I was lucky to be introduced to the Loose Marbles last summer, along with the rest of those who wandered past this group of bohemian street performers at Conway's annual Toad Suck Daze festival. The voice of singer Meshiya Lake really knocked me out, and her delivery seemed to be from a ghost of day's gone by.
The group hails from New Orlean according to this article from the New Yorker. It is described as a loose collection of accomplished street performers who travel seasonally between New York City and New Orleans, making their living playing music and dancing on sidewalks and in parks.
A little time on Youtube.com will find videos of this plucky group playing to passerby's as far away as Berlin and Amsterdam. If you are ever in New Orleans for Mardi Gras, or in NYC in the summer, make the effort to look these wonderful performers up and drop some money in a hat. It'll be some the best money you ever spent.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Friday, December 19, 2008
The Crash Course
A couple of weeks ago, I posted a link to a story by the New Scientist about predictions by the Club of Rome made in the 70's about an impending world wide economic and agricultural collapse showing signs of now coming true.
In the vein of that idea, I'm going to spend my Friday's exploring, what I call in the back of my mind, Signs of the Apocalypse.
A friend of mine, suggested I take a look at the work being done by a gentleman named Chris Martenson.
Mssr. Martenson, who according to his bio has a doctorate in neurotoxicology from Duke, along with an MBA from Cornell, arrived at the conclusion that the world was headed towards a likely period of serious economic and enviromental turmoil in the short term of the next 20 years.
I found that on the surface, the arguement he makes to be convincing. He lay's out position in a series of related videos he calls The Crash Course starting with his assessment of what the problems are and proceeds from there to laying out planning guides for considering potential actions a person can take in response to their own individual assessment of the risks.
Below is chapter 19 of the series.
Among the idea's that Martenson champions is the value of relationships and community vs the value of money as having the most importance in dealing with the vagries of a discordant future.
Martenson's focus on the future is primarily financial in scope, and doesn't directly address issues of food security, environment or social discord, though he does make some mention of some of these issues. I get the feeling, that despite the potential disruptions Martenson thinks may be possible, over all he isn't willing to suggest a worst case scenario.
I recommend taking the time to visit his website, www.chrismartenson.com. I'd be interested in your thoughts.
In the vein of that idea, I'm going to spend my Friday's exploring, what I call in the back of my mind, Signs of the Apocalypse.
A friend of mine, suggested I take a look at the work being done by a gentleman named Chris Martenson.
Mssr. Martenson, who according to his bio has a doctorate in neurotoxicology from Duke, along with an MBA from Cornell, arrived at the conclusion that the world was headed towards a likely period of serious economic and enviromental turmoil in the short term of the next 20 years.
I found that on the surface, the arguement he makes to be convincing. He lay's out position in a series of related videos he calls The Crash Course starting with his assessment of what the problems are and proceeds from there to laying out planning guides for considering potential actions a person can take in response to their own individual assessment of the risks.
Below is chapter 19 of the series.
Among the idea's that Martenson champions is the value of relationships and community vs the value of money as having the most importance in dealing with the vagries of a discordant future.
Martenson's focus on the future is primarily financial in scope, and doesn't directly address issues of food security, environment or social discord, though he does make some mention of some of these issues. I get the feeling, that despite the potential disruptions Martenson thinks may be possible, over all he isn't willing to suggest a worst case scenario.
I recommend taking the time to visit his website, www.chrismartenson.com. I'd be interested in your thoughts.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
The Green Team
On Tuesday, President-elect Obama announced his team to focus on green energy and the environment. I have high hopes for Team Obama where US enviromental policy is concerned. I feel that with Obama we have an administration which will be focused more on proactive solutions to our enviromental challanges.
The obstructionist, know nothing approach of the present administration has been very dangerous in my humble opinion, and was more about helping it's energy company constituents take money out of the economy, than it was about promoting the common good.
The transition website, Change.gov, lists the Obama appointments.
Catch the news conference below...
Of all the things Obama said, what struck me the most was his acknowledgment that he isn't the first incoming President to promise progress on alternative energy and energy independence and his words "This time must be different."
The obstructionist, know nothing approach of the present administration has been very dangerous in my humble opinion, and was more about helping it's energy company constituents take money out of the economy, than it was about promoting the common good.
The transition website, Change.gov, lists the Obama appointments.
The nominees include Dr. Steven Chu, Secretary of Energy; Lisa Jackson, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator; Nancy Sutley, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality; Carol Browner, Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change; and Heather Zichal, Deputy Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change.
Catch the news conference below...
Of all the things Obama said, what struck me the most was his acknowledgment that he isn't the first incoming President to promise progress on alternative energy and energy independence and his words "This time must be different."
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