[orz]

Well, I dropped mine off in the mail today. Anyone else care to join?

[Free]

A superb hilarious clip that lets one laugh heartily about the whole Iran thing, I just admire Jon Stewart and his crew: http://onegoodmove.org/1gm/1gmarchive/0 ... tml#002786

As an extra they also show plans of a nuclear bomb which works on apples (an insider joke reference to James Risens "State of War"...) Watch it, it's absolutely worth it!!

[coyote]

For anyone who missed last night's Daily Show, here's a clip of the Ford Layoffs and Hybrid Vehicles segment (sit through just a moment of Canada's election first):

Comedy Central And click on the 'Disassembly Line' image. Don't know how long it'll be up.
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')he company's fortunes turned when customer demand for their gas-guzzling but highly profitable SUVs unexpectedly dropped off. Business experts called that phenomenon "What the f**k did you think was gonna happen?"

[AnniCat]

as a Detroiter born and raised, I have got to say that was f'in hysterical!

[Leanan]

Over at The Oil Drum, someone posted that Peter Tertzakian, author of A Thousand Barrels a Second: The Coming Oil Break and the Challenges Facing an Energy Dependent World, will be on Jon Stewart's The Daily Show tonight.

[Free]

Oh great!
I remember a thread a couple of months ago when we talked about TDS, it's influence on public opinion and the possibility of writing them so they would bring up peak oil. In a defeatistic manner I thought it was useless since PO is not a humor topic, seems I was flat out wrong!

Give credit to orz who wrote a letter about PO to the Daily Show!!!

http://www.peakoil.com/fortopic14819.html+show

[Leanan]

Hmmm. Interesting. Maybe we should write after the show airs, too. Just to let them know we're interested in the topic. Couldn't hurt.

[coyote]

This might be a good time for a thread merge:

http://peakoil.com/fortopic17102.html

[Leanan]

I hope not. No one will see it in the Books forum.

[mekrob]

They don't just have movie stars and comedians on now. Those seem to be the rarity nowadays. They have more focused on real news and events. But that doesn't mean that he can't poke fun at it and the destruction it can/will bring. I mean, even we do that. He even poked fun at a book about the government and businesses elaborately becoming Big Brothers and always moniterring us. No surprise really. Just about fucking time.

[Leanan]

The Daily Show is on now (in the eastern time zone, anyway). Jon did say Tertzakian would be the guest, talking about "oil addiction."

He's not on yet, though. Jon is currently busy running the whole "Cheney's Got a Gun" thing into the ground...

[Leanan]

Short but interesting segment. Both Tertzakian and Stewart seem very well-educated about peak oil. Tertzakian said technology alone cannot save us. Stewart's first question was about when we'd be Mad Maxing around. (Tertzakian said it might not come to that. He didn't rule it out, though.) At the end, Stewart suggested that we continue to use more and more oil and simply prevent China and India from using any. (He was joking, of course.)

[gego]

If this joker intends to inform the masses then you can rest assured that nobody will get any message, except that Jon Stewart wasted 5 minutes of comedy time to help some dork sell a book which says nothing of interest.

Fortunately, this author did zip to stimulate sales of his book or to convey his ideas, if he indeed has any other than cashing in on the disgust or the masses with higher gasoline prices.

[UIUCstudent01]

They didn't exactly say "Peak Oil"...

But they had a very, very quick talk on a few of the points of the peak..

I was never expecting for Jon to be like, "It's the end of the American way of life." or anything 'crazy' like that.

You can't come out and say that to people who have no clue and not lose credibility..

"Baby steps.."

[Leanan]

Yes, I think just being on TDS means something. We haven't gotten Matthew Simmons on Oprah yet, but peak oil really is getting more and more mainstream. Even if they don't say the words "peak oil." There seems to be a growing awareness that something fundamental has changed about energy.

[Wallygator]

As I was watching the Daily Show just a few minutes ago I was wondering how Average Joe viewer was affected.

Stewart joked that America should invade Canada. Why bother? We are after all America Junior.

[cynthia]

Here's my west coast weigh-in:What you all said above, and one poignant note when Stewart held up the book at the end of the interview and recommended the "...sad..." read.
There-in sits the dilemma of broadcasing Peak Oil Info. It isn't pretty.
I found the show to be the expected, "ta-bump-bump" in humor.
PO is just breaking the mainstream and the sheeple will be slow to realize the truth.
Baaaa,
Cynthia

[crapattack]

Hmmm, very short segment. Very cheeky of Jon to talk about invading us. He often talks like that though. Well, seeing as how the US ows most of our natural resources and runs our military, I'd say were already the 53rd in all but people's awareness. But really, we should all be practicing our Chinese.

jian3 yi4

[PrairieMule]

I watched it last night and again this morning. The guy seemed a little stiff and nervous. I thought they "softball"ed the situation, in fact it almost seemed like a puff piece. Maybe thats how the media plans to inform us, spoon feed us till we mature to handle solid food.

[bart]

I finished the Tertzakian book last night. It's an easy read, seems aimed at the business/investment audience. His background is an interesting mix of geology and business. He seems reasonable and well-informed.

T is adamant that we are approaching the end of cheap oil and we have to prepare for it.

He says we are approaching a "break point," at which the existing mix of energy sources no longer proves adequate. He predicts a period of disruption and confusion, followed by a new, more appropriate energy mix.

As an example, he points to the the reshuffling that took place after the oil shocks of the 70s and early 80s. Industrial processes and consumer habits became more efficient (for a while). Natural gas and nuclear edged oil out of the market for generating electricity.

So, that's what we're in for again, except this time it will be LNG terminals, more nuclear, etc.

He enumerates several other breakpoints, such as the converstion from wood to coal, from whale oil to kerosene, and from coal to oil.

He emphasizes conservation and efficiency, and advises business and consumers to make their processes energy efficient.

On the other hand, he does not discount Hubbert at all. And despite the cheery tone of the book, there are grim reminders scattered here and there that the scenario may not happen as envisioned.

FWIW, I think he's correct in the short term... unless there's a war in Iran or some other political-economic upset.

Long-term? Aye, there's the rub.