[Arktwo] As it happens:

[Bruce Beach]

Throughout the day -
I track financial things as they happen.
(And of course also the news).

Oil, Gold and Commodity Prices at:

	http://tinyurl.com/ysjvz6

The Dow at:

	http://tinyurl.com/2hr7kb

The daily dollar quotes at:

	http://tinyurl.com/229pya

Which in some ways is more meaningful
by looking at the following
continually updating annual chart:

	http://tinyurl.com/25q4te

And as I mentioned last time -
the collapse of the US Financial Institutions at:

	http://ml-implode.com/

What I am seeing the last couple of days is that:

- oil is still playing around with
$100 a barrel prices

- the Dow is doing its dance
as the world gets rid of dollars

- the dollar after holding steady
for the last three months -
on February 27th (yesterday)
reached its lowest low ever

So -
maybe the prediction of the end
of the financial world
for February 27 wasn't so far wrong.

No news from the banking world.
Quiet as mice -
or rats -
whichever the case may be.
Problems there are too big -
to talk about.

For weeks I have been reading
pre-publication reviews
on a new book
that is coming out June 1st.
About 10-12 dollars in paper back.
I highly recommend it.
If some kind soul out there -
would like to get it -
and then send me their copy
after they read it,
I would very much like to have it.
The book is:

Reinventing Collapse:
The Soviet Example and American Prospects
by Dmitry Orlov

The author also has a blogspot at:

http://tinyurl.com/3d4tmx

His Friday, February 22, 2008 blog
on The Five Stages of Collapse
gives a view far more pessimistic
than my view of nuclear WW3.

He also offers in his book
'defences' for the individual.
I have of course not had
the opportunity to read the book
but from what I read in the reviews
he and I have one fundamental
philosophical disagreement.
I will mention that at the end -
but here are some of the things
that he recommends:

This comes from:

Carolyn Baker's
Wednesday, 27 February 2008 Review of:
Dmitry Orlov's "Re-Inventing Collapse"

"Dmitry Orlov's ... insights (come) from living through the collapse of the
Soviet Union."

"Opening the book with a "recipe" for collapse soup and noticing that the
United States has combined all of the ingredients, Dmitry states that
economic collapse, particularly in the throes of Peak Oil, is an enormous
red flag signaling that the collapse of the American empire is underway."

"...he emphasizes that 'when faced with a collapsing economy, one should
stop thinking of wealth in terms of money.' Physical resources and assets,
as well as relationships and connections are worth their weight in gold and
quickly become more valuable than cash."

[Orlov thinks:]
"Rather than one giant explosion, this is more likely to be death by a
thousand cuts."

[Beach of course thinks
that we will have WW3]

"During this hour of national election mania in the United States, I cannot
resist Dmitry's sardonic observation that 'The two capitalist parties offer
a choice between two placebos,'"

"In pondering his analysis of collapse-how it manifested in the S.U. (Soviet
Union) and is now manifesting in the U.S., one is dumfounded with the utter
vacuousness of all American political party platforms in the face of a
crumbling empire."

"Dmitry argues that 'Although people often bemoan political apathy as if it
were a grave social ill, it seems to me that this is just as it should be.
Why should essentially powerless people want to engage in a humiliating
farce designed to demonstrate the legitimacy of those who wield the power?'"

"A society that cannot and will not even consider the possibility of
collapse is incapable of organizing to survive it."

"As a result of collapse, soldiers may become stranded overseas, along with
private contractors. "

"As prison systems become increasingly costly and unmanageable due to the
diminishment of resources, what will happen to those populations that can no
longer be maintained and managed? Will they be released, setting off 'a
crime wave of staggering proportions'?"

"Even more frightening is the collection of non-collateralized debt, such as
credit card debt, which is 'secured by threat of force' and which Dmitry
suggests may result in massive indentured debt servitude."

[I am hoping that is a bit far out -
but we have to remember that the US
last year -
passed a law saying that
bankruptcy does not eliminate
credit card debts.
I wonder who lobbied for that law.
(sarcasm off)].

"Any behavior that might result in continued economic growth and prosperity
is counterproductive: the higher you jump, the harder you land. It is
traumatic to go from having a big retirement fund to having no retirement
fund because of a market crash. It is also traumatic to go from a high
income to little or no income."

"It takes a lot of creativity and effort to put together a fulfilling
existence on the margins of society. After the collapse, these margins may
turn out to be some of the best places to live."

"So 'doing it oneself' is about figuring out how to increasingly operate and
live from the margins of society. Those who have already learned how to do
so will have an advantage over the many who haven't."

"In addition, we need to be able to blend, in somewhat chameleon-like
fashion, into the environment. It is best to appear average and mainstream
while constructing a life of radical survival so as not to attract
attention."

[Certainly a rule that I break -
but my goal is not self-survival
but rather reconstruction of society.]

"Those whose behavior is agitated, hysterical, or recalcitrant attract
attention, while the ability to remain calm, rational, and outwardly
compliant may afford much-needed anonymity as the panic of collapse
exacerbates."

[Or they may also be recognized
as a beneficial resource
to those trying to re-establish order.]

"The most important thing beyond personal safety, he suggests is 'to
understand who has what you need and how to get it from them.'"

[Many of the suggestions are of
'the end justifies the means'
type -
with which I of course disagree.]

"That is to say that in a collapsing world, existence is likely to become
increasingly utilitarian-much more about getting the job done than agonizing
over social graces or ego-based preoccupations with performance."

"... countless survivors of extremely oppressive regimes have found the
discrepancy invaluable for navigating unimaginable stress."

"...he emphasizes how much moving around from place to place may be required
of us in a collapsing world."

"Where to ensconce and secrete our precious selves, there to sit out the
gathering storm? ... More likely than not, they will be forced to stay on
the move."

"The idyllic dream of many collapse watchers-the small farm isolated from
the city, may or may not be the safest, sanest venue. One will need
neighbors with whom to barter..."

"What he does recommend is a small village where an acre of farmland for
every 30 people or so is available and where people know each other and are
willing to help each other."

"Dmity speaks honestly about the alternative economies that flourished in
the Soviet Union and that are typical of decaying societies. 'Asset
stripping' or pulling the copper out of the wires of abandoned homes,
carrying off the vinyl siding and the fiberglass insulation could provide a
treasure trove of 'currency' and bargaining chips for future transactions on
which life depends such as food, water, or medicines. Black market
pharmaceuticals will be indispensable, and of course, in a world in which
people have collapsed emotionally as well as financially, drugs, alcohol,
and cigarettes will have inestimable value. Authentic doctors and nurses
will be sorely needed, but black market medical practices are likely to
abound as well."

"As for transportation Dmitry opines that there will soon be only two viable
options: bicycling and sailing."

"...everyone who has forsaken denial about collapse and is serious about
preparation must read Re-Inventing Collapse."

----------
I have given you
but a small taste
of this book -
from this one review -
and I do recommend
that you look at the blogsite
mentioned above.

My philosophical departure
from Orlov
is on the purpose of survival -
and I suppose life itself.

I do not have the goals
of personal survival
that are shared by many 'survivalists',
militia groups,
and so forth.

I think that their view
and outlook on life
is a selfish one
and what has caused the problem
in the first place.

I think that all the Prophets
of all the Major Religions
have come with the message
that a person should not be concerned
with their own life -
but rather with serving God
and their fellow human beings.

It is for this reason
that Ark Two
is oriented towards
the Reconstruction of Society.

However,
I do think that many of Orlov's suggestions
are exactly what we are doing
at Ark Two.

Small remote village
with members of the Ark
having a variety of skills
and being known to each other.

Being in an agricultural area
and having agricultural skills.
Having services and skills
that will be valuable to trade and barter.

Preparing ahead of time
and putting in place
the skills and relationships needed.

While our goals are broader
than those suggested by Orlov -
still I found in the reviews
many compatible suggestions
and I too highly recommend
that people read this book
and act upon it -
if the time is not too late already.

For a thorough explanation
of the alternative that I propose
read:

	www.webpal.org/reconstruction.pdf

Peace and love,
Bruce
DawnSayer@webpal.org