#CostOfCarbon 10/21/2013

I'm divided about the #CostOfCarbon Google hang out I just had, with AL Gore.

Sure, there WERE some fringey, annoying, Libertarians poking in sometimes in the chat... saying uneducated stuff from there Lobbyist think tanks...

and, I DO think Gore is a descent guy... I like the guy. I ought to. ;)

But NO ONE wanted to mention peak Oil.

Not a single person!

The idea of new technologies is still a good one, and renewable energy, etc.

But, they JUST don't "get it" yet!

Not a SINGLE person was willing to acknowledge peak oil.

THEN, I kept getting locked from chat, while other could text at a rappid rate.

petroleum is RUNNING OUT! FAST!

That means you WON'T have electric cars either, because the tires are MADE from petrol! EACH tire is 7-9 gallons of petrol!

Hydrocarbons in general are running out!

the electricity you are using RIGHT NOW is most likely from Coal, and they are leveling WHOLE MOUNTAINS EACH DAY for YOUR mass consumption of energy!

The ONLY energy left will be renewable, which will mean you must ALL SLOW DOWN!

Out entire way of life is on a time limit! It's DONE! Over! Finished!

Folks my age and younger will see this, and it is already starting!

Your children and grandchildren WILL NOT HAVE CARS!

and, at the rate we are going, food and clean water & air will be scarce.

You MUST wrap your mind around it!

The Climate Change IS something to be alarmed about, FOR SURE!

BUT, the most alarming thing when it finally hits you is the dilemma of peak Oil!

There WON'T be more jobs, the mass consumption way of life is ticking on a timeline, and we're at the end right now. It's playing out RIGHT NOW.

It doesn't need to be DOOMS DAY either. It COULD be a transition... a pleasant one... OR, it will be nearly hellish....

The Dilemma of Peak Oil (Documentaries)

The Dilemma of Peak Oil.

I've already gone through a ton of research this year. On everything. It's funny how when I do it, folks think I'm nuts, then they all start to follow suit afterwards.

When I talked about Monsanto, Drone Strikes, topics about 9/11, Big Banks, The Bailouts, the revolving back doors of Washington, the corruption in the system, many folks flat out stopped talking to me... And, when I tried to tell folks about the government spying before the leaks happened, they thought I was nuts. Now, they are in the know about it....

I've known about Global Warming, which has NOW become Climate Change and could have been preventable and was heading in that direction until brought to a halt by the G W Bush administration, and there's a long list of stories about that.

I traced back several of my steps, and I began uncovering stuff I'd forgotten, and new information. Everything from Libertarians, to Tea party fake grass roots, to The Koch Brothers. And, there's SO much to say about ALL of those. It's frightening, revolting, disheartening, etc. And, I don't even need some article or video to tell me what to think or be afraid of, I can look at the data & evidence on my own, independently on my own searching will, and see what articles & video makers missed.

Then, there was the whole government shutdown which siphoned away my attention....

But, back to Global Warming... it's NOT as tho' everyone didn't know about it. We did.

The "think tanks" by specifically The Koch Brothers, and other dirty energy profiteers, and those benefiting in "The Free Market" (so-called) got together to make-up disinformation propaganda, and other things to distract you, and lull you back into the endlessness of Consumption...

Global Warming it's self is SOMETHING to be rather unnerved, frightened, and panicked over...

It bothers me, and has bothered me ever since I'd not only learn about it, but consciously understood it. You see, I have a diploma in Environmental Sciences from the State of New Jersey.

I'm NOT pushing any religions here. I'm no Gaiya worship pusher, no Hinduism pusher, no Communist, no Soviet. But, I understand a number of LARGE chunks fitting together, overlapping, and more.

But, I must tell you that this idea of "The Free Market" fixing everything, or "shouldn't be questioned", the idea of unending growth, and endless consumption and disposal of natural resources is just that: a religion.

Think about it! What does religion mean?
It means "a system of belief". For some, it's very much a cult.

It's VERY complicated too!

If you're NOT terrified of Climate Change by now, then it hasn't actually "hit you" yet. In States like North Carolina, they passed a LAW that makes it illegal to prepare for the coming changes & effects of Climate Change, such as those on the shoreline.

As jarring as Climate Change is... if ur still nonchalant about it.... wait until you find out about peak oil.

Peak Oil


The trouble with mentioning peak oil, is that it just seems to be a word that floats around in the air, and no one understands it unless you explain it to them, and it takes a while to sink in... it might fly in 1 ear and out the other... or, maybe if you see 1 film or video you might go: Hmmmmm.... but, then you're back into the Mass Consumption debt wheel again, turning off ur brain and acting like a herd animal again, in an insane system...

If you're NOT really bothered by it at all. or maybe you've heard about it before... but you still carry on in life without any care of it... that it REALLY hasn't hit you yet... BECAUSE when it does, EVERYTHING you know, everything you think, everything you believed WILL bother you!
Every time you go shopping, drive your car, use transportation, electricity, food, water, commercials on TV, billboards on the street that you see, WILL ALL BOTHER YOU!

You will SEE the lies in the system, the systemic problems for what they are...and you will see The Future for WHAT it really WILL BE.

It's because of that reason, that it might scare you away, and you might start to vent your fear as HATE at me. It may be the reason WHY you might enjoy calling me crazy... because valuing rational thought that conflicts with illusions and lies is likely to cause that. It's called denial.

Lets face it....

Natural resources are FINITE. They are running out... not because they necessarily need to, but because of the mass consumption system is... ALL of those resources will be spent, and most of them are already in landfills as ur mass consumption technology becomes obsolete.


Let me trace you back through my steps.

I'm going to omit all the work I did when I researched the Koch Brothers (even tho' it's important) because once I rediscovered the dilemma of peak oil... I find it's less important in the scope than the actual crisis of Peak Oil. 

First, I went back and watched a few films I'd seen a number of years back, of which their were updates to. Ever heard of the Zeitgeist Movement?

The Zeitgeist films are very thought provoking... but, back when the 2nd & 3rd came out, I was bothered because some of the ideas reminded me of the typical Communism or Soviet stuff... and, that's their most common criticism...

But, when I went back to rewatch them.... I thought to myself... when they claimed they were against Communism, Soviet Socialism, Capitalism, and the Monetary System, what did that all mean?

What did they know, that I didn't know?

It became apparent when I found an interview of peter Joseph on TYT. If felt like he KNEW a ton of things, but there just wasn't time to explain it, and even Cenk seemed interested, but scared, yet very curious, because he kept saying he was trying to wrap his mind around it...

I do very much like the ideas of The Venus project, and The Zeitgeist movement... but, peter Joseph would try to make his points about a "transition" and a number of solutions, etc...

This entirely boggled me.

How do we transition? How do we get out of the debt based monetary system?
There were many great aspects about the Venus project... but, I don't understand how humans could function with out at least some form of an exchange system that's at least SOMETHING like monetary system. They say it's a "Resource based economy".

I don't know... I'm curious to see this work on a small scale, because for a few years now, I've often thought of what it might be like if I had my own sustainable community connected to other ones...


But, this nagging idea of: What is it that they know, that I don't?

Well....


If you've followed me along this far.... then, I will lead you through to my own path.

I won't lead any further tho'....

I will just point you their, this Odyssey is your own. Sacajawea might have pointed the way but she also went with on the Trek.

I will recommend only this:

Grab yourself a notebook, and a pen or pencil. jot down whatever you think sounds crazy, interesting, or weird, or frightening. Include names, numbers, facts, and figures.
You can use Google, government websites, and more to check and cross reference...

If you've never learned how to do critical thinking, then I suggest you learn. Every human brain has the ability to do so... but, it's a skill like reading & writing.

You may also need a calculator. 

But, I will say this:

A I began to look into peak oil.... my views entirely shifted... and I find myself shifting. All the things that occurred in Occupy Wall Street, in which folks came together which resonated with me came back again... and I find myself swaying towards The Zeitgeist Movement & Venus project...

The reason is, even if you fix all the problems with government corruption, you still have the problem of peak oil. And, the Earth's Natural Resources being depleted.

They way of life you live, is at it's end. Not some Dooms Day Armageddon in the sky with a vacuum from the sky God.

The doom is yourself. You are your own doom, or your own solution, collectively.

But, you won't understand that yet.

Grab your popcorn...

Because, you will be here for a while:

















Expect more, because I'm still going through the materials...

Sarah's Mint Green Ren Faire Gown From The Labyrinth

Sarah's Mint Green Ren' Fair Gown from The Labyrinth

Give me the child. 
Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City to take back the child that you have stolen, for my will is as strong as yours, and my kingdom as great ... 
You have no power over me! 

 Of all the gorgeous costumes & gowns that cosplay makers create based on oodles of classic films or even animated movies, the 1 that baffles me the most about is the gown the the character Sarah wore at the beginning of the 1980s Jim Hensen Film "The Labyrinth". 

First of all... Why hasn't anyone ever done a replica of this gown??? EVER???

I've been using the internet since 1994, and since way back then I would search through gads of homepages of all kinds of things, but no one ever did this particular gown... how odd!

Everyone seems utterly obsessed with the goblin masquerade ball gown that took place in the crystal ball. But, after hundred of reinterpretations of that ball gown, why is this one so neglected?

Everyone does the gown from Ridley Scott's 1980s classic "Legend"!

So... what gives???


To start off with... -and I HATE to be the one to break it to ya...

...but... are you sitting down????

It's NOT a white gown.... not off white.... and NOT gray either...

Take a deep breath...

OK?

Yeah.... it's mint green.

For real.... MINT GREEN. 



Not only that... but, the dress is lined with pale yellow, and has double sleeves.


It seems like every so-called cosplay photo you find on either Deviant Art, or fandom hot spots on the net, IF they are reenacting the intro scene (WITH THE BOOK replica) it's a chick in some white gown...

*face-palm*

and, coming from folks that go ultra detail galore... that's pretty sad...

Altho... I did see some dolls that got it right! :D


Sarah From Labyrinth View 2 by ~Arianne023 on deviantART


Sarah From Labyrinth by ~Arianne023 on deviantART

But, by now, even the fan art drawings are white or gray gowns...

*face-palm*

So... um.... did you guys mix up the colors of the ball gown with the intro Ren Fair type gown, or something???

Cross Referencing The Gown 

Anyways, I'm guessing everyone is shying away from the gown, because no one is really writing much about it...

So, hopefully... if you're 1 of those folks looking to do a cosplay gown, or go to a Ren Faire, maybe you'll find this blog post...

To start off with... the story is about a character named Sarah, in the setting of in the 1980s, who's mother is passed away, and was some kind of great actress... (You can see the evidence of that in Sarah's bedroom.)

Those are context clues there, kids... ;)

So, one would speculate that the gown she's wearing might be her mother's (in the story context).

If you look at the gown, it really doesn't look anything like something you'd see ion the 1980s (I'd know I grew up in the 80s) and it looks more 1970s looking... it even looks old, and worn a bit...

(That's how you do some due diligence, kids...) So, logically, that would make sence, and fit in line with the time period, the plot, the characters, etc...

( By the way, the park where the opening scene was shot in in London called West Wycombe Park You can find a really great blog post of someone whom went out and found it here. Other locations from the film include New York State and England)

The Gown Construction

The gown has a zipper in the back, and it's form-fitting.



The seems appear to use some kind of advanced Chinese binding in the sewing.
(Now, I'm not an expert in sewing... but, you can look up binding if you don't know it... Google is your friend. But, this type of binding is different than anything I know how to do... I've seen this kind of sewing often in older vintage clothes from the 70s, 80s, 90s, but I generally never seen it now-a-days. I don't even know how to explain it because I don't even understand how it's done. The only thing I have to reference it from is Chinese binding sewing, like on a qipao. )

The torso portion of the gown reminds me of the more rare styles of qipao gowns/dresses that have a slit in the front, and don't use a side flap.

So, if you're looking for a reference on how to construct the gown, I think that might be a good start.

This was a good video for references on Qipao making:




The Sleeves: Mint Green & Yellow

There are 2 sleeves. There's a yellow sleeve that has a rounded pointed end past the wrist. Over that is the long flowing, billowing mint green sleeve, with the yellow inner lining. It also has golden pins the pin up the seem to reveal the inner lining.

 Definatly green!

The upper part of the sleeves where they meet the shoulder are decorated with either flowers or puffed fabric balloons, which are then woven or braided with some golden chords that dangle, front & back, with golden tear shaped beads or bells at the ends.

If you look closely in the film you can see that the golden chords really do wra, weave, or braids through those flower/balloon thingies on the shoulder. It's not just dangling golden strings there, hanging for no reason.

The Belt & Headdress

The belt appears to be a separate piece that is pinned on.
It's braided with what looks like the same materials as Sarah's floral circlet diadem head dress.

So, you can see a thicker more rougher textured chord, and some golden chord. Those are braided, then braided together, and sewn onto the belt.

The golden chord is also used on the shoulders, and the head dress, and the rougher chord is also used on the floral circlet diadem headdress.

Now, I'm not sure, but the floral shoulder thingies might also be the same materials as the flowers in the headdress also... 

And, some extra screen captures: