Just saw Collapse...Absolutely Must See

[8bitagent]

My respect for Michael Rupert has shot through the roof after watching Collapse. Especially the last part of the film, when he gets right down to the basic fundamentals of life. Of getting into local growing, getting out of old ways of thinking, getting in touch with what matters most, and "counting smiles". They show footage of him saying in 2005/2006 precisely everything that happened in September 2008 regarding the implosion of the market, the derivitive and housing scam, etc. He really gives it straight regarding Obama and his role(saying he's a prisoner) Yes, most the film is about peak oil, but there's no doubt that virtually everything in this world is based off of oil. Just an amazing 80 minute movie. It has both the feel of a Errol Morris film, with a bit of Koyaanisqatsi and Jonathen Demme's Silence of the Lambs(especially the score)

Buy it, rent it, torrent it...just see it. I've never seen a "popular conspiracy figure" break it down to a more real world level what's going on than Rupert in here. Rupert makes no bones about barely being able to pay rent in a small house, or spending most his days with his dog making music...but I think he has a better emotional and reality grip on what's happening and to come than any of these doomsayers.

Alex Jones, with his "global warming is a hoax/government gonna take our guns/gotta stop the illegals from coming over" message. Others with their equally eye-rolling Larouchian Birchie "patriot" disinfotainment. Is any of that a real message?

Rupert here strips away all the noise, and brings his message of solutions to a language free of all the typical conservative or liberal bias and just gets real. His emotional breakdown at the end of the film to me shows he's realized what's the core importance in life, and realizing there's no point wasting anymore time with "research" and soap boxing.

[Wombaticus Rex]

I agree 100% -- the movie humanized him to an extent I was not expecting. Whatever he's been through, it purified him. Awesome movie.

[anothershamus]

I agree 100% -- the movie humanized him to an extent I was not expecting. Whatever he's been through, it purified him. Awesome movie.

I'm getting my seeds and ground ready! I hope it's not like any earthquake prediction I don't want it to happen, but I want to be ready if it does.....

A.Shamus

[Wombaticus Rex]

I'm getting my seeds and ground ready! I hope it's not like any earthquake prediction I don't want it to happen, but I want to be ready if it does.....

A.Shamus

But its different because if you spend $10,000 preparing for the 2012 sunstorm killshot and building a lead-shielded bunker, you've wasted $10,000 when nothing happens.

With gardening, you've still got a ton of edible food and you made the world a measurably better place in the process...NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!!!

Nature: the original win/win/win.

[psynapz]

But its different because if you spend $10,000 preparing for the 2012 sunstorm killshot and building a lead-shielded bunker, you've wasted $10,000 when nothing happens.

With gardening, you've still got a ton of edible food and you made the world a measurably better place in the process...NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!!!

Nature: the original win/win/win.

But wait... however remote, there's still an ever-present danger of a variety of cosmic killshots, even after the next solar maximum... so that $10k is never wasted. Like any insurance, the cost is amortized over a lifetime of not dying from a CME, shroomy cloud, etc.

I mean, isn't it all a matter of risk management, to the best of one's abilities? I mean, I don't have my hands, wrists, arms and brain insured by Lloyds of London, but if I were making that kind of dough (and nowhere near done doing it), I'd sure as hell think about it, assuming I already had life, medical, dental, etc.

So I'd start with an organic garden as a hedge against transportation strikes, add a goat and some storable food as a hedge against collapse, seal off a room in the basement with a plague-proof air exchanger as a hedge against Ft Detrick, then, as funds permit, dig and build a lead-lined underground bunker as a hedge against anything in the E.L.E. category.

You know, unless Nicholas Cage shows up and condescends explanation of a more urgent need for the lead bunker, rather than just wanting to hug until we all vaporize.

[Sounder]

Rupert here strips away all the noise, and brings his message of solutions to a language free of all the typical conservative or liberal bias and just gets real. His emotional breakdown at the end of the film to me shows he's realized what's the core importance in life, and realizing there's no point wasting anymore time with "research" and soap boxing.

I agree with 8bit's appreciation and take on Ruppert here, and can better see why 8bit may choose to move on. Still, we can do more than research and soap boxing and it would be great to hear your (8-bit's) seasoned voice sometime in the future.

[ninakat]

Rupert here strips away all the noise, and brings his message of solutions to a language free of all the typical conservative or liberal bias and just gets real. His emotional breakdown at the end of the film to me shows he's realized what's the core importance in life, and realizing there's no point wasting anymore time with "research" and soap boxing.

I agree with 8bit's appreciation and take on Ruppert here, and can better see why 8bit may choose to move on. Still, we can do more than research and soap boxing and it would be great to hear your (8-bit's) seasoned voice sometime in the future.

I had the same feeling about 8-bit moving on after seeing Collapse. A number of factors have moved me away from RI and the internet in general, which is why I'm rather scarse around here now. Here's a film that I just discovered the other day (thanks to Carolyn Baker's suggestion in her daily news digest) and it gave me hope for at least some of us life-boat builders (including farmers willing to adapt and change):

Permaculture - Farms for the Future
http://www.viddler.com/explore/PermaScience/videos/4/

[Nordic]

I'm here a lot because I'm largely unemployed. Have been almost all last year. Right now my bank account is overdrawn because of a check that didn't come in when promised, and the bank decided, rather than just give me one overcharge fee for the one Big Check that actually made me overdrawn, no, instead they decided to let that one go through and then charge me for EACH of the three little checks that tried to go through after that. They tripled their overcharge fees by doing this. That's why they made something like 38 billion dollars last year in these fees. Because they're slime.

Sorry, did I just go off on a rant?

My point being that some of us internet junkies are just un- and under-employed.

But yeah, gardens. Best thing in the world (besides having kids). There's something spiritual about gardening. By that I mean when you plant seeds in the ground, you are also planting seeds for your own future. I'm not sure how to put it into words. I'd say "seeds of hope" but that's a terrible cliche and I despise hope. It's not hope, it's real, it's seeds of potential energy I suppose.

[§ê¢rꆧ]

I want to chime in agreement with what you guys and gals are saying about Collapse. It brought me to tears for a bit, but then this subject matter makes me cry easily. I watched it once, then listened to it (for the benefit of my wife) while I was working. It's good as just audio, too. Excellent score.

As a whole, Collapse feels genuine and honest, and a good documentary to share with those who dismiss Peak Oil out of hand. I myself am still not decided on where I am with Peak Oil, but after watching this, most of my doubts about Ruppert (I didn't have many) are gone.

You can just watch it online here, if you like:

part 1: http://blip.tv/file/3095433 *updated*
part 2: http://blip.tv/file/3092876
part 3: http://blip.tv/file/3093335

Note: I encourage you to support this small film by buying a copy and seeing it at your local theater, if you are able.

[Uncle $cam]

why does the transition from part1 to part2 go from discussing soil erosion/ food production to abruptly talking about his life?

[semper occultus]

apologies for the blatant thread hijack but does anyone know if the "in production" Dave Emory film "The Anti Fascist" is ever going to materialise ?
I tried sending an enquiry to the production company & it got bounced back undelivered.


http://www.theantifascist.com/

[IanEye]

I'm here a lot because I'm largely unemployed. Have been almost all last year. Right now my bank account is overdrawn because of a check that didn't come in when promised, and the bank decided, rather than just give me one overcharge fee for the one Big Check that actually made me overdrawn, no, instead they decided to let that one go through and then charge me for EACH of the three little checks that tried to go through after that. They tripled their overcharge fees by doing this. That's why they made something like 38 billion dollars last year in these fees. Because they're slime.

Sorry, did I just go off on a rant?

that happened to me too recently. also, the chronology can be opposite and they will still do the same scummy trick.
that is, you could have the four small withdrawals come in before the big one and they will wait and pay the big one first to set up the multiple overdraw trigger...

[Nordic]

I'm here a lot because I'm largely unemployed. Have been almost all last year. Right now my bank account is overdrawn because of a check that didn't come in when promised, and the bank decided, rather than just give me one overcharge fee for the one Big Check that actually made me overdrawn, no, instead they decided to let that one go through and then charge me for EACH of the three little checks that tried to go through after that. They tripled their overcharge fees by doing this. That's why they made something like 38 billion dollars last year in these fees. Because they're slime.

Sorry, did I just go off on a rant?

that happened to me too recently. also, the chronology can be opposite and they will still do the same scummy trick.
that is, you could have the four small withdrawals come in before the big one and they will wait and pay the big one first to set up the multiple overdraw trigger...

You'd think there'd be some enterprising young law firm out there who would start a class action lawsuit against this sort of thing. I mean, it could be huge. And a huge payday for them.

Yesterday when I realized what they'd done, I really felt like doing this, but of course I'm not a lawyer.

I should have done screengrabs on my computer of how it all went down. But I didn't, because, well, seeing how it all went down I figured the outcome would be very different. But no, they just ignored the real history and implemented their own, to triple their fees.

Sorry ....

[anothershamus]

Just so you know Nordic: I heard a guy on Fresh Air with Terry Gross on NPR that talked about the banks doing shit like that. You have to specifically ask for NO 'courtesy overdraft protection'. they have to give it to you. I went into my bank and asked for it and they gave me a bunch of sidestepping like, "oh that's so you won't have a denied charge and you might get embarrassed." Fuck That! I get embarrassed when I have to pay 34.50 to the fucking bank for covering a 4$ charge. So they took it off my account and their term for the 'service' is called 'the matrix'. bastards! Any way they have to take it off if you ask, BUT you can still get overdraft by buying gas and they pre approve you for some amount and it doesn't show up until the next day how much you actually spent so that can screw you up as well. Listen to the Fresh Air program to find out about lots more scams that are designed to TAKE TAKE TAKE all our money!

and this goes back to Collapse in that this is an indicator of the total domination and greed that the corporations keep doing, and there has to be an end. either when there is no money left or when we get fed up and take back all they took from us through deceptive means.

[Nordic]

Just so you know Nordic: I heard a guy on Fresh Air with Terry Gross on NPR that talked about the banks doing shit like that. You have to specifically ask for NO 'courtesy overdraft protection'. they have to give it to you. I went into my bank and asked for it and they gave me a bunch of sidestepping like, "oh that's so you won't have a denied charge and you might get embarrassed." Fuck That! I get embarrassed when I have to pay 34.50 to the fucking bank for covering a 4$ charge. So they took it off my account and their term for the 'service' is called 'the matrix'. bastards! Any way they have to take it off if you ask, BUT you can still get overdraft by buying gas and they pre approve you for some amount and it doesn't show up until the next day how much you actually spent so that can screw you up as well. Listen to the Fresh Air program to find out about lots more scams that are designed to TAKE TAKE TAKE all our money!

and this goes back to Collapse in that this is an indicator of the total domination and greed that the corporations keep doing, and there has to be an end. either when there is no money left or when we get fed up and take back all they took from us through deceptive means.

Whoa, interesting. I did not know that.

I just got off the phone with the bank and they act all friendly like "we'll gladly cut those fees in half to help you out". Part of the scam, right? They're the GOOD GUYS, right? I mean, I'll take it, but there shouldn't be any fees in the first place. Well, in my case there should be one, because the check that was supposed to be in my hands never came in, long story. Dominoes ensued thanks to the bank. Should not have been dominoes.

Anyway, yeah, they claim they did nothing wrong, it's all computerized, all automatic, there's no way it could have gone down THE WAY I SAW IT GO DOWN on my computer screen.

Thanks for the info. I'm definitely gonna get that, so the checks will bounce like they're supposed to!