how in the heck are we supposed to live these days

[mom'sfolly]

I'm going to be building a solor oven this summer for cooking. Has anyone used one much? I figure here in Texas it would be ideal for summer cooking. It keeps the heat of cooking out of the house, and uses the abundant heat we have outside. I'm not sure what size or style to make. I'll probably be using my dutch ovens to cook with. Does anyone have any suggestions? This week I cooked meatloaf and veggies in the dutch oven using charcoal. It's hot here already and our shedule makes cooking hard. I set it up at about 4:30 and we ate around 6:30. The meat temperature was plenty hot, and even my picky boy likee the food.

 

[Oblio13]

I just read this whole thread, and while many folks are right on, there are a few bizarre posts that sound disturbingly like the sorts of things one hears in third world countries:

1. One poster "can't" ride a bike because he/she is 53. I'd bet a bunch that's an obesity/willpower problem, not an age problem. Go to almost any other country and you'll see plenty of 70-year-olds riding bikes.

2. Another poster claims that she "HAS" to drive a Suburban. Um, no. You'll either adapt or fade away like the dinosaurs.

3. Yet another claims that a high-school student has invented a magic engine that runs on water, but big business won't develop it. Well, have him drive it over here and I'll develop it.

4. There's a lot of the usual blaming of the oil companies. But this is a simple supply-and-demand situation. More and more people are competing for less and less oil.

5. A god didn't give us oil to squander, and Jesus isn't going to put gas in your car. Get off your knees and either earn more or spend less.

 

[Backyard Buddies]

Kitsat - That was an interesting article. There is no doubt that it has been worse in previous times and in other places. The problem with our system is that we don't have some of the ways to deal with it like we did before. There used to be Mom and Pop shops in small towns everywhere, and now we have the super centers some distance from where we live. We used to have citywide transportation, but many cities dismantled that. We don't have the trains like they do in Europe. Having traveled there, I've taken advantage of that and seen how wonderful it can be! It can certainly be worse here than it is and that's a scary thought to many people.

Oblio - True. There is the manufacturing and the battery pack, but that's really somewhat of a moot point. The whole dang car is manufactured and eventually disposed of. Why single out the battery pack?

Happyhen - Also true, but petroleum products will eventually be gone, then what? By most accounts, refining more and/or drilling in some of the places that have been discussed will only buy us time. At some point we'll have to make a change to something else, so we might as well start exploring that now.

All of these are valid points, but with each of them there are counterpoints, as there are to the points that I just made. What we need to do is make changes, eventually, so when?

 

[Oblio13]

Quote:
Because that's what makes them more financially and environmentally expensive to manufacture and dispose of than other cars.

 

[mom'sfolly]

We also have to make change to communities that won't allow clothes lines, solar panels, gray water recycling etc because they don't like they way they look.

We need more bicycle friendly steets. My husband rides to work fairly regularly and add 50% more miles biking than driving in the attempt to find safer routes.

We needs governments that realize that subsidizing good public transportation is no different than subsidizing roads.

We need people who care enough to make the changes happen.

 

[happyhen]

BB,

I said "God given resources.".... oil, natural gas, coal, wind, water,solar, fusion, and anything else.....ALL ofGod's gifts.

 

[MandyH]

We earn more AND spend less, and without Jesus none of it would be possible.

 

[kisat]

BB - That's a very good point. Hadn't thought of that, but that's true.

 

[Oblio13]

Quote:
Allah and Shiva didn't give us those things so we could drive vanity SUV's. They want us to save some for the future.

 

[Oblio13]

Quote:
Even though Jesus is the most popular god here, he's certainly not the one to talk to specifically about oil.