Reflections Of A Vampyre In Daylight

Why Are Gas Prices So High?

noreply@blogger.com (vlm) — Sun, 07 May 2006 02:25:00 +0000

On Gasoline - Past, Present & Future

(with excerpts from

Richard Heinberg's book, "The Party's Over"

)

by Vachelle McFarland

(originally published May 2006)

"It's gasolicious!" --

American SUV owner, circa 2004 A.D.

"The oil industry is important to us." - Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N. Dakota) 04/05/2006 via C-SPAN.

"Fraud is a crime of opportunity."

- Rep. Gene Taylor (D-Mississippi) 06/13/06 via C-SPAN.

Sure is. I remember when corporate monopolism was considered by law to be deleterious to fair competitive struggle. It seems the laws have been changed to protect the strong. The rich can take care of themselves but those of us who live closer to the middle want our finances managed well by those we assign as caretakers.

I also remember the U.S. Constitution was written by 55 white men. Of course, I wasn't there but I read they gathered in a back room in a house in Philadelphia, PA., which was probably the first and only time political backroom dealings produced something good for this country. It's been roughly a couple of hundred years since it was written. Because of that hallowed and consensual document we tout ourselves as the greatest and most successful democracy in the history of humankind. But since that historically auspicious occasion what kind of a country have we become?

Responsible politics means confronting real issues. There's much to be concerned about in today's world. We are a people who always talk about our Rights - how about some discussion of our wrongs? You know, it takes three lefts to make a right – not two (or more) wrongs.

span style="COLOR: rgb(51,204,0);font-family:verdana;" >I'm sure (former) Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld would no doubt characterize that as, "Stinkin' thinkin'."

Oh yes, I agree something smells.

We may disagree on individual notions but we should all agree on what is fundamentally best for the majority of people here and elsewhere. We don't live in a vacuum. It's a mixing bowl/melting pot. But look at the stew we're making (menudo, anyone?).

It's a big, wide, world we live in and I'm enjoying life very much, thank you.

However, what of those who do not because of economic disenfranchisement with its attendant insecurities and hardships? What must that do to a person? I think it would cause much stress and unhappiness leading to anger and depression - i.e., chaos.

In a functional economy the goal is for everyone to work and contribute so all may prosper. In a dysfunctional and corrupt economy the goal is exploitation for profiteering purposes. Governments were created to manage populations. How and who does the managing is a most significant issue. The officials we choose (through votes) to administer this office are responsible for carrying out the wishes of the majority of the population (not just the voters) by the way they apportion our taxes.

I'm not one to "nickle and dime" things. As a downtown Los Angeles (micro-) businessman I understand the use of money as a tool - but to make large, speculative investments with the federal treasury to the point of bankrupting our nation is not something I can stand idly by watching with my mouth agape. As we spend literally $11 million dollars AN HOUR on the rapacious destruction of one of the greatest meccas of Civilization even as we shift the wealth of the U.S. into the hands of the superrich.

(Bechtel?
Halliburton?
General Electric?)

I mean, where is all our money going? The CIA, the military, as well as the aforementioned corporate "contractors" are the main American occupiers, so perhaps their ledgers will yield some answers--especially as we were warned years ago about what we face today.

On the face of it--if you believe the
hype--it appears most of us support the
current administration. Being patriotic, being

nationalistic ,

being proud of and loyal to your country

are NOT right-wing notions

-

they are common American values

that only appear co-opted by reactionary extremists. *Sigh* I only ask for something tangible to hold onto. Give me something real that I can feel, not some media-indulgent mass hypnosis to shape my view!

While we're waiting, I'd like to give you the 4-1-1 on the relatively short but aggressive history of the mechanics of oil and gas production in the United States. It may sound boring but surprises abound.

Let's begin with the present

, look at the

past, then extrapolate forward into the

future.

I will illustrate 3 simple points:

1) The real price of gas for refiners.
2) The real cost of gas to the consumer.
3) The real chumps we Americans are.

U.S./World Fuel Prices

According to Dr Gerhard P. Metschies' Guide to International Fuel Prices --{2005 4th Edition – 172 Countries ); Commissioned by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) Contact: Dr. Simon Koppers, Division 313 - Water, Energy, Urban Development, Tel.: +49 (1888) 535-3109}-- in 2005 the. . .

Price of Crude Oil on the World Market was 27 U.S. cents per Liter = 43 U.S. dollars per Barrel
Retail Price of Gasoline in the United States was 54 U.S. cents per Liter
Retail Price of Gasoline in Luxembourg was 119 U.S. cents per Liter

Note: The fuel prices of the United States are average costs covering retail prices including industry margin, VAT and including approximately 10 U.S. cents for the two road funds (federal and state). This fuel price being without other specific fuel taxes may be considered as the international minimum benchmark for a non-subsidized road transport policy. The fuel prices of Luxembourg are the approximately minimum entrance level for new European Union accession countries.

So if it cost U.S. oil companies 54 cents per liter to sell gasoline to the public in 2005, why did it cost us about two dollars and 50 cents a gallon to buy it? Maybe it's for the same reason audio CDs cost about 75 cents each to make but are sold to us for about $12 -18 dollars. Some people call it unfair profitting through price gouging; others say it's fair profit due to what the market will bear. I think it 's more along the lines of the erroneously attributed P.T. Barnum motto: "There's a sucker born every minute!"

I Can't Afford My Gasoline!

Now let's be clear about the definition of gasoline: It is a volatile mixture of flammable liquid hydrocarbons derived chiefly from crude petroleum and used principally as a fuel for internal-combustion engines.

Hydrocarbons are molecules of varying length and complexity made of hydrogen and carbon. Their various structures give them their differing properties and thereby uses. The trick in the oil refinement process is separating and purifying these. All these different hydrocarbons have different boiling points, which means they can be separated by distillation. Gasoline is produced in oil refineries from crude oil via distillation.

Crude oil is the term for "unprocessed" oil - the stuff that comes out of the ground . It is also known as petroleum. Crude oil is a fossil fuel, meaning that it was made naturally from decaying plants and animals living in ancient seas millions of years ago -- anywhere you find crude oil was once a sea bed . Crude oils vary in color, from clear to tar-black, and in viscosity, from water to almost solid. Once oil has been produced from an oil field , it is treated with chemicals and heat to remove water and solids, and the natural gas is separated . The oil is then stored in a tank , or battery of tanks , and later transported to a refinery , by truck , railroad tankcar , barge , or pipeline . Large oil fields all have direct outlets to major, common-carrier pipelines.

American History X

The basic refining tool is the distillation unit. Crude oil begins to vaporize at a temperature somewhat less than that required to boil water. Hydrocarbons with the lowest molecular weight vaporize at the lowest temperatures, whereas successively higher temperatures are required to distill larger molecules. The first material to be distilled from crude oil is the gasoline fraction, followed in turn by naphtha and then by kerosene . The residue in the kettle, in the old still refineries, was then treated with caustic and sulfuric acid, and finally steam distilled thereafter. Lubricants and distillate fuel oils were obtained from the upper regions and waxes and asphalt from the lower regions of the distillation apparatus.

Therefore, in the process of refining oil and producing high-end products, gasoline, naphtha, and kerosene were waste by-products that used to be dumped into rivers and streams. It wasn't until the incorporation of gasoline as a fuel to power internal-combustion engines that it was seen as having real add-on value. To reiterate: Gasoline was not invented, GASOLINE IS A WASTE BY-PRODUCT of the refining process, kerosene being the principal product.

In the later 19th century the gasoline and naphtha fractions were actually considered a nuisance because little need for them existed, and the demand for kerosene also began to decline because of the growing production of electricity and the use of electric lights. With the introduction of the automobile, however, the demand for gasoline suddenly burgeoned, and the need for greater supplies of crude oil increased accordingly. Before internal combustion engines were invented in the mid-1800s, gasoline was sold in small bottles as a treatment against lice and their eggs. At that time, the word "Petrol" was a trade name. This treatment method is no longer common because of the inherent fire hazard and the risk of dermatitis, and because gasoline is a carcinogen, causing those who repeatedly use it on the skin over significant periods of time to develop cancerous growths .

In an email exchange with author Richard Heinberg dated 06/10/06 I asked if my assertion that it costs practically nothing for refineries to make gasoline was correct? My argument has always been the price of gasoline is strictly arbitrary, for other than the costs of chemical additives, transportation, and storage the price of gasoline is pure profit for the oil industry! In reality, the price of gasoline today should be around fifty cents a gallon!

Heinberg responded, "Well, refining is not free. There are definitely costs involved for heat, storage, pumping, and so on. . . Altogether, refining costs represent considerably less than 20% of the final cost of the product."

Back To The Future

In the book, "The Party's Over, Oil, War, and the Fate of Industrial Societies," Heinberg writes, "Oil has been the cheapest and most convenient energy resource ever discovered by humans. During the past two centuries, people in industrial nations accustomed themselves to a regime in which more fossil-fuel energy was available each year, and the global population grew quickly to take advantage of this energy windfall. Industrial nations also came to rely on an economic system built on the assumption that growth is normal and necessary, and that it can go on forever. When oil production peaks, those assumptions will come crashing down.
"So when Mike Bowlin , former Chairman of ARCO, said in 1999, "We've embarked on the beginning of the last days of the age of oil," he was voicing a truth that many others in the petroleum industry knew but dared not utter. Over the past few years, evidence has mounted that global oil production is nearing its historic peak. . . As we move from a historic interval of energy growth to one of energy decline, we are entering uncharted territory. It takes some effort to adjust one's mental frame of reference to this new reality. . .

"When the global peak in oil production is reached, there will still be plenty of petroleum in the ground - as much as has been extracted up to the present, or roughly one trillion barrels. But every year from then on it will be difficult or impossible to pump as much as the year before ."
Clearly, we will need to find substitutes for oil. But an analysis of the current energy alternatives is not reassuring."

Solar and wind are renewable, but we now get less than one percent of our national energy budget from them; rapid growth will be necessary if they are to replace even a significant fraction of the energy shortfall from post-peak oil.

Nuclear power is dogged by the unsolved problem of radioactive waste disposal. [Click here to participate in a Virtual Nuclear Plant Crisis demonstration.]

Hydrogen is not an energy source at all, but an energy carrier: it takes more energy to produce a given quantity of hydrogen than the hydrogen itself will yield. Moreover, nearly all commercially produced hydrogen now comes from natural gas - whose production will peak only a few years after oil begins its historic decline.

"Unconventional petroleum resources - so-called "heavy oil," "oil sands," and "shale oil" - are plentiful but extremely costly to extract, a fact that no technical innovation is likely to change.

"The oil peak will impact international relations," writes Heinberg. "Resource conflicts are nothing new: pre-state societies often fought over agricultural land, fishing or hunting grounds, horses, cattle, waterways, and other resources. Most of the wars of the twentieth century were also fought over resources - in many cases, oil. But those wars took place during a period of expanding resource extraction; the coming decades of heightened competition for fading energy resources will likely see even more frequent and deadly conflicts."

In the hands of the irresponsibly powerful the end results can be lethal to all humanity.

Heinberg continues: "The US - as the world's largest energy consumer, the center of global industrial empire, and the holder of the most powerful store of weaponry in world history - will play a pivotal role in shaping the geopolitics of the new century.

To many observers, it appears that oil interests are already at the heart of the present administration's geopolitical strategy.

"Here's a suggestion: Spend at least 20 minutes appreciating energy's role in the life of your city; imagine what the scene you are viewing would look like if there were 10 percent less energy available. What substitutions would be necessary? What choices would people make? What work would not get done? Now imagine the scene with 25 percent less energy available; with 50 percent less; with 75 percent less.

"Assuming that the peak in global oil production occurs in the period from 2006 to 2015 and that there is an average two percent decline in energy available to industrial societies each year afterward, in your imagination you will have taken a trip into the future, to perhaps the year 2050.

"The hard math of energy resource analysis yields an uncomfortable but unavoidable prospect: even if efforts are intensified now to switch to alternative energy sources, after the oil peak industrial nations will have less energy available to do useful work - including the manufacturing and transporting of goods, the growing of food, and the heating of homes.

"The consequences for global food production will be no less dire. Throughout the twentieth century, food production expanded dramatically in country after country, with virtually all of this growth attributable to energy inputs. Without fuel-fed tractors and petroleum-based fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides, it is doubtful that crop yields can be maintained at current levels.

"This suggests a fundamental change of direction for industrial societies - from the larger, faster, and more centralized, to the smaller, slower, and more locally-based; from competition to cooperation; and from boundless growth to self-limitation.

"The likely economic consequences of the energy downturn are enormous. All human activities require energy - which physicists define as "the capacity to do work." With less energy available, less work can be done - unless the efficiency of the process of converting energy to work is raised at the same rate as energy availability declines. It will therefore be essential, over the next few decades, for all economic processes to be made more energy-efficient. However, efforts to improve efficiency are subject to diminishing returns, and so eventually a point will be reached where reduced energy availability will translate to reduced economic activity. Given the fact that our national economy is based on the assumption that economic activity must grow perpetually, the result is likely to be a recession with no bottom and no end.

"There is much that individuals and communities can do to prepare for the energy crunch. Anything that promotes individual self-reliance (gardening, energy conservation, and voluntary simplicity) will help. But the strategy of individualist survivalism will offer only temporary and uncertain refuge during the energy down-slope. True individual and family security will come only with community solidarity and interdependence. Living in a community that is weathering the downslope well will enhance personal chances of surviving and prospering far more than will individual efforts at stockpiling tools or growing food.

"Meanwhile, nations must adopt radical energy conservation measures, invest in renewable energy research, support sustainable local food systems instead of giant biotech agribusiness, adopt no-growth economic and population policies, and strive for international resource cooperation agreements."

*********************

If you've read this far, I thank you. And if you want to know more about Oil Depletion and The Collapse of the American Dream then I suggest the video, "The End of Suburbia," produced by documentarian Barry Silverton. If you're really ready to go down the rabbit hole of this worldwide culture change allow the following web link to be your starting place. Caution: the hole goes deep...The End of Suburbia.com

(c. 2006) Vachelle McFarland

On Performance Art

noreply@blogger.com (vlm) — Wed, 21 Sep 2005 20:07:00 +0000

My art is about the motion of my life. The ebbs and flows of the tides of experience. If my art is an expression of truth, both subjective and objective, then I want that truth to express itself fully.

Being human is such a uniquely wondrous proposition in so many myriad ways. We all live uniquely personal lives in very public places and the way we obscure and transform our true selves in order to interface with others comfortably is one of the focal points of the themes I explore in my performance work.

My work is personally daring but always with a humorous edge. I enjoy playing the sly trickster as I am naturally mischievous, although, as a nominal introvert, I do not crave personal attention, and I am not considered a "professional" performer by any means. but this is a means of expression I am feeling comfortable developing as a longterm avocation.

My previous performances at the Dangerous Curve performance and art gallery (thanks Kathryn) and Art Salon (thanks Jason) and elsewheres seem to have been received to mixed receptions and I have been invited to perform at Bergamot Station in Santa Monica (cool!). But, frankly, I want to remain close to home base for now and create a name for myself around the Downtown L.A. art scene.

My art is both experiential and experimental. But, most of all, thought-provoking and emotionally affecting. My passion is where my pain is, and that is the inner motivation of my art. It is my escape from and expression of personal turmoil. The cliche that an artist often suffers is very true with me. It is my release and in many ways my salvation. Certainly the buzz of emotions and calm that vacillate within me during the creative process infuses itself within my work.

My art is not polished. I deliberately leave "unfinished" elements as part of my work to demarcate my personal affinity with my "outsider" status in the art world. Art has always been my mainstay. I may not create "great" art (whatever), but it's mine and I like it. It is what I have to offer as it is what I do best and easiest. I want to exploit all my skills even as I accept the fact that creative periods run hot and cold.

One thing I realize is that, for now, L.A. is the place for me. If there's something wrong in my life I can't blame the town. L.A. has so much to offer. There's something within me that must better adapt to the conditions at hand. I believe I have real opportunity to develop an art career that could lead to a decent income (well, I gotta eat, y'know) if I only exploit the opportunities before me.

The best thing I can do artistically is be myself and express myself realistically but creatively. As a performance artist the written word is always available to me and I want to use it as a mainstay of my performances. The idea is to develop lengthy formal pieces of style and merit. I truly look forward to what the future may hold for me.

Sorta. Maybe.

My Blues (a poem)

noreply@blogger.com (vlm) — Tue, 20 Sep 2005 23:14:00 +0000

My blues are red hot!
Oow, baby!!
Like the blue nile in Egypt;
The blue sky at dawn,
The murmurs in my mind
Is the music of my heart --

My blues are red hot!
It burns like dry ice - icy hot!
Searing my soul
Through and through --
Burn, baby, burn!

When you left me behind,
Drained of all blood,
The empty husk of me
Collapsed into the black hole
Of my discontent --

Yet the death of my loss
Brought the life into me
As my color temperature
Shifts the spectrum
Back into the range of blues
Yellows, Greens, Oranges,
Purples... Reds --

I'm seeing the rainbow's shimmer
As the strings and quarks
And atoms and molecules in
This swirling cauldron of infinity
Rebirths me with a Big BANG!

My blues are red hot!

They are a boiling river
Of maleficient horrors
Eking a bloody path into
My living hell,
Like molten lava
Roiling and rising within the caldera
Submerged withing my sea of calm --

My blues...

My blues is the fire on your tongue
When you taste my sin,
Like pure Louisiana cayenne
Biting the nerve ends
Of your palate with a flame
No water can extinguish.

My blues are the pulsing
Currents of your inner arteries
Impacting with tragic consequences
The hole my soul abandoned.

My blues are not your blues, earwig
Because your heart is black
But my blues...
Are red hot.

Verona (a poem)

noreply@blogger.com (vlm) — Tue, 20 Sep 2005 22:53:00 +0000

~~~From a place of old bloodstains,

Where love died but still remains,

And souls walk fitfully
Throughout all time...

Comes a story often told

Of two lovers young but bold;

A pair of tempters of a
Fate harsh yet sublime.

Come with me to Verona,

Hear it calling
In your soul.

Walk with me in Verona,

Home is where our hearts
Long to go.

In a place where rivals flourished;

Of a time and culture Moorish;

Where two lives tied

To each other couldn't last,

Burned a love all-consuming,

Fraught by dangers ever-looming,

A struggle of race, politics, and class,

Long ago past
In old Italy.

Come with me to Verona,

Hear it call out
To your heart.

Dance with me in Verona,

Home is the place from
Which we must start.

In the dim of the evening sun

Ghosts walk among us every one,

So lay your eyes upon my face,

As all doubts and fears erase,

Without a trace,

In Verona.~~~

(c) 2006 Vachelle McFarland

Pics

noreply@blogger.com (vlm) — Mon, 19 Sep 2005 22:11:00 +0000

On a community walk in downtown L.A.'s infamous Skid Row, now redesignated Central City East.

At right, my Hollywood actor headshot.

Right, in Vegas with my dear friend, Bobbi.

Of LA. and L.A.

noreply@blogger.com (vlm) — Mon, 19 Sep 2005 21:34:00 +0000

As goes New Orleans , so goes Los Angeles.

I think we may have seen a preview of post-earthquake Los Angeles after "the Big One." When it occurs it should come as no surprise the turmoil we will experience. It should come as no surprise to the most sentient citizen that we always reap what we sow as our "Homeland Security" response was per my expectations.

Epiphanies work on so many levels! None of the past or current recent events are surprising to me; only the scope. After the presidential election coup of 2000 I have come to expect all sorts of brazen absurdities from our government. It is only part of the patterns set forth from as far back as the Nixon administration.

Kids--there's much more to come. And it is our own fault. As a country we harbor a plethora of flaws even as we glorify them. Our so-called "greatness" as a country was spent after Vietnam. The world knows we have become fat, lazy, apathetic, and stupid on our mostly stolen largesse.

The world oil supply has moved steadily toward crisis level even as we make love to our Escalades and Humvees. For years Europe has paid steep prices for petrol (gasoline) and still do. It is the U.S. that has artificially kept down prices in order to stave off resistance at the voting booths. And the U.S. has coasted on this selfish "me" mentality for about as long as we can go.

For the past 25 years our cover foreign policies have reined out of control through the onslaught of the insurgent might of our military-industrial complex. Yes, ladies and gents, I'm referring to multinational corporations General Electric, ARCO and the rest, as well as their ancillary government components (Bush, et al).

Why aren't they seen as the world criminals they are? Because they are us. The people who run these megacorps are motivated by one thing and one thing only: greed. Say it with me... G-R-E-E-D! Yes, it's profit at any cost. Their jobs are contingent upon being responsive to the competitive markets and, especially, shareholders. That type of pressure always lead nefarious minds astray.

When power and control over others is attached as a derivative of the profit motive perhaps one can see where human nature leads us to resort to the path of least resistance. L.A.P.D.'s Chief Bratton's endorsement of the "broken windows" theory of law enforcement may apply well to our body politic in this regard.

When we look at how and where our primary motivations lead us in regards to the ill effects of innocents, it is acting as a cancer in our midst; eating away from within. It is the theme of filmmaker George Romero's recent "Land of the Dead."

But, of course, the subtleties of metaphor seems to have escaped us as a society. And that is a reflection of our urban educational system. I'm sure the realization of just how much poverty there is in a single area and how much the equitable distribution of wealth in this country is so disproportionate along racial lines.

However, in New Orleans there is a different racial line at play: The color line; not race but color. The difference between lightskinned blacks (creoles) and darkskinned blacks (geechees) is historically significant. However, at a ratio of 75/25 in population I was taken aback by the visual disparity shown on network television recently. When I visited New Orleans several years ago I found it very dirty and unfriendly in general.

The vibe was decidedly mixed among the blacks I encountered. In Los Angeles a similar vibe has emerged along with the rise of black political conservatism nationally. In this "land of opportunity," rank opportunists are running amok, in my estimation. Add to that a general perversion and breakdown of cultural norms and you have a recipe for societal disaster.

During a crisis an inner cohesion will be lacking in Los Angeles. And with a nihilistic gang culture that is well-armed and prevalent-- should conditions suddenly become extremely untenable, such as after the "Big One,"-- our collective asses will be on the line (black, brown, yellow, and white).

New Orleans HAD to be abandoned but in L.A. that may not be the case as such. We are a retail mecca. Commercial enterprise is mostly all we are about, especially Downtown. Remember the 1990's uprise and how the police response was to wait and see how many niggers die before they decided to act? That was/is the Standard Operating Procedure of emergency response in low economic enclaves. Believe it when you hear, "You get what you pay for."

Whenever equal opportunity is denied to a majority of a country's underclass through miseducation, institutionalized racism, and deliberate underdevelopment (as has been the case in the Third World for untold generations) the results cannot be faulted or laid at the feet of the oppressed just because it seems easy to do so.

Los Angeles' Skid Row is a case in point: I won't rehash the whole "Containment area" argument; it is an open secret among the longtime residents and local politicos, such as Jan Perry. Think of it as an open wound on our collective body.

Pain is pain no matter who it hurts. However, is it really pain if you don't feel it? Well, that begs the question of "other." When it is another [an other] who is in pain does it really concern us? Should it? Perhaps to the normal intellect these questions are redundant, but lately it appears the very most basic questions of life seem not to be understood.

I mean, questions like: knowing the difference between basic right and wrong; between correct and incorrect; between good and bad. I'm serious. It's like that sometimes with the people I encounter on a daily basis.

If the primary impetus of your life plan/direction is based on a faulty premise, one clearly in error, and if that error gains influence through repetition and imitation it creates a type of relative mass hypnosis on a par with our current religious fervor.

Such is hip hop culture. Once a forum for positive/truthful messages of uplift and encouragement and rebellion has been maligned and distorted by delivery agents of the lumpen proletariat's amoral/economic values (which, incidentally are the amoral/economic values of our beloved America). C'mon, where do you think the lumpen learned those lessons? From the robber barons of history to the Mafia to larcenous CEOs to our own Congress and confirmed by the fictitious visions of Hollywood, it's no wonder everyone thinks of doing unto others before they do unto you.

It is the pursuit of wealth by any means. THAT has become our moral code. This is one of the many false premises we harbor that determines our actions and therefore the patterns of our lives. Those who are guided by other primary motivations, such as the true concept of love, are given short shrift and cast aside; even to the point of being outrightly ostracized.

An error of premise leads to an error of perception which leads to errors of action. The U.S. has a long, rapacious history of racism and other egregious flaws in the name of Capitalism. That is one of the basic flaws with which we struggle daily.

As a nation highly influenced by modern evangelical Christianity we engage in all 7 deadly sins even as we rail against "others" doing so. Therefore hypocrisy is rife within the body politic. Hypocrisy is often defined as saying one thing and doing another. I don't believe that's wholly accurate but it makes a point. We share a history built upon lies by liars. And we gullibly go with the flow (the path of least resistance that I mentioned in Part One of the treatise). This is an immature and often tragic flaw of our society.

The artificial division between rich and poor is worldwide. Caste systems always have a religious affiliation to their brainwash even as governments enforce their character. So the "great unwashed" is a consequence of greed through tightly controlled distribution of resources.

The problem really comes into focus when wealth is attached to power and therefore, control over "others." When control is in the hands of those out of control we get typically a type of internal chaos that grows deeper and deeper. On L.A.'s Skid Row we allow and tolerate outrageous poverty within surroundings of enormous, mind-boggling wealth and privilege.

There are untold dollars being squandered by the inefficiency, lack of oversight, and sheer greed of administrators of funding for the homeless, for example. Take an opportunity to stand around some evening (as I have) to watch the parade of very expensive, upscale vehicles that emerge from the underground, gated parking of the Union Rescue Mission on San Pedro Street. You will see a number of Lexus's, BMWs, Mercedes, etc. speed toward the nearest freeway to various nether regions of the county. The contradictions are blatant, yet accepted without question.

Then come the recriminations of self-appeasement: "What's wrong with those people? Why don't they pull themselves up by their bootstraps. They're all a bunch of lazy bums! I can't stand 'em. Dirty, filthy animals--the lot of them! Issues of race and class will ever be with us unless or until we evolve as humans and reach a higher sense of self. But, for now, we function like a bunch of spoiled children, both intellectually, emotionally, and morally.

In a recent New Orleans city-conducted survey about 25 percent of their citizens admitted, no matter what, they would not leave their homes in the face of an impending hurricane. This type of complacency is a function of apathy to warnings, greed for their property, and love for things instead of love for self and others.

I, personally, never realized New Orleans was a soupbowl basin. My visits were few and brief. I never studied its geography in detail. So I am further astounded by the stupidity of living with sort of Damocles' Sword above one's collective head.

Yet, am I one to talk? I live in the core of downtown L.A., which sits astride one of the prime earthquake faults in SoCal: the L.A./Inglewood Fault. It's fairly certain when the "Big One" finally hits us the entire downtown area will fall like a house of cards. All the "lofties" living in their highrises may suffer the most.

If the NYC Twin Trade Towers are any indication, what you think is safe could become your burning coffin. Much of the rehabilitation to these old buildings to make them adaptive reusable is simply cosmetic. Some buildings were built solid in the beginning, and with proper refitting may ride out a massive earthquake that doesn't swallow it whole and remain fairly intact.

However, that's pretty iffy, if you ask me. Today's contractors and developers often cut costs in various ways that leave their projects vulnerable to failure. Yet, knowing that, here we live, mostly due to the fact that downtown business interests and politicos are hyping the value of being here.

Well, I'm here to tell you what my dad always impressed upon me: If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. And beyond the plan you must follow-up with action. That's right. But not any action -- correct action.

There was a time when our government hired only the best and the brightest among us. Now, cronyism rules the day. Idealogues bring along their followers. "It's not what you know but who you know" that puts you on the inside track nowadays. If you live in L.A. you know this to be true more often than not.

We make entertainers legislators and Governors and even Presidents! We, as a society, have developed an anti-intellectual slant toward our representatives. We want people who are like us: the lowest common denominator. So is it any wonder whom we elect to office?

I think the evidence is clear.

Any questions?

When the higher mind is not engaged, our animal instincts run amok. That is the importance of proper education. We should be taught facts and how to distinguish them and correctly draw our own. But that is the failure of our system.

Our educational system operates along the lines of supply and demand. It was developed to supply workers for industry. Students became the grist for the mill of Capitalism. But the Industrial Age is over and we have an overabundance of supply with little demand. Now add the scourge of overpopulation that is the way the poor attempt to achieve hegemony in the world economically. The masses reproduce as an odd counterpoint to lack of personal resources.

In rural or so-called third world areas large families function as a labor pool for the survival and, hopefully, prosperity of the family. In more, so-called, progressive, industrialized areas more children mean more public relief of sustenance funding. This is a deliberate failure political public policy and is most shameful to the point of being sinful.

Here's how I see it: When I sometimes step over or around a homeless person lying in his/her waste I feel disgusted by the sight and stench. For this is a symbol of what we, as a people, by the people, for (?) the people have wrought through our own apathetic selfishness. Yes, I want to stop to help, but, what can I really do, I think to myself. Also, I'm deathly afraid of disease (it's a phobia). So I move on, frustrated and angry at my own helplessness and self-concern.

It is said if the vast majority of visible homeless were white/caucasian this would not remain such a problem. Absolutely true. The evidence is evidently evidential. :)

There are relatively few whites in the homeless camp who remain longterm homeless because they have a racial support system that takes care of their own. This is largely because numerically there are more Caucasians (so far) in the U.S. and they primarily own the means of production (wealth), so, ipso facto and voila!

We perceive a skewed vision of a hidden reality and factor it into our false premises to create notions that feed our bigotries, hatreds, fears, etc. So the idea that "they brought upon themselves" may be less true than one thinks. IF one thinks.

Therefore the present of New Orleans is the future of Los Angeles given similar extreme circumstances. Have no doubt, the aftermath will be worse, especially if it seriously disrupts our communications and transportation systems.

This disaster is predicted to occur within the next possibly 20 years. We know it's going to happen but we don't know exactly when, so should we worry about it?

Well...um--yeah. But our way is, "Our cross that bridge when I get to it" not realizing the "bridge" may have fallen down like the London one we sang about as children. Then whatcha gonna do, Bunky?

I find such thinking insipid and endlessly worrisome. What is even more ironic is that the wealthy will not get away so easily as they did in New Orleans. So a simple realignment of perception toward a more diverse outlook can do wonders in the ripple effect on our (and the world's) society.

It begins by simply knowing the difference between right and wrong. In truth, we have allowed our gluttony to make irresponsible to ourselves. Look at the literal fattening of our population even as the rest of the world must ration their portions.

So here's the deal with Skid Row, just as it is with the entire of Los Angeles: Invest the money necessary to things work; listen to the real experts who have studied and have solutions to the problems. The mentally/emotionally disturbed must be cared for, not simply housed away out of sight (and out of mind?).

Insanity is a massive psychic pain no one will acknowledge. Even when "normal" people are unduely put upon we become depressed, sometimes to the point of giving up. People respond to the the conditions of their environment. Did you know that the concept of full employment has been touted by conservatives and reactionaries as a Communist ideal and not something good for our society? Sheesh! The crap we are told (and believe).

In a democratic society it's not enough to simply elect a representative. We must then guide and oversee his/her decisions on our behalf. But we have given over our power to a republican form of representation. That is to say, our politicians make independent decisions without our direct oversight.

Remember, when you place a person in a position of power the majority must use their own weight as a counterbalance or corruption will set in, as is the case today. We elect fools and hucksters to office because we want the world shaped in our own stupid image.

Funny thing though... as a Utopian at heart , I firmly believe a wonderful is technologically and socially feasible and possible. But not until/unless we wise up pretty fast. The Gulf Coast tragedy is going to send an intense shockwave throughout our already fragile and artificially propped up economy. However, if you are a staunch capitalist investor with a diversified portfolio, this is only a windfall as the gap between rich and poor widens ever more.

My guess is the rebuilding of New Orleans may be along the lines of our own Playa del Vista on the westside. It will be a boon to the economy of the southern states that most likely create a stream of poor and enterprising of various sorts from around the U.S. back south.

Now let me speak of something else to come: Backlash. Right now the hurricane victims are receiving a grace period of goodwill out of sheer necessity. But our more practiced worse nature will surely assert itself as resentment, distaste, suspicion, based on our fears and selfishness become the norm once again.

Am I being cynical or realistic? The assimilation of a highly traumatized underclass is exactly the situation we are confronting in Skid Row. Everyone wants to skirt around the issues but no one wants to confront them head-on (unless there is a profit motive attached, natch).

A lot of poor, angry black youth are beginning to filter throughout our country. Keep in mind that youth who have nothing have nothing to lose. They have a bone to pick with us for what they may see as an attack upon their very souls, lives, and existence. Afraid? Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Also, I would imagine the news of our criminally inept non-response to the dire needs of our own citizens by a warmongering government would bring succor, comfort, joy, and confidence to our self-made enemies around the world.

Oh, hey--did we forget about them? Tsk. I'm sure they haven't forgotten us as we continue our rampage through their lives. They are very real. So, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to our Vietnam Part Deux. We are losing the battles and will soon lose the war, you betcha.

I mean, how to defeat an enemy that is not afraid to die and consider it an honor? By needlessly and heedlessly invading and destroying Iraq we have knocked over the dominoes that will bring down our own house of cards. It's so sad to be the bully in someone else's backyard.

In closing, I'd like to refer you to a book by Arianna Huffington entitled, "How To Overthrow the Government." It is a must-read for the emerging cognoscenti. Also, if you havent' seen the movie "Crash" perhaps you might want to rent it. It won't be a waste of money, I assure you. There's a storm coming. Are we prepared to weather it, because we will not be able to flee the thunder from above and below.

Sweet Lies

noreply@blogger.com (vlm) — Fri, 29 Apr 2005 20:42:00 +0000

This is the text of a short story I am developing for possible consideration for a screenplay. I am working on it at a casual pace as I really want it to be good. Please note that all material is copyright by the author.

Sweet Lies by vlm

Carla walks into the living room with grace and confidence--two friends I sorely lack. She's been doing that lately and it scares me. But right now I'm too pissed to care.

"Goddamn mothafuckin' sonuvabitch piece of shit asshole crack-whore bitch! I can't find that thing," I mutter in typically frantic exasperation.

"Whatcha doin'?" she asks casually, coming up behind me.

I look at her askance. "My thing. My thing! You know... That--that..."

Carla circles around me and reaches above my head to a small shelf stacked with loose papers. "You mean this?"

"No! I just... looked-- there..." Suddenly I turn and focus to see the object of my concern. . "What th' hell is the matter with you! Stop doing that! It's creepin' me out!"

"What? This?" The she pulls out another item I had been seeking for three days.

"Where did you find it," I ask in utter, but now, common, amazement.

"It's where you hide everything, m'dear-- in plain sight," she says and walks away in shameless victory, leaving me to fruitlessly ponder the almost mystical weirdness of it all. And of her... I call that win-win.

Press Release 042905

noreply@blogger.com (vlm) — Fri, 29 Apr 2005 20:00:00 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Daniel Taylor 1-213-624-5510 Internet: Email: chac.la@att.net
Reviving A Ghost
Non-profit To Rehab L.A. Landmark

Los Angeles, CA April 29, 2005--Historic Fire Station #23 (aka Old 23), located at 225 E. 5th Street, is the site of an $8 million rehabilitation effort to create a new Central City Cultural Center. Spearheaded by the Corporation for History, Art, & Culture (C.H.A.C.), the organization plans to renovate as an Arts-based institution designed to achieve its artist development and multimedia training programs and produce educational materials and presentations in the community interest.
But in order to create a cultural center Old 23 must be saved. "The building is in need of many repairs to replace the roof, fix the drainage and make it watertight or it risks severe damage," cites C.H.A.C. president, Daniel Taylor. After an initial $2 million investment, another $6 million will be required to complete the project. "We must first bring the main floor up to City Code standards so we can begin holding public events and exhibits there year-round before continuing on to build video and audio studios on the 2nd and 3rd floors."
Old 23 was the first Los Angeles fire station made of reinforced concrete and during its time was recognized as the most elegant fire station in the country. Later, abandoned and neglected, the building suffered the ravages of vandalism and theft. For years the ghosts of Old 23's glory years lay silent amidst its deteriorating confines as it stood among squats of flea markets and sundries vendors on the southern end of downtown's Toy District.
However, in 1966 and later in 1980 civic supporters worked to establish Old 23 as a Municipal and then a U.S. Historic Landmark to be restored, maintained and utilized in the public interest. To that end C.H.A.C. was formed to address problems concerning the restoration and upkeep of historically significant properties and as part of an ongoing effort to recognize and serve the emerging art renaissance of Central City L.A.
Since 1960 many videos, commercials, tv shows and movies have used the firehouse as a location to great effect. Most notably Old 23 served as the interior set of the Ghostbusters' headquarters from the hit 1984 movie. Last year hundreds of people visited the firehouse to appreciate its architectural charm and enjoy the work of local artists lining the walls of its deceptively cavernous, warehouse-sized main hall. Taylor states, "Few buildings in the world are more suited to artistic production or offer the unique combination of elements--such as acoustics and architecture, to be at once a practical facility as well as an inspiration to artists--as Old 23."
Old 23's Open House will begin June 4th and last through September, 2005. Historical presentations, art exhibits, performances by local L.A. poets, performers and musicians, as well as August's big fundraiser will highlight this year's festivities. All artists/performers interested in showcasing their talents are urged to apply. C.H.A.C. is also seeking and accepting any generous donations of building materials, lighting, and labor.
# # # # #

To schedule interviews and/or pictures or for more information regarding Old 23, Open House 2005, and/or the August Fundraiser call: The Corporation for Art, History and Culture at 213-624-5510. Or visit: the C.H.A.C. website at http://home.att.net/~chac.la/

About the Name "Vachelle"

noreply@blogger.com (vlm) — Mon, 25 Apr 2005 23:13:00 +0000

This is something I came across while doing a Google search of my first name. It is name analysis from the Kabbalistic philosophy.

Description of Your First Name of: Vachelle

While the name Vachelle creates the urge to create harmony with people, we call attention to the fact that it causes a restless intensity that defies relaxation.

This name, when combined with the last name, can frustrate happiness, contentment, and success, as well as cause health weaknesses in the fluid systems, and solar plexus.

Your name of Vachelle creates a desire for association with people and new experiences, many of which have been rather bitter.

This name has given you a gregarious personality and a quick-thinking, creative, and versatile nature, but one that is very emotional.

You desire change and travel and would enjoy opportunities that allowed you to be creative and to act independently, rather than to conform to system and routine.

However, this name does not allow you to complete your undertakings, as farther fields always look greener.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Damn, if that doesn't ring true! So, what to do? I'll keep it under consideration.

Downer Town L.A.

noreply@blogger.com (vlm) — Tue, 15 Feb 2005 22:30:00 +0000

Downer Town: On And On: An Editorial View of City Central Living

by vlm

With all the changes afoot downtown L.A., will it be possible for the poor residents to withstand the onslaught ahead? What do the powers-that-be have planned for the near future of Central City East and Downtown in general?

Most recently, a couple of relevant surveys have been publicly released and there are some surprising gems of information amongst the more obvious data results.

The studies -- "Many Struggles, Few Options," conducted by DWAC (the Downtown Women's Action Coalition) and "Demographic Survey of New Downtown Residents," commissioned by the DCBID (Downtown Center Business Improvement District) -- show very different but very expected results (at least, to me). One study shows that half of new residents of upscale lofts are between the ages of 23 and 34 and the other one states that the majority of poor and homeless women and children downtown (57.8 percent) became homeless because they were fleeing domestic violence. Then they face a wide range of barriers to accessing housing and services. The poor and insensitive treatment of women, the growing population of families in Central City East, the plight of the disturbed and addicted, are the serious issues that affect us all. No matter what part of Downtown you inhabit.

I was surprised to learn the median (average yearly) income of wealthy newcomers is approximately $90,000. But 43.1% of these households earn more than $100,000 a year! That's from $17,000 to $30,000 more than the year 2000 median income of residents of Newport Beach and Beverly Hills, respectively.

In stark contrast, however, the growing population of homeless families with children living and growing up on the filthy, refuse-strewn streets of Central City East--until recently, traditionally known as Skid Row--which overwhelm social service providers and studiedly ignored by almost all city policy makers.

The plight of the poor is always in stark relief to the ascent of the wealthy. But in downtown L.A. the evidence is so, well... evident. As the pundits warn of the dissolution of the American middle class into two factions: Rich/Poor--and here we are, living proof of our system's emerging economic shift; all part of our society's racist Manifest Destiny.

There are many factors at play downtown--and many players. But the rules of engagement are still somewhat flexible and open to influence from all interested parties. It is a game of politics. And politics is played on both subjective and objective levels. But it is based on an exchange of some sort between negotiating parties. I have learned that the best negotiations are always equitable.

Anti-poverty advocates (like myself) must insist upon the raising of living standards among the poor and disadvantaged. If we, as a country and a society, gave parity among our economic practices, much of the social ills we suffer would be almost nonexistent. You must think of our society as a living, breathing organism--like the human body, for example. The better you care for the whole system the better the whole system cares for you. But when you abuse parts of yourself you risk your entire system crashing. Prevention is indeed the best medicine. This is all common sense but few seem to see it that way. And, in the words of Shakespeare, "Aye, there's the rub."

Obviously, the poor do not own or control the means of production in our society or they would not be poor. But they should, don'tcha think? The illusion of capitalism is that the ownership and/or control of capital is attainable to all if only we work hard enough. Well, at least that's the spin. But hard work only makes you tired and cranky. It's working smart that is all-important. Not only is it productive, it can be fun and often is.

Unfortunately--and seemingly by design, when you look at the situation through the clarity of hindsight--this would entail our educational system to actually educate the masses. Something I don't see happening, at least in L.A., anytime soon. Schools, of course, were designed by industrialists to produce workers smart enough to run the machinery of the Industrial Age. When progressive reform brought arts into the educational system things became better. My childhood desire to be a scientist fell to the wayside because I couldn't handle higher level math. So I turned to another natural course for me--the arts. And that has been my course ever since. I'm not really sure if I ever reached my goal, but the ride has been a lot of fun.

So where do we stand in all this?

Remember the Share the Wealth plan anti-poverty advocates came up with a couple of years ago? Remember the Growth With Justice coalition? Those laudable attempts to address the needs of the many in their confrontations with power elites were skewed toward failure partly because of the sometimes unstable mix of emotionality and arrogance within their ranks.

We need to address the brokers of power in a language they understand instead of simple antagonism. And what is their language? Come on, say it with me: MONEY, honey!

So how do people who don't have much or any cash to flash influence the rich? You help them lose less, keep what they have, or provide them a way to make more. So what of substance do concerned citizens have to offer monied interests like developers?

Protests and public recriminations can be a good p.r. move. But only if you use it as leverage, not as a primary tactic.

Song of the City

noreply@blogger.com (vlm) — Mon, 25 Oct 2004 20:09:00 +0000

Song of the City: Downer Town

There is a mellifluous harmony that arises from the cacophony of city life. I hear the sweeping crescendoes of buses in a rumbling boom of acceleration and the insistently plaintive wails of emergency vehicles emerging with their legato counterpoint while the sliding rhythms of traffic near and far inundate my senses and envelop me in its turbulent energy.

This is the music of Metropolis. Can't you hear the abstract colors of this urban tone poem? Listen, and you will hear it. Hear it and you will feel it. Feel it and you will know that it is alive with possibility. It is Downtown L.A. It is Heaven, and it is Hell.

And I wondered--what songs exemplify the idea of Downtown? I've discovered that the lexicon of song titles extolling "Downtown" is substantial indeed. But I think the most facile choice is the classic Petula Clark 60s hit. I'm sure you know it. Let's all sing together, shall we?

When you're alone
And life is making you lonely,
You can always go Downtown
When you've got worries,
All the noise and the hurry
Seems to help, I know, Downtown

With the mellifluously dulcet tones of a songbird, she makes you wonder, wouldn't life be so much sweeter if it was really that way? I know it would be for me. But, alas, poor Yorick...

Just listen to the music of the traffic in the city
Linger on the sidewalk where the neon signs are pretty
How can you lose?
The lights are much brighter there
You can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares and go

I'm unhappy. To look at me you may never guess. I'm smiling (or at least, smirking) and there's a bit of a twinkle in my eye (or is that just a sty? Whatever). But I'm feeling completely miserable. And it's not the first time -- just a continuation of all the misery which has accrued in my life. My friends tell me not to dwell on it. But you know what? That's easy to say when you're not in the midst of it.

Downtown, things'll be great when you're
Downtown, no finer place for sure,
Downtown, everything's waiting for you

(Downtown)

Today I feel like crap. I'm not ill. I'm just illin'. The emotional roller coaster I'm on won't let me off. So maybe I should accept it and enjoy the ride. It's just that today it's all making me queasy, y'know? And I wanna take a break. Pleease?

Don't hang around
And let your problems surround you
There are movie shows Downtown

I know being unhappy in L.A. is anthema to the hype of the city. My god, it's almost sacrilegious. But despite the cookie cutter promotion of this city as the happiest place on earth (oh, don't think we don't claim Disneyland as our own--) there is another reality to life. And, baby, it ain't pretty. It's an inner world of doubt and depression, and turmoil.

Maybe you know

Some little places to go to
Where they never close Downtown

*Sigh* The funny thing is, so many things are going well in my life. I have a newfound freedom and independence. My world is opening up to new and awesome possibilities and my future lies bright and beckoning before me. I know these things. Yet, I mope around like a grounded teenager remorsing his lost weekend. I feel so empty inside because no matter how well I do for myself, ultimately, I have no one to share it with; no one with whom I am truly intimate. I laugh and I joke and I cajole and I flirt, but that's mostly to hide the pain.

The lights are much brighter there
You can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares and go
Downtown where all the lights are bright,
Downtown, waiting for you tonight,
Downtown, you're gonna be alright now

This is my world. And like all worlds it revolves in a continual cycle of shadow and light. It's the long, lonely nights that concern me. The ones that seem to never end. But as I write this I'm beginning to see the first rays of a new rising sun upon the horizon and I know, once again, that all is not lost.

(Downtown downtown)
Downtown(Downtown)

Don't we all require real and true human interaction to grow and flourish emotionally? So why don't I just get off my ass and start meeting peoples? This is Los Angeles. A town of roughly 5 million, right? It's ludicrous to think out of, literally, millions of local inhabitants I can't find ONE right one to be with?

And you may find somebody kind to help and understand you
Someone who is just like you and needs a gentle hand to
Guide them along

Ah, but it's not to be. So be it Let me be. A human. Being.

So, maybe I'll see you there

We can forget all our troubles, forget all our cares and go
Downtown, things'll be great when you're
Downtown, don't wait a minute more,

So I try to reorder my thinking. If you continue to follow this warped confessional what you may get is a very open and revealing examination of a person's existence in relation to a life in downtown Los Angeles, which, by the way, is where I live.

Downtown, everything's waiting for you
Downtown (downtown) downtown (downtown)
Downtown (downtown) downtown (downtown)

(repeat and fade out)

Friday Night the 13th

noreply@blogger.com (vlm) — Sat, 14 Aug 2004 05:12:00 +0000

It's Friday night and for the first time in a long time I'm in my office working. I'm so busy with work this whole month and I don't have time to go out as usual. But that's not so bad, really. It means that I'm being successful at my chosen profession and in my life.

Anyway, I've finally got my column for this month together. Now all I have to do is type it up and edit it into something publishable. I've got to have it ready by Monday.

Also, I finally got a chance to talk to Jamie Knuckles about C.J. I needed that info so I can complete the webpage for him on my business website. And I asked her to send me an abundance of pics as well. But with all that she is going through I don't know if she understands how important those pics are for what I'm trying to do for her, although I attempted to impress that fact upon her. Since C.J. is having triple bypass surgery in the middle of September, I really need to get busy contacting the media, but I so NEED those pics! Without them it could seriously compromise the work I'm trying to do. Oh well... I'll soon see what happens.

Two A One (a poem)

noreply@blogger.com (vlm) — Mon, 02 Aug 2004 11:57:00 +0000

Who am I?
Where do I belong?
When somewhere before I turned around
And there was you,
Looking clear through me
Making me quiver
With the sensations
Of a new day.

Can we capture the light?
Can we enter the sky?
Can we know all the pleasures
Of you and I?

When I'm around you I feel...
Like a gilded bird on wing,
Floating ever higher
With the love you bring.

In your eyes I glimpse nirvana
In your kiss I taste my freedom,
And my only dream
Is to live a lifetime
In life time
With you.