[Culturechat] Jim Kunstler's Thoughts, upon returning from Europe
Robert W. Miller
rwm1029@chartertn.net
Fri, 17 Dec 2004 11:31:59 -0500
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I guess we all have to realize that fossil fuels WILL eventually run out =
and certainly get incresingly expensive as the supply dwindles. =
Acually, there is more than enough continuously available natural =
energy such as wind power, solar, wave action, etc. to meet society's =
needs indefinitely. The trouble is that they mostly are available =
intermittently and we need some sort of very efficient system for =
storing energy. The other problem is that with fosssil fuel readily =
available at moderate cost, there has been little or no incentive to do =
the research work necessary to harness and distribute the natural forms =
of energy. Future events are likely to force governments and industry =
to explore these alternate paths.
At age 86, I guess there will be enough fossil fuel to see me through. =
Good luck to the rest of you.
Bob Miller
----- Original Message -----=20
From: Kk5qq@aol.com=20
To: WesTexas@aol.com ; culturechat@untours.com=20
Sent: Friday, December 17, 2004 11:00 AM
Subject: Re: [Culturechat] Jim Kunstler's Thoughts, upon returning =
from Europe
In a message dated 12/16/2004 7:16:57 PM Central Standard Time, =
WesTexas@aol.com quotes Jim Kunstler:
In Paris there was hardly a Santa to be seen, or a carol to be heard
I wonder if this was partially the result of the official French =
government suppression of ALL forms of religious trappings in public =
life? Many familiar Christmas carols do have "sacred concepts" in the =
words.
otoh, Santa Claus should be strictly secular, although Jay Leno =
recently showed a small plastic Nativity Scene bought at a dollar store =
that -- in addition to the Baby Jesus, Wise Men, etc. -- had a Santa =
figure.
PS for the Culturechat group: I, like "WesTexas," am familiar with =
the so-called "Upstream" end of oil the business -- having worked in =
drilling and production in West Texas among other places. I share his =
concerns, as asserted by Kunstler and others, that the "End of Suburbia" =
and "Peak Oil" scenarios likely will come in our lifetimes. We =
won'timmediately run out of fossil fuels once the global demand exceeds =
the easily-deliverable supply, but the cost of energy will go way up, as =
is taught about supply-and-demand curves in Econ 101. Then we in the =
USA will wish we were like the Europeans with good rapid transit and a =
walking culture.
Having said all that, and mindful of the contrasts drawn by Kunstler, =
I'm about to drive in my SUV wearing some old Levi's to a pizza parlor =
for a lunch that won't do my waistline or cholesterol count any good! =
But Hey! Isn't pizza European food? There are no restaurants with =
handy walking distance because my suburban town's zoning laws discourage =
businesses in the middle of neighborhoods, and it's not very safe to get =
there by bicycle because there aren't any dedicated bike lanes or paths.
Irv Smith
Missouri City TX
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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>I guess we all have to realize that =
fossil fuels=20
WILL eventually run out and certainly get incresingly expensive as the =
supply=20
dwindles. Acually, there is more than enough =
continuously=20
available natural energy such as wind power, solar, wave action, =
etc. to=20
meet society's needs indefinitely. The trouble is that they mostly =
are=20
available intermittently and we need some sort of very efficient system =
for=20
storing energy. The other problem is that with fosssil fuel =
readily=20
available at moderate cost, there has been little or no incentive to do =
the=20
research work necessary to harness and distribute the natural forms of=20
energy. Future events are likely to force governments and industry =
to=20
explore these alternate paths.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>At age 86, I guess there will be enough =
fossil fuel=20
to see me through. Good luck to the rest of you.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Bob Miller</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE=20
style=3D"PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV=20
style=3D"BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: =
black"><B>From:</B>=20
<A title=3DKk5qq@aol.com =
href=3D"mailto:Kk5qq@aol.com">Kk5qq@aol.com</A> </DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=3DWesTexas@aol.com =
href=3D"mailto:WesTexas@aol.com">WesTexas@aol.com</A> ; <A=20
title=3Dculturechat@untours.com=20
href=3D"mailto:culturechat@untours.com">culturechat@untours.com</A> =
</DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, December 17, 2004 =
11:00=20
AM</DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [Culturechat] Jim =
Kunstler's=20
Thoughts, upon returning from Europe</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><FONT face=3Darial,helvetica><FONT lang=3D0 =
face=3D"Comic Sans MS"=20
size=3D3 FAMILY=3D"SCRIPT" PTSIZE=3D"12">In a message dated 12/16/2004 =
7:16:57 PM=20
Central Standard Time, <A =
href=3D"mailto:WesTexas@aol.com">WesTexas@aol.com</A>=20
quotes Jim Kunstler:<BR><BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE=20
style=3D"PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px =
solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"=20
TYPE=3D"CITE"></FONT><FONT lang=3D0 style=3D"BACKGROUND-COLOR: =
#ffffff" face=3DArial=20
color=3D#000000 size=3D2 FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" PTSIZE=3D"10" =
BACK=3D"#ffffff">In Paris=20
there was hardly a Santa to be seen, or a carol to be=20
heard</BLOCKQUOTE><BR></FONT><FONT lang=3D0 style=3D"BACKGROUND-COLOR: =
#ffffff"=20
face=3DArial color=3D#000000 size=3D3 FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" =
PTSIZE=3D"12"=20
BACK=3D"#ffffff"><BR></FONT><FONT lang=3D0 style=3D"BACKGROUND-COLOR: =
#ffffff"=20
face=3D"Comic Sans MS" color=3D#000000 size=3D3 FAMILY=3D"SCRIPT" =
PTSIZE=3D"12"=20
BACK=3D"#ffffff"><BR>I wonder if this was partially the result of the =
official=20
French government suppression of ALL forms of religious trappings in =
public=20
life? Many familiar Christmas carols do have "sacred concepts" =
in the=20
words.<BR><BR>otoh, Santa Claus should be strictly secular, although =
Jay Leno=20
recently showed a small plastic Nativity Scene bought at a dollar =
store that=20
-- in addition to the Baby Jesus, Wise Men, etc. -- had a Santa=20
figure.<BR><BR>PS for the Culturechat group: I, like "WesTexas," =
am=20
familiar with the so-called "Upstream" end of oil the business -- =
having=20
worked in drilling and production in West Texas among other places. I =
share=20
his concerns, as asserted by Kunstler and others, that the "End of =
Suburbia"=20
and "Peak Oil" scenarios likely will come in our lifetimes. We=20
won'timmediately run out of fossil fuels once the global demand =
exceeds the=20
easily-deliverable supply, but the cost of energy will go way up, as =
is taught=20
about supply-and-demand curves in Econ 101. Then we in the USA =
will wish=20
we were like the Europeans with good rapid transit and a walking=20
culture.<BR><BR>Having said all that, and mindful of the contrasts =
drawn by=20
Kunstler, I'm about to drive in my SUV wearing some old Levi's to a =
pizza=20
parlor for a lunch that won't do my waistline or cholesterol count any =
good! But Hey! Isn't pizza European food? There are =
no=20
restaurants with handy walking distance because my suburban town's =
zoning laws=20
discourage businesses in the middle of neighborhoods, and it's not =
very safe=20
to get there by bicycle because there aren't any dedicated bike lanes =
or=20
paths.<BR><BR>Irv Smith<BR>Missouri City TX</FONT>=20
</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>
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