Nature as The Master

Dealing with the challenge of how to live well yet lightly on this planet, I found (via The Sun magazine) the Biomimicry Institute. Many of the problems we face have already been solved by nature, but we didn't pay attention, preferring to "reinvent the wheel." We need to pay closer attention to what nature can teach us.

Buddy Can You Spare A Dime?

Mexico's oil problem continues to deepen. At least one pundit is convinced Cantarell will be out of business at the end of 2010 and he has data to support that assertion. Th Mexicans know they are in trouble and at least one former politico is suggesting that the US front money to Mexico to secure future supplies. Mexico has a constitutional ban on foreign investment and this arrangement

Does Anyone Fact Check Anymore?

The Daily Beast put up this article suggesting the Republicans fell in line behind Larouche's Obama=Hitler meme. He makes an interesting case. The MSM and conservative pundits might want to take a closer look at the facts and get their brains engaged before they put their mouth in motion.

Another PSA - Bernard Brown

Know this guy? BernardBrown41@yahoo.com, AKA Bernardz1? Well if you run into this gentleman, who told me he is the son of a German national and an American woman, an d took her last name, and he is a civil engineer/international business consultant, located in central Illinois, then be forewarned. His IP address traces back to Ghana Africa. I won't swear to this on a stack of bibles, but I

What About The Water?

I have been focused on Peak Oil, however that is not the only resource that we need, and is even less essential than some, particularly water. And there is only so much water to go around that is drinkable.On a broad scale this Washington Post article addresses the issues of shortages. We have an increasing population, and a mobile one. That puts stress on the resources in any given location

Who Are The Noisemakers?

First off, a commentary by Rick Perlstein about the long history of incivility. It apparently has roots in conservativism, although I suspect liberals have their own cadre of wingnuts.Regarding health care reform; it is becoming clear that Lyndon Larouche's PAC is behind the Nazi meme. The epitome of this is the Barney Frank putdown of a Larouche supporter, Obama/Hitler picture in hand. She

Living Room Decor Ideas: Spectacular Living Rooms

Whether your living room is a 21 foot length with a large picture window at one end or you live in a tiny apartment and the living room is bijou to say the least, there are living room décor ideas to suit you and your budget. You can go for cozy chic and warm up your living space or go for open-plan with vaulted ceilings and an expanse of herringbone hardwood floor. At the end of your project you will have ended up with a space that you can live in comfortably, decorated according to the space you have available. Are you aiming for a peaceful retreat, full of serenity and harmony or a more user-friendly, basic living space where you feel comfortable slipping your shoes off and putting your feet up.



If I was choosing a color scheme for my living room I would go to the cooler colors on my color wheel chart - the blues and greens which can be used in different shades to achieve a 'joined-up' look of cool elegance. I always make sure that, when I paint my ceiling, I use a light shade of the room's main color on my ceiling so, if my color scheme was blue, I would use the lightest eggshell blue I could find for my ceiling and then a slightly deeper shade of blue for my walls. If you have mouldings you could paint those completely white, or go for a darker shade of blue to both the walls and the ceiling. I would use matt paint on my walls and a paint with some kind of sheen on the mouldings.



For windows, to add height, place the curtain pole as high as possible near to the ceiling. This will give your curtains plenty of drop to achieve an elegant drape. Modern décor arrangements always suggest that the fabric should be allowed to pool on the floor - never in my house. To me, artistic though it evidently is, this 'pooling' idea for the fabric is just a dust collector and, if you have dogs like I do, is just asking them to make a bed out of the fabric! Why did I mention this? Find out what the trends are, but that does not mean you have to follow the trends slavishly. Adapt styles to suit you and your lifestyle.



You would think, wouldn't you, that a large picture placed on the wall in a small room would be overpowering. Surprisingly, it isn't. I have the tiniest lounge you can imagine and, on the wall above the fireplace I have a really large picture of the Defence of Rourke's Drift, depicting the British soldiers of 'B' Company, South Wales Borderers. This picture is very loud, very busy, with plenty going on in it. However, it looks absolutely fantastic in that room, almost as if the room was made to fit the picture!



Home Decorating Ideas offers quick cheap tips on how to decorate your house. Includes tips on decorating the office, living room, bedroom, kitchen and more.

source: http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/living-room-decor-ideas-spectacular-living-rooms-792404.html

Wanna Make Some Money?

Guess what? Peak oil can help you with that. Read the article as to why you too should put your money into the energy sector.

Obama Owns Up

Ok, Obama owned up to the obvious:You can't tell us how you're going to pay for this," Rathie said of Obama's health care overhaul. "The only way you're going to get that money is raise our taxes.""You are absolutely right," Obama said. "I can't cover another 46 million people for free. I can't do that. We're going to have to find money from somewhere."He noted a congressional estimate that

Whose War Is It?

A very interesting interview with Charles Bowden at Democracy NOW!. Bowden is discussing the war on drugs and why this is a failed policy by the US. We worry about violence spilling over into the US, which of course it can, but Bowden has this to say;That’s vastly exaggerated. Last year in Ciudad Juarez, there were 1,607 murders. Last year in El Paso, which meets it on the Rio Grande, there

Health Care Reform and Me - My Verdict - NO

H.R. 3200 America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 would increase the federal deficit by $239 Billion, as introduced and over a timespan of 2010-2019 per the Congressional Budget Office. The Joint Committee on Taxation has offered an amendments to their original costing estimates, which can be found at their site. The original submission of the Revenue Provisions of the act is also at

Health Care Reform and Me - H.R. 3200

Over at Thomas I pulled up the synopsis of the bill. In a nutshell, it appears to be an attempt to be all things to all people, or at least major donors and voting blocs, whether they are the insurance companies or Medicare recipients. If you read the section titles you'll see what I mean. Danny Davis said there was a lot of negotiating going on, and he wasn't kidding.This bill is the forest

Health Care Reform and Me - H.R. 676

I attended yesterday's meeting at the Loyola Park Fieldhouse on healthcare reform. It was a friendly crowd whose biggest issue was single-payer vs public option. After the usual chest thumping by Moore, Fagus and James we got down to the real issue.Congressman Danny Davis (candidate for Cook County Board President -- I signed the petition to get his name on the ballot) politicked first before

Border Corruption

One of the dirty facts regarding immigration and drug trafficking out of Mexico is the apparent rise in corruption cases among law enforcement personnel at all levels. Money talks as it always does. Break out the brooms, time to clean our own house.

More on the Debate About Health Care Reform

Peggy Noonan at the Wall Street Journal wrote a commentary about the town hall meetings and what is happening there. While she makes the case that the folks protesting are out there because they are scared, she also, unwittingly, makes the argument that this is all getting out of hand.What the town-hall meetings represent is a feeling of rebellion, an uprising against change they do not believe

Where Our Oil Comes From

The Seeking Alpha site has a post on the top 15 suppliers of oil to this country. Oh look! Uncle Hugo is our number 2 supplier. What to make of that?

Is This Where Fascism Begins?

Pretty provocative eh? Maybe, and maybe not. I posted about the end of civility and specifically noted;..., but I want to end here by noting that if we, as a society, don't insist on a more civil manner of discourse then I fail to see how we can avoid falling into a trap where the loudest, most intimidating voice is taken as the purveyor of truth, even when the words are lies.Over at FactNet,

Economic Recovery - Where Are The Jobs?

Chris Martenson does an analysis of the July job data released today and -- Ta Da! -- discovers it's distorted! Guess what, a whole buncha people left the work force, that is why unemployment is down. Where did those folks go? The unemployment line? Are they sitting at home? Where are they?!Denninger adds his dos centavos. Only slightly less gloomy overall.

Economic Recovery - Smoke and Mirrors?

If you are paying attention to the MSM (mainstream media), then you are aware of the talk about the recession being over and the economy getting poised for a recovery.Richard Heinberg begs to differ. In an exceedingly lengthy, and heavily footnoted, Oil Drum post Heinberg lays out an alternative that suggests any recovery we see is going to be shortlived at best. For the Reader's Digest

Just the Facts

I have been over to The Huffington Post to look at a version of the health care bill released by the Democrats. Now, I haven't read the whole thing, but I did read the part that was of most interest to me, and is being painted by some number of folks as state sanctioned euthanasia, or its equivalent.To wit,SEC. 1233. ADVANCE CARE PLANNING CONSULTATION. (a) MEDICARE.-- (1) IN GENERAL.--Section

The End of Civility?

I know that the Internet provides the anonymity that enables many to exhibit their worst behavior. We have Netiquette rules for a reason, although no one with the stature of an Emily Post to be our guide. During the past election and in my encounters with fandom I have seen the mob mentality come to life, with much shouting and little real discussion, descending into ad hominem attacks. It was