Oil, Smoke & Mirrors
"Oil Smoke & Mirrors" offers a sobering critique of our perceived recent history, of our present global circumstances, and of our shared future in light of imminent, under-reported and mis-represented energy production constraints.
Through a series of impressively candid, informed and articulate interviews, this film argues that the bizarre events surrounding the 9/11 attacks, and the equally bizarre prosecution of the so-called "war on terror", can be more credibly understood in the wider context of an imminent and critical divergence between available global oil supply and global oil demand.
The picture "Oil, Smoke & Mirrors" paints is one of a tragically hyper-mediated global-political culture, which, for whatever reason, demonstrably disassociates itself from the values it claims to represent.
While the ideas presented in this film can at first seem daunting, it's ultimate assertion is that these challenges can indeed be met and surpassed, if, but only if, we can find the courage to perceive them.
13 comments:
I would be interested in this film...where did you hear about it and is available to rent? Still not wine time, but I just unpacked 8 boxes of stretcher bars and bundled and labeled everything for future use...I'm very anal that way...I even write the sizes of the canvas so I don't have to measure things later...they are pre-bundled to the size I want the finished canvas to be...am I just AR or do I have a touch of OCD? My books are on the shelves by subject matter or, in the case of the cookbooks, by cuisine or location...thankfully, I no longer put them also by author within their specific catagories, it was a bitch to keep in order. ;o)
WM,
I first saw the film on the web. I do not recall how I found out about it, but it is available on DVD from Amazon.
You may also want to check out the
main site for the film.
PMT...did I solve your mystery...or was I way off? Go on...I can take it!
It is 5:30 PDT and we are heading out to take a really yummy pizza over to our daughter and son-on-law's and to see Miss Lucy(our granddaughter) We call her that because she is very frou-frou...got her mom's genes I guess.
Anyway, I will be back in a few hours. Cheers, WM
PMT, I will be watching your link to Oil, Smoke & Mirrors this evening. As I said on Wolfmom's Nothing Special I have a few days of pleasing myself. I have been busy sorting things...see AR note below.
Sorry WM, check your earlier entry, you haven't got it yet.
RE:7:15, I can relate. I am so AR! All my books are sorted into genre and then alphabetically by author. CD's are musical genre and then by artist. My DVD's are sorted by production year and then by title.
I often say that if I hadn't been totally clueless back then, I should have been a librarian. I would have been in hog heaven..Dewey Decimaling to my heart's content. Unfortunately, in 1960 nobody told me that a girl could be anything else but a nurse, teacher or secretary. I saw librarians in school and at the public library, but it never occurred to me to ask how
a person could get a job like that.
What do you think of the avatar. I'll be switching it back for the corner. I had an extra leisure hour today and finished up my latest pastel. The title is "Thanks, Grandma". Our art class is having an un-judged show in May and I've got three or four pastels to enter. Don't be too harsh, it is just a beginner's hobby for me. But suggestions will be well taken. I'll take photos of the others and post them too.
WH, to answer your corner question about pharmaceuticals being involved with "Nights In White Satin". I did't want to shock anyone, so I'll just answer it here. In my middle thirties, before I met Fred, I had a pretty hot and heavy relationship with a hippy kind of guy who was seven years younger than I. I knew it wouldn't be a permanent thing, so I threw a lot of caution to the wind. He introduced me to hashish brownies and even a little bit of cocaine...oh hell, who am I kidding. It was more than a little, but less than a lot. It was a year of my life that I will always remember...a lot of Nights In White Satin. Whiter Shade of Pale and Stairway to Heaven.
My oh my, my life has changed. From "Nights" to "Thanks,Grandma". I wouldn't change a thing.
ClearAyes, Thanks for the candor. I don't think any of us on here are very vanilla. My ex and I had a couple of favorites when the kids were at school. Among them was Thorogood's "Bad to the Bone". It really is (and was) all good.
Regrets? I've had a few (apologies to old "BlueAyes").
Not really. My philosophy: If you change anything, (as in going back) you change everything. Like you, I love where I am, so I'd do it all again.
Windhover
........
I like Thorogood. I get a kick out of his tune"If You Don't Start Drinkin' (I'm Gonna Leave)".
It's a hoot.
WM,
No, you did not solve the mystery. I will explain it after others have had a chance to take a stab at it. I would really love to see Buckeye chime in on this one ;)
WH, B-b-b-bad to the bone...yes, I am familiar.
PMT. I know why she killed her sister. (She'll do anything to meet him again.) Do you really want me to give the answer?
PMT, email Buckeye and re-invite him back. I'm pretty sure he will figure out the word puzzle.
I left the corner this evening to let J. get her 69th. Eventually somebody will mess her out of it. I can't pay attention to it and I didn't want to be the one. It seems to be important. I hope it doesn't get ugly. I'll go back in the the morning and start anew.
Back to Oil and Smoke.
ClearAyes ......
You just did give it away. :)
Well, there you have it folks.
ClearAyes is a 'psychopath'.
Yes, that's right!
That quiz was originally an email that I received that was, ostensibly, a test given to patients by some psychiatrists to determine if they had the mental disposition of a "psychopath".
If one could correctly understand the mindset of the woman who killed her sister in hopes that the guy would once again show up at the funeral, then one was likely a psychopath.
Do you see now why it is a test that you only pass if you fail?
BTW, I set Jeannie up for the coveted spot around the corner ;)
last one tonight. That was a strong clue. The guy was the undertaker. Or as I think of them, the vulture. I plan to be planted here on the farm, sans embalming fluids. You're all invited, but if it's in the summer you'll have to get here quick. Alcohol will be served,and anyone present willbe invited to speak. But if any of the bastards opines that I have gone to a better place, the Irish has instructions to sic the dogs on them.
The 69 thing was fun for a few days, but it's wearing out. I'm surprised CC hasn't put her foot down, since it does detract from the real discussions, which digress a lot as it is. We've had some fun, but I for one am giving it a rest.
I can't view the film, but the Irish and I have been studying the "peak oil" discussion since about 2002. She helped organize a web conference on the topic centered around the impact on public health. She worked on organizing the "webinar", which was centered at Johns Hopkins U., with a
guy named Dan Bednarz who has published several papers on PO and PH. But a lot of the academics involved looked on it as a chance to polish their resume, and the message got lost in the politics. I think we'll deal with this issue like we have others, including climate change. That is, not until it has reached crisis proportions. I'm getting dizzy up on this soapbox, or maybe I'm just sleepy. That must be it. See ya.
Windhover, nodding off.
LOL...Yes PMT, you nailed it. I'm as crazy as a loon...nutty as a Snickers bar...etc. Just watch your step folks. Just because I draw pictures of milk and cookies, doesn't mean I wouldn't....Nyahhh, haaaa, haaaa.
I think I mentioned around the corner that I come from a different than a "salt of the earth" family. No axe murderers.....yet.
Sorry WH, this is coming from a PMT certified psycho...the unknown man showed up at the mother's funeral. The woman figured he must have been a family acquaintance. The only way the woman could figure out to meet him again was to coax the man into attending another family funeral by killing her sister. If that didn't work, she would have progressed to killing her father, brother, niece and cousin. Eventually he would have shown up.
If I'm going to finish up "Oil, Smoke", etc. before bedtime I'd better get going. There is a HBO documentary on right now about a Palestinian female teenage suicide bomber, so I am conflicted about what to watch. These choices really will drive you crazy.
Okay...just don't give us the answer until tomorrow so I have a bit more time to think with new clues...you have to admit that it WAS a creative answer even if it wasn't correct.
CA...the more you explain things the more I find similarities in our lives. But first, I want you to know that you have a good eye and color sense and quite a bit of talent...I would maybe have extended the towel/napkin a bit further back, but that's just me...you are really quite good(I wouldn't just tell you that). I know you think that pastels are forgiving, but I'm thinking you also need to consider trying acrylics...I would love to see what you could do, and they really ARE forgiving. If you decide to try it, let me know and I can give you a website that has fabulous prices on top notch supplies...I order from them all the time and save huge amounts of money.
I would join in the fun with my funniest funny brownie story...when my roomates and I were moving, they decided to bake a batch of brownies to use up their stash and didn't tell any of us what they had done until we had consumed most of the pan full...of course I had to drive about a half an hour to get to my folks house for dinner and all I can remember was finding my fork to be hugely interesting...oddly my parents never noticed my rather distracted state. I am not sure if I was just always that weird or that they just never really paid attention. My mother was exceedingly strict so I could only play at being a hippy on the weekends in SF. I made up for it all in my 30's.
Like WH says, I can think of a few things that I could have done differently but we are all a sum of our parts and I don't think that I would change very much. I like where I am and who I am...after many decades I am mostly comfortable with myself at long last and only occasionally suffer from bouts of self doubt.
I think that is also what is fun about this group...everyone is so honest and out there...it is really refreshing and I enjoy this very much.
Big surprise...Next Wed, Elissa, JD and I and possibly MelissaB will be getting together for wine or coffee or something...this should be very interesting...very much looking forward to it. Now, If we can just get CA into the Bay Area...that would be fun!
CA...also glad to hear that I am not the only one who organizes things in such a way...I may not always have bit of things cleared off the kitchen table, but my closets are generally neat and organized...
Had a great time with Miss Lucy and also got some really good info on computer worms and why we are most likely not at risk. So I felt much better.
CA I hope you have a good mini vacation. Sometimes it is good to have some alone time. My husband is not that big on traveling so I usually go with a friend and the time apart is good for both of us. We get along great and will be married 35 years this fall(+ 3 years before getting married) and still have plenty to talk about and plan for.
Oh...and I want to fess up, last night when the posts were at 96, I decided to make a small post to help out Lemonade and when I hit publish...I was #100...so I deleted it because I really didn't want it to be me again! :oP
Well, I think that's it for now. If I can figure out the riddle, I'll be back, if not, I will most likely be back tomorrow.
Cheers WM
I was typing while everyone else was posting...PMT/CA, thanks for putting me out of my misery...I really don't think that I would have gotten it, but that doesn't mean that I am not not just a little bit crazy...which means that I'm not because if you are you don't think so.
That's it...G'nite.
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