"Addicted To Oil" Thomas L. Friedman Reporting - strong thoughts

I recently watched a documentary entitled Addicted To Oil, Thomas L. Friedman Reporting (2006). Admittedly, I am not familiar with Thomas Friedman, but some of the blatant omissions (or challenges) in the supposedly informative film left me wondering about his intentions, and his credibility.

The first issue was with a scene in which Friedman interviews a high level GM executive on the EV-1 project. For those unfamiliar with the story of the EV-1 (stood for Electronic Vehicle 1): GM manufactured a few hundred purely electronic vehicles in the 90's for the state of California. This was a sort of trial period, and even certain celebrities got on board (Mel Gibson for one, who complained about the overly bureaucratic and complex process to purchase an EV-1). The state built a basic infrastructure, with plug-in charging stations at select BART stations. The sales of the vehicle were a success. There was a waiting period as the direct result of too many orders too soon.

Shortly after the release of the vehicles the state of California passed a stringent bill that set new, seemingly unattainable manufacturing standards for GM with regard to emissions and the amount of vehicles to be built. The company decided to pull the plug on the EV-1, despite glowing reviews from owners of the cutting edge cars. Not only did the company pull the plug, but they took back ALL of the working vehicles by refusing to re-up all current leases.

The owners of the EV-1 were so dedicated to the little cars that they protested outside of a lot in which the vehicles were being kept under lock and key for over a YEAR. They watched as the cars were trucked out, and later destroyed by a car crusher deep in the desert.

Well, this executive told Thomas Friedman that the cars were a "commercial flop" and that "nobody wanted to buy them." This was far from the truth, and yet Friedman, a supposedly accredited journalist, merely accepted the answers in stride and the film continued. Now, I'm not an accomplished investigative journalist (not yet) but even I know this guy was bullshitting. Why no challenge from Friedman?

To add insult to injury, the film went on to discuss the values of Hydrogen! We all know of the obvious benefits, but what about the fact that the cost will make gas seem cheap? That is just skimming the top of the hydrogen issue - more on that at a later date.

This is the sort of thing that can turn a "documentary" into propaganda for a large corporation. Now, I am no conspiracy theorist, but the standards seem to have dropped to the point where people no longer question anything. Have we truly become sheeples, as Mike Savage (he's terrific) would call most of us?

Lets get in the big game again. No more idle speech about "change". Lets get into action.

We found this little gem of a sign on our way back from Placerville this weekend. The bait shop hugged a small canal that fed the delta - lots of restaurants and bars on this tiny strip of pavement. There were tons of motorcycles and live music kickin on a Sunday afternoon! We loved that. Luckily, my brother-in-law remembered the sign and we got some shots.

I think this would make for a great showcase on Leno.
More to report on the weekend real soon. We drove quads throughout Happy Valley, on this mountain that has been in my buddies family since 1906 (actually my brother-in-laws dear friend).

Self-Promotion

IF THIS IS YOUR FIRST VISIT TO THE BLOG PLEASE SCROLL PAST THIS RANT BELOW. The writings beneath this piece are a better looking glass into what Living In The Void is truly about.

With in-boxes saturated with useless drivel, it has become increasingly difficult to promote your art. When it comes to close family and friends you can not blame them if they don't read your articles or take the time to give you feedback. They too are inundated with junk, forwarded messages having little to do with their believes, yet some of our peers continue to forward things along without a thought.

This time around however, trying to get my own peers involved in my craft (writing, forthcoming book, poetry) has become almost impossible. I dread to picture the types of things they are spending their time reading, and admittedly, I feel dwarfed by the garbage out there. Perhaps our current political, financial, and global situation is a reflection of these daily futile distractions. We spend our time on gossip pages, social networks (I too am guilty there) and online gaming.

Still: I will not give up. This book will be published, and I will continue to fill in-boxes with my own words. It is ultimately up to the recipient whether they want to read the prose of a good friend, or the musings of a multi-millionaire gossip whore.

We may find ourselves truly blessed with great friendships and humble mentors during the zig zaggy course of our lives. I have been fortunate in having experienced both. That same blessing, my mentor, past away. The news paralyzed me. The services commemorating his life were in New York City and then Istanbul. Unfortunately I was unable to attend, and that hurt more than anything. I do however, cherish the fact that we managed to form an honest friendship in the months before he past on. When I worked for him (Arif Mardin, when I worked at Atlantic Records) I could barely build up the nerve to truly engage him in real conversation. Talk about life, the real stuff, and he liked to do that.

We were always so busy that we never got the chance then, yet this man found the time to help me during some heavy storms. He is a legend to readers of Rolling Stone or fans of Aretha Franklin and Norah Jones. But he was the best friend to me. I know I wasn't one if his closest friends, though I know he cared for me greatly. We were divided by so many years in age, and hey, he had alot of people to love and take care of! I'm saddened he wasn't there to help us through the perils of last year. But, then I thought, he was. Honestly, when things got so bad I wanted to end it I thought of him, and how he believed in my talents, and how he loved to read my stupid poems and music reviews. Then I looked at my beloved wife, and I knew I had something to offer.

We all need humility and care of that mans level.



Michael
-there's a rant bout our Independence below. I wrote it on the fourth.

Our Independence

As today is our commemoration of Independence, that is, independent of the throws of England. This is a time for both celebration and reflection. There is great irony in our domestic celebration, as we, the people who inhabited this land far later than the native Americans had initially, stole it from them. We raped and pillaged, moved many against their will, and destroyed their homes and lives. These indigenous peoples are now secluded to specific areas of the country, where poverty is the new villain and gambling is their seeming salvation.

I have no intent to defame our great nation. Many worldly nations have thrived off the deterioration of another (and usually the other being the original inhabitants, like the Canaanites). There is however a need to discuss the past as a whole, not in parts, in order to tell the complete truth. Only then may we truly celebrate with both pride and passion. This is no history lesson, merely the meandering prose of an individual who relates to alienation.

In the end we must all learn to except one another. To ask that we embrace everybody that is wholly different from ourselves is far too reaching. Excepting is the first step, and that step is far from many currently residing all over the world. If history has taught us anything it is that events repeat themselves, yet manifest in differing circumstances according to changing times. We can take from past experiences and Learn from them, or ignore them. The ladder will always come back to haunt.

So, beer and fireworks abound. Lets simply not forget the reason we are here, and the people who were here before us.


Michael

The Faithful

The faithful have become the heroes
And the murderers.


Fair, and Evil


Gods words have been distorted for an oil drum.


Mother Earth is taking her time
with his demise.


She needs the energy.


We gaze at their glory,
blinded by our own image


As both God and Earth slip away from our Consciousness




Written By: Michael Mercer