on Monday used precision missiles to strike a "known terrorist target" in southern Somalia, a U.S. military official said.

The strike near Dhoobley, which is close to the Kenyan border, was aimed at a "facility where there were known terrorists" affiliated with East African al Qaeda operations, according to the official.

The strike destroyed two houses -- killing three women and three children, and wounding another 20 people -- Dhoobley's District Commissioner Ali Nur Ali Dherre told CNN. Dherre said the remains of the missiles were marked "US K."

The U.S. military official said the United States is still collecting post-strike information and is not yet able to confirm any casualties.

He described Monday's strike as "very deliberate" and said forces tried to use caution to avoid hitting civilians.

Villagers have fled in fear of another strike, Dherre said.

"We woke up with a loud and big bang and when we came out we found our neighbor's house completely obliterated as if no house existed here," Fatuma Abdullahi, a resident of the town, told The Associated Press. "We are taking shelter under trees. Three planes were flying over our heads."

Clan elder Ahmed Nur Dalab told AP that said a senior Islamic official, Hassan Turki, was in town Sunday to mediate between his fighters and a militia loyal to the government. Turki's forces took over Dhoobley last week, AP reported.

Dherre told CNN he did not know of any Islamist extremists in the village.

The United States conducted similar strikes in southern Somalia in January 2007 against al Qaeda targets, hoping to kill some of the militants suspected in the 1998 attacks against the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

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What I'm wondering is, how the hell do we have permission to choose to drop a bomb in Somalia? It's not mentioned in the article. Has the gov't of Somalia said it's okay for us to conduct bombing raids?

Or are we just beyond laws here in the US?

And, if they knew there were terrorists there, why not go in and arrest them instead of bombing children "by accident"? Or is it that we don't have permission to arrest and so we'll bomb instead?

What the hell?! (And I mean that quite literally.)