report to wrench about the forum

The first ever Corvallis Open Forum was a success, thanks in large part to members of wrench. Thanks for showing up and speaking.

Granted, the numbers were small (~15), but people were respectful and it wasn't boring. We will be there again this coming Sat. from 1-2, possibly longer. (Riverfront Park close to the fountain. We are asking the parks department for permission to move to a shadier spot.)

So here's my synopsis.

I spoke first, about why the forum, what I'm curious about, that kind of thing. Dan was next with a heartfelt rendition of a dreadfully sorrowful tune on the accordian. Then people started expressing their political views and after the lone republican spoke, a back-and-forth happened, between the republican and everyone else. In other words, mr. republican sustained a barrage of questions from the crowd and deflected them by reason of not having enough time.

Which reminds me, for those who were there, but didn't fill out a questionaire, is three minutes good, too long or too short? Any other suggestions, comments?

Anyways, I don't know if I can make it for pizza and beer this week, but I'll try if its on.

Tim

pfb post forum briefing

the first forum was a success. Not an overwhelming success, but a success nonetheless.
We pulled it off. We didn't sink, bog down and no one got hurt.
A few people other than the organizers showed up, the majority of which were members of wrench. I counted at least 12-15 total. Anyways, the group is psyched and ready to invite more members of the community for next week.

There was one fellow who introduced himself as a conservative republican. It seemed to me that the others lobbed a few too many questions at this brave fellow, but everyone was respectful and it seemed like everyone who wanted to speak was able to speak.

corvallis open forum

My speech for the forum due to launch on au19 2006 in corvallis, or:
Actually, I haven't timed this version, so if its not under three minutes I'll have to edit or speak more quickly.

Greetings fellow citizens of the world, neighbors, friends and family,
Hi, I’m T, one of the organizers of this space.
Thank you for your attention and for being here for something experimental.
So, what are we doing here?

Well, a problem as I see it, is that there is a severe lack of civil discourse in the culture of America. This nation was founded from a culture of town hall meetings, congresses, conventions and otherwise real democracy where real debate occurred. And from the increased number of viewpoints being suggested, truly great ideas emerged. E Pluribus Unum. From Multitudes, One. Correct me if I’m wrong.

Today we’ve become of culture of closeted bloggers and choir members and preachers; we stay in our respective camps, we’re so polarized we’re coming full circle on some issues. But that’s not counting the legions of completely apathetic folk, of course, you know, the people lost in tv land (I know because I used to be one).

Too long have we accepted the notion that the two subjects one should never discuss in society are religion and politics. There are no more important subjects to discuss especially with people with a different viewpoint. We need to get back to the roots of our Nation to deal with the problems of the 21st century and take democracy to the next level.

Now, if the idea of a civilized, open, public forum intrigues you, realize that all it really takes is an audience of participants. And that audience will here every week until it starts raining at which point we’ll find an indoor location. I for one, hopefully among others, or unless I get gunned down, will be here to listen to what you have to say regarding your view of the world, whatever that may be. Be forewarned that I may not agree with you but I will do my best to express my views as respectfully and honestly as I can.

What is a problem as you see it? What should be done about it?
What is real? What is illusion?
Who are you? What is your story? I don’t care how low or how high you are on the supposed ladder of success, and I don’t care what you look like. I believe we’re all the children of God, worthy of respect, and call me what you will, but I want to know. And I have a hunch that you have a lot to say. Furthermore, I suspect that we have much more in common than we’ve ever experienced.

And I hope to meet you, hear you, and debate ideas with you very soon.

Thanks again for your attention.
With that, I humbly yield the box

renewable energy

I’m against nuclear energy. I’m against creating hazards that last for many millennia and that require the most advanced technologies to manage. I think there are other, safer ways to create energy. Take solar energy for example. People say solar isn’t worth it in Oregon. I say it is. The more we invest in solar energy here, the closer we are to becoming net exporters of energy. Don’t think about the rain in the winter, that’s what micro hydro power is about, think about all the sun in the summer. We get a fair share, believe me. Right now, we just use it to heat up our roofs, making us get air conditioning and use more energy. We’re wasting a valuable resource, the light from the sun, by leaving our rooftops bare.

To be sure, it is a significant investment, especially for a single household, but we’re investing in so much more than electrical power. An investment in renewable energy supports the natural world, homeland security, the local economy, the health of citizens, and of course, manufacturers of renewable energy technologies, a business we should think about getting going here. The ONLY harm it causes is to the big power producers, the giants, the titans of industry, and don’t you think they have enough already? And don’t bring up the stockholders, unless we do an actual head count of all the people vs. all the people who own shares in Megagiantconglomerate money sucking corporation.

Am I wrong?


It’s not like we’re saying everyone should own a Cadillac power supply. Its more like saying everyone should own a pickup truck that gets the gas milage of a Toyota prius. Something useful and efficient. And if that takes public support at this time, then the side benefits make it worth it.

Well money’s tight, I understand. Especially with all the sacrificing we’ve been doing to support our men and women overseas. If we want our troops home, we should tell the government/military/industrial complex that we don’t need cheap oil. We should cut demand. All antiwar people should start synchronizing and systematically reducing petroleum consumption. Ride a bike to save the life of an American GI.

norovirus

apparently there has been a norovirus outbreak at OSU. norovirus gives one nausea and diarrhea, among other symptoms. I don't know if I have norovirus but my gut feels a little imbalanced. Haven't puked yet but had the runs the other day.

I'm going to try to affect the outcome by chalking it up to too much popcorn and pop.

Went to see the Da Vinci Code last night. It was fun to watch and remember the story, but of course the book was much richer in detail.

So, I don't really see the big deal about whether or not Jesus was married and had children. Like most religious questions, its something that can be argued about indefinitely. I do recognize the effects of the oppression of the sacred feminine in our society and civilization. We seem to be dominated by (mostly) white males.

Here's an idea that just flashed into my head. a direct action of bowing and scraping to some person of elite wealth. I mean, really people, we had come so far from the dark ages where lords lorded over the land. Do we really want to go back there? Didn't the geniuses who founded this country say everyone had a say in how the pie gets sliced? By demonstrating the true relationship of social classes perhaps people will think twice about the reality of the situation as I see it. Which is to say, the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. I'm not blaming them perse, they seem as much cogs in the machine as anyone else. Looking at the situation from a different perspective, as a system, the capitalist system inevitably tends towards ever concentrating control of capital. It is the nature of the beast. What was great and is great about socialism* is that it is the People, standing up and democratically saying, "its time to restore the balance." "Not only is our population obese, but perhaps our economy is obese as well." "And while we're on the subject, we need to talk about how much growth is too much growth and whether or not increasing growth indefinitely is a wise policy."

*this word was considered for edit due to fear of government surveillance and/or political retaliation but re-instated out of disdain for cowardliness and too much foolhardy optimism/courage? and faith.

Socialism is not Communism ala Soviet Russia. Socialism is as American as apple pie. People, working people in America have led the world in improving the position of the worker in the capitalist economy. I believe that individuals should be able to have a brilliant idea and profit from it in a free market. But I also believe that we live in a society and we are not in the dark ages again. Its time to wake up people. Its been time for awhile now.

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOAOAOOAAAAKE UP!!!!!!!!!!!

WAKE UP America!

local business incubator email

Thanks for an interesting read.

Here's a brainstorm idea I've been kicking around. A local business incubator, initiated by the corvallis alliance. The idea would be to close material flow loops (ie recycle), pay living wages, prepare for peak oil, let workers control the business democratically, and otherwise strengthen the local community. I don't have much business knowledge, except for economics, but I'd like to see progressives put their money where their mouth is in terms of giving me a job. Of course, given recent trends of ever concentrating wealth, perhaps we are a relatively poor lot and we don't control much capital, but I do see a lot of new volvos, subarus and hybrids with some cool bumper stickers.

I apologize for being out of the loop but I'd like to attend a reconvergence of the corvallis alliance.

Thanks, enjoy the hot weather.

Tim

May Day

Thanks to all the people who made may day happen this year. I had a blast and am looking forward to next. peace

interdependency

the earth charter recognizes our interdependence. EC foes at last week's meeting seemed to wrestle with this concept, but I can't understand people who fail to recognize this seemingly apparent and obvious description. Of course we are interdependent with each other and all living systems on the planet. People depend on ecosystems for food, shelter, clean air and water. The most basic needs. In the global economy of the 21st century, we depend on the people of other countries for goods and services, cheap labor (that is a regrettable fact), and indeed, peace. And people in other countries depend on us, the US, for goods and services, peace, and a little bit of assistance in economic development.

...Duh

right?

reality as you see it

that is the standing question of this blog.

What is the understanding of reality in which you function?

my written statement to the city council regarding the earth charter

Good Evening.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak.

Pardon my nervousness but we live in an age where political acts more or less ensure national security surveillance.

In regards to the Earth Charter resolution I’d just like to ask the council to consider the proposal in light of a significant occurrence in global markets today, namely $70 per gallon oil. There can be no denying that the price of petroleum has become increasingly volatile in recent years. I believe a responsible course of action to steer towards insulating our economy against increased volatility in the oil market. I also believe that doing so would coincide with the spirit of the Earth Charter.

Some of you are perhaps aware of the concept of peak oil. To briefly summarize, it refers to a peak in the supply graph of petroleum production. Peak oil theorists, many prominent thinkers and credible sources, argue that the peak will be sooner rather than later and people should really start talking about what the implications will be of a permanent decline in oil supply.

I also believe in supporting the local economy. In my humble opinion, I don’t see why a community couldn’t prosper in a time of more expensive gasoline. By strategizing now, endorsing the Earth Charter, localizing the economy to be net exporters of more essential needs, such as perhaps, transportation fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel, and even electrical power generated with renewable technologies.

These are just some thoughts I had. Thank you again for your attention.

[I should add that I added a lot of other things while listening to other people (opposition) and you'll have to watch to video to get what I actually said at the meeting.]

an analogy

having been exposed to some old notions of life and death this easter sunday (jesus christ died for our sins and whatnot) I'm compelled to express my belief about life. We are like a raindrop in the hydrological cycle. From the ocean of our source, we become unique individuals for a brief moment in time, until we return to our source. I'm sure this isn't an original thought, but I've never been good at quoting and sourcing. But I think that's what's going on here and I really don't see what believing one thing or another about jesus has to do with my everyday life. Or perhaps I take that back. Rather than believe that jesus is the son of god and died for our sins, I believe that jesus was an extraordinary example of a human being and I believe that asking myself the question wwjd? and trying to follow his example whenever faced with a tough decision is a good way to live.

The analogy can be expanded to suggest that a raindrop's instinct is to return to it's source and on its way finds itself joining with other drops in the form of streams. Likewise, our instinct is to find our source, our reason for being, and on our way we join with others heading in the same direction, with whom we feel comfortable and agreeable. I guess this is where the analogy breaks down, because I also see diverse and divergent streams of human movement where one stream believes itself to be superior to others and by employing the strategy of dominance diminishes and subjugates others.

...yeah.

holla back yo! That means leave a comment! dammit!

still here

Its been awhile since my last post. I guess I haven't had much to say.

The wife and I went to the anti-war march last week. A lot of people turned out, the paper estimated 500 so it was probably more like 800 to a thousand. I wasn't feeling especially angry or protesty, I basically went to stand up and be counted, so to speak. Don't get me wrong, the war makes me sick, but it takes a lot of energy to be riled up in the face of such colossal stupidity.

These are dark days, as my buddy C says. The future looks more uncertain with each passing day. I and I live day to day.

another week another dollar

what up cyberworld.
big up to the people strugglin to get a bite to eat.
well, what can I and I say?
I just have one question, tell me straight up, why do people dis political correctness?

I heard my supervisors talking about iran and iraq at lunch. I didn't catch the beginning of the conversation, but I did catch the part where, "Tony", let's call him, expressed his opinion about how the US military screwed up in Fallujah, and that we should have carpet bombed the city off the face of the planet (paraphrase). To be fair, he also suggested giving the citizens opportunity to leave by surrending any weapons. But another point he tried to make was that it was somehow clinton-esque to not do as he(Tony) deemed appropriate.

I guess the political correctness thing was tied to the fact that some general had to resign because he stated that "killing iraqis is fun". Tony went on to explain that General Patton said things much worse than that about the Germans (inferring, I asssume, that he's a national hero, who didn't resign).

Is it that in Tony's mind, political correctness is some degree of sensitivity to the killing and destruction of many many people/lives? It would seem that according to Tony, it should be okay to say that killing iraqis is fun and keep your job as a top commander in the military in iraq.

At least Tony had the courtesy, to allow the innocent Fallujans an opportunity to save themselves.

BTW, I really would like to hear your thoughts about PCness and why some people think its a bad thing.

I gotta give a big up to the man Steve Harvey, who was on NOW this week. He's a brodda that's funny, real, positive and funny. I really liked what he said about hip hop. check it out at "must see tv".

Lastly, I gotta give it up for Wayne Dyer. He's a thinker/speaker from Maui who has a way of seeing life that seems to make sense to me. He's like a philosopher, teacher, synthesist guru that I suppose I've put some faith in, because yes, he convinced me to join OPB (gasp). (I was a member once before, but haven't renewed for a few years) Anyways, if you have any opinions about Dyer's expressions, feel free to fill me in.

holla atchyo boy

working revolution

This is the title of my buddy Chad's blog. I think it's a great title. Chad, correct me if I'm wrong, but you're fired up to do something about the sorry state of things. Something big. So the question is what do we do? What can we do? I really don't have an answer. The other night I was thinking it would be cool to organize working folk somehow, completely under the radar, like in the movie Fight Club. How to do this? good question. The organizing principle would be straightforward, working people organizing to take a bigger slice of pie. Imagine the next election day, starting off with a general strike, then every poll and prediction completely turned on its head by a huge voting bloc of previously apathetic and ignored workers.

Right now there is a Social Change Conference going on at OSU. Maybe I'll take a stroll over there.

my letter to NBC

I was unimpressed and in fact disgusted with the crass nationalism of your Olympic coverage. I understand you are the National Broadcasting Corp. but give me a break. You don't have to take that so literally. The Olympics are about bringing the world together and all your coverage did was to set America apart. And in case you aren't aware, which apparently seems to be the case, America is composed of immigrants from all over the world.

I won't be watching NBC in the future and I pray some other network will cover the Olympics in the future.

Olympics

I just want to get one thing off my chest about the Olympics, especially the winter games. This is perhaps indicative of my penchant for complexity as I do enjoy watching the competition and have tuned in fairly regularly. However, it seems to me that the winter olympics is a celebration of basically the G8 nations playing games that they invented and inevitably excel at. It's like they're saying to the rest of the world, look how great we are! I mean, of course the countries with the most money are going to have the best athletes, so big deal if the US wins X gold medals. The rest of the world are just struggling to get out of debt, they don't have the time or resources to go galavanting around on snow and ice, which are mostly in the G8 countries anyway. Call me cynical, but the winter olympics is somewhat farcical. Having said that, Korea is going to rule the short track tomorrow!

sick day

I'm ill today and so finally have a chance to post again. Last weekend was pretty busy. I got off work early and Hyun-Kyung and I got in the car and headed up north to Vancouver B.C. for my friend Dennis' wedding. As it turned out the trip proved to be borderline overwhelming. Getting hammered at the wedding didn't help things though it was fun at the time!

It's a beautiful day today and I should be outside doing something.

more later

what to blog?

It's been a long week or so since my last post. We've dealt with the State of the Union, numerous human tragedies, and today a Super Bowl. I'm at a loss for words. I feel like I'm in a state of limbo. The State of the Union was a joke. Bush lost all credibility a long time ago, but for some reason I still watched. I guess I wanted to see where he would go with the "addicted to oil" bit. But it was as predictable as, well there were no surprises. What does he mean by nucular? I hope he isn't talking about nuclear power.

So the Steelers won. Big fucking deal.

tkn struggles on.

The question of God

Another media production from public broadcasting, this one on the tv. I found this program engaging and informative. The format was a little scattered, but basically there was a narrative about the thoughts and ideas of S. Freud and C.S. Lewis, with these two influential people presented as opposing or contradictory. Then, periodically, the program would switch to a roundtable discussion among a diverse collection of people. There was the moderator, the editor of Skeptic mag. (Atheist), a Christian white male stockbroker, an african american filmmaker, a korean american physician, a jungian analyst, an agnostic lawyer, and another author/thinker. Needless to say, they didn't exactly see eye to eye, as Freud and Lewis. But the program was very compelling.

I was particularly interested in the roundtable discussion. While I thought it was excessively edited, it was great to see the free practice of Democracy.

In this spirit, let me posit a question to you, World. We live in a world that is dominated by democratic rhetoric. America is the seat of democracy in the world and yet when we look at the reality we see the vast majority of the population of the world subject to (in the medieval sense) a tiny uber-elite class of plutocrats.

Now, believe me, I know that economists say this and that about efficiency and the bottom line and whatnot, but frankly, I'm tired of hearing about economic reasoning. Sure there is a place for that, but lets look at the big picture. Rich people get richer while poor people struggle harder. IS THIS THE REALITY WE AS A NATION ARE STRIVING FOR? We need to stop thinking about our own survival for just a minute and remember our history. There have been times in our history, hard-won times, when America worked for the average guy. Now is not one of those times. Now is a time when average guys are becoming nobodies at an alarming rate. And yet average guys and nobodies combined are the overwhelming majority of the world. We are so busy struggling to live ourselves, we don't have time to organize like the uber-elite and their considerable numbers of wannabees.

What does this have to do with God? Well probably everything, but I've sat here long enough for today. I'll leave you with this thought. God is a collective manifestation of the thoughts, actions and prayers of a given population.

Jim Hightower

is great! I just heard him on the radio, Alternative Radio, that is, and he is on the money. If you aren't aware, Alternative Radio is a program aired on many publically supported radio stations. Hightower is funny and sharp as a razor. Furthermore, he speaks for the common folk of America, and I would wager, the world. I wish I could copy and paste his speech onto this blog, but suffice it to say that telling the web about it is about all I can do.

All we're asking for is peace, liberty and justice for all.

What are we here for afterall? I know it's not to cut each other's throats for a bigger slice of pie. I know that's not the ultimate fulfillment of life. So what then? Is it not to help each other out, let our friends who are down on their luck know that everything will be alright, as we strive to improve our lives. Americans are good decent people who don't generally disagree with what I just said.

It is unfortunate that many of us were tricked into believing that improving our lives meant amassing personal wealth and materiel (spelling intentional).

I'm slowly realizing that one's standing and/or notoriety in society is not a matter of one's wealth, but one of the person's force of expression. That is to say, the content/quality as well as the volume/quantity of one's expressions (talk, blog, email, letters, conversation, etc.).

oil war

so the situation with Iran gets a little tense and the price of oil goes up again. A few weeks ago I heard on the radio a speech by Scott Ritter, former US military officer and UN weapons inspector, in which he detailed his investigation into the administration's plans to invade Iran. It was eerie, because mere days after I heard the speech, I started hearing the stuff he talked about: UN sanctions, UN security council action, Russia and especially China's reason's to oppose UN sanctions, and another unilateral US attack due to supposed "UN inefficacy" to paraphrase. And the preparation of "usable nuclear weapons"

If the American people can't see that we are "spending" blood for oil, then I don't know what to say. The Bush White House is acting like a paranoid drug addict who happens to have the biggest guns on the block. And yet people still support him. In other words, we're spending blood for oil and that's great. We need our oil so bad that it doesn't matter if a few thousand sons and daughters die. It certainly doesn't matter if a few hundred thousand arabs die. Is that really how it is?

Yes, oil drives our economy. Everyone is well aware of that fact. But do we really love it so much that we're not willing to cut back a little bit? Even if it helps to promote world peace? American's are good people, they all pray for world peace, even as they drive around in their SUV's or whatever to amuse themselves for a couple hours and escape from the boredom that is American life. What the hell is going on here?

Don't get me wrong, I'm as guilty as the next guy. I drive. But I bought a hybrid and I try to maximize fuel efficiency, because I'm willing to cut back a little bit. I'm willing to head in that direction. Am I still part of the problem? I don't know. But I do know that societies change and sometimes civilizations collapse. Paul and Anne Erlich's predictions seem as real as ever before, even as we cling to the illusion, the illusion of "sustainable growth". Sustainability is not about growth. Ultimately it is about long term stability. That means at the least cessation of growth and rejuvenation of ecological life support systems, aka ecosystems. Are we doing that? I don't think so. There are bright spots and inspiring examples, but it seems these are in a field of darkness.

I hope that it turns out that "its always darkest before dawn" is the case and humanity will experience a sea change in consciousness and continue on to find our greater purpose. I still hope and step on.

I'm a little new to the blogging scene but I'm learning

In other words, it's entirely feasible that human beings have the capability to live sustainably upon the earth, without using up resources at the expense of future generations. I guess I didn't think that finishing my master's degree would contribute any progress toward that goal. And if we must be real, the reason for my leave of absence has to do with the issue of peak oil. That is to say, the possibility/probability that a peak in the global supply of oil will trigger a global economic collapse.


I came into this with a fire to promote renewable energy. What I came away with is that the concept of unlimited growth is still firmly entrenched in our society/culture. Perhaps in my deluded mind I felt that not finishing my master's degree was in some way a repudiation of the status quo.

Resource economics would suggest that once a resource peaks, the price will increase stimulating alternatives and investment in "production". But what if no viable alternatives exist and there isn't anymore to "produce"? Don't get me wrong, I still love renewables and the idea of a completely distributed energy production grid, but let's be real. No renewable energy source can match the energy density of petroleum, but their very natures. So, I worry. And I take little bitty baby steps like engaging in discourse as much as I can.

three blog

Organization is a proven method of creating social change. The only problem is people either can't agree on what and how to change or they don't care enough to think about it, much less do something about it.

Why did I take a leave of absence from grad school? There are many reasons. I was sick of staring at a computer screen all day and I couldn't accept a future career where that was what I did all day. I felt like the degree would have been meaningless for myself. I was/am disillusioned with traditional economic thought, primarily the implicit assumption that economies must grow to survive. I believe that human civilization is analogous to a cancer which will kill its host if left to grow unchecked. I don't think that technology will be able to substitute for life supporting ecosystems. But I do believe that unlike a cancer, we have the ability to turn things around.

hi, thanks for stopping by timsbloggo 

two post

returned to work today after several days off. Tile work is getting old. I don't know what to say.

Biodiesel is going to be big within 5 years. It's already a lot bigger than it was 5 years ago. It would be great to see a local biodiesel market develop. I mean a complete market, from production of oil stock to consumption. We're seeing growing consumption here in Corvallis, but not much production. Apparently it's cheaper to bring it in from whatever place that already has a huge plant...competitive advantage or whatever.

one post

Another blog is born. Another citizen plugs into the matrix. yahoo!
I don't know if anyone will ever read my blog but I'm doing this because I have to express certain things that I seldom have a context in which to express them. you know what I mean? Also I think it'll be good therapy and whatnot, getting things off your chest so to speak.
I'm still thinking about whether to try to be completely transparent in my ramblings or whether to be guarded about expressing my thoughts to the world. I'm sure there are those who have tried both, please tell me about your experience.

So, I'll start by introducing myself. My name is Tim. I'm 31. I'm Korean-American and I'm currently a builder, which is my euphemism for construction worker. I'm married to my wife HK of three years. We have no children at this point. I enjoy the outdoors. My latest and perhaps last outdoor pursuit is surfing. Past pursuits have included snowboarding, rock climbing, a little mountaineering, and mountain biking. I'm also a thinker. I think I indulge in cognitive exercise more than your average bear. Which is not to brag, certainly, but just recognizing the acts of pondering, imagining, wondering as things I often find myself doing.

I'm a bleeding heart liberal. I say this in all seriousness. I suppose the term has been used not always as a compliment but whatever. I care, okay? I think most people do, they're just not recognizing it for whatever reason. Yes, I care about my fellow human beings. I care about the government and society, I care about suffering and hardship, even if its not my own. I care and I believe humans have the ability if not the responsibility to make things better. Yesterday, my wife and I and a few other travelers saw a poor, presumably homeless guy sitting in a rest area. He was sitting crosslegged, back to the wall, head down with a sign asking for help in the form of food or money. We gave him a few mandarins and a banana. Like others we're conscious of the possibility that if we gave him money, he'd go spend it on another fix of drugs. Who knows. We didn't give him any money. I just wish there was something more I could do to help him. I guess anything worthwhile would've taken more time than I was prepared to spend, but this is something I need to work on.

I don't know what to do, but it doesn't seem like much of a stretch to imagine a society with a strong safety net. I mean, aren't there some places where people don't fall through the cracks into oblivion no matter how bad the choices they made were?

Well, that's enough for now. I hope this experiment keeps working. I mean I hope this blog keeps living.