Warmest February on record in seven Michigan cities as well as major cities across U.S.

I mentioned that the weather was warming up, with near record temperatures expected a couple of weeks ago in Driving update for February 2017: Pearl.  Those record temperatures arrived and stuck around for most of the rest of the month.  The result, as MLive reported yesterday, was the warmest February in over 100 years of records in some Michigan cities.  Seven cities had their warmest February ever, Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Muskegon, and Saginaw/Bay City.  Three, Detroit, Flint, and Traverse City, had their second warmest February on record.  Eight of those records go back to 1998, which was a warm winter caused by an El Nino.  I remember playing soccer with my son in my former Ann Arbor home's snow-free back yard wearing only light jackets that year.  That last month was warmer than 1998 in seven Michigan cities strikes me as remarkable.  Only in Flint does the 1998 record still stand.

It was also the warmest February on record over much of the eastern part of the U.S., including Washington D.C., New York City, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Buffalo, Cleveland, and Baltimore.  The Washington Post story provided a startling perspective, reporting "The average temperature in D.C. last month was 8.7 degrees warmer than a normal February and nearly 1 degree warmer than a normal March."  Wow!

As for the local effects of the warm February, WOOD-TV reported on three tornadoes in SW Michigan Tuesday.

The National Weather Service says three EF-1 tornadoes touched down in Southwest Michigan Tuesday night.

As the segment noted, these are only the second, third, and fourth tornadoes reported in Michigan during February.  And I thought Michigan being struck by tornadoes on the Ides of March five years ago was early!

WOOD-TV also noted that Warm February temps mean less maple syrup.

The warm weather Michigan has been experiencing lately is threatening syrup production, shorting the season and cutting sweetness.

At least we're not having early warm weather followed by a cold snap that's bad for the fruit crop, except for wine grapes, not yet at least.  That could still happen.

Finally, WXYZ reminds viewers that An early spring may be bad for your health.


AH-CHOO!  Welcome to the 400 ppm world.

NABLOPOMO for October: DISH

The email makes this month's theme seem less than ideal for me.

October's NaBloPoMo Theme: DISH!

Let's dish on who does the cooking at your house, dreaded foods from childhood (that are still dreaded foods), and the people who created your favourite recipes this month with NaBloPoMo.

Food is definitely on the brain due to #BlogHerFood15 in Chicago on November 6th and 7th, but beyond that, colder weather means saying hello to favourite autumn dishes like chili and soups.

This is the perfect time to collect up recipes from your fellow NaBloPoMo'ers and to get your latest creations out there to the wider community.

You can read more about the new NaBloPoMo theme on our opening post.

Fortunately, the post on the website gives a spin I like better.  Follow over the jump.

Hunger Games, Leftovers, and Transformers--other bloggers' perspectives

I concluded yesterday's Politics of the World Cup with a promise.

I'll cover the more obviously post-apocalyptic entertainment news later.  If nothing else, I can link to what other bloggers have to say about all of the TV shows and movies that are out or being promoted right now.

It's later, although later than I expected.  My wife and I got lost in a marathon of "Lost" on Netflix* while I was simultaneously correcting papers, so I didn't blog last night.  Hey, priorities.

On that note, follow over the jump for links to what other bloggers are writing about "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay," "The Leftovers," and "Transformers: Age of Extinction."

U.N. declares Detroit's water shutoffs a human rights violation

I haven't written here about Detroit's water system since I posted Detroit Regional Water Authority talks in the news in January.  It turns I should have, as the water system is one of the sticking points in dealing with Detroit's bankruptcy.  One of the actions taken as a result has become big news, as WXYZ reports in City of Detroit shutting off water to thousands for lack of payment.


WXYZ did a fairly good job of summarizing the story, complete with quotes from both activists and the water department, as well as pointing out that the United Nations had become involved.  That written, it doesn't go into many of the details, including the actual finding of the U.N.  Follow over the jump for perspectives on the situation from The Huffington Post and the Detroit Free Press.

On 'Weimar America' with The Archdruid and his readers

I know I promised to post my observations on Fascism and the Future, Part Two: The Totalitarian Center at the end of The Archdruid on Fascism, part 1, that's going to take a while to put together.  Instead, I'm going to jump ahead to a thread from Fascism and the Future, Part Three: Weimar America, in which I riffed on the title.

"Weimar America" is a phrase that is becoming more and more popular, with more than 4000 hits for links that use that exact phrase and millions of hits for links that use both in the same text.  The first page of Google returns results from such reputable sources at Salon, The New Republic, and The American Conservative--oh, and you, too.  All of them seem to be from the current decade.  It's a meme that is in definitely in the air.

Greer isn't the only collapse/Peak Oil blogger to invoke the Weimar Republic.  Kunstler has done so twice, first in We're Weimar and again in Weimar meets Waterloo.  He also freaked out over Sarah Palin as Memorial Day: Enter Hitler, Release 2.0 in his own warning of Fascist takeover, but that's a topic for another day.  Besides, he was wrong.  Back to Greer, whose response struck me as surprisingly hopeful.

Pinku-sensei, that's one of the few reassuring things I can think of about all this. If a phrase like that has become part of the standard rap of the chattering classes, we probably don't have to worry about it as much.

Dwig followed up to both of us by listing the sources for the use of the phrase.

Out of curiosity, I did a search for it. Here's a few of the sites, with ideological labels attached, based on what I saw at the sties. (Yes, I know, don't put much weight on them, but it does give a pretty good indication that it's not just one group's obsession.)

    - alternet.org: liberal
    - libertyunyielding.com/: conservative
    - truthdig.com: liberal
    - prorevnews.blogspot.com: progressive
    - newrepublic.com: conservative
    - attackthesystem.com: pan-anarchism
    - hnn.us: history news network
    - swordattheready.wordpress.com: christian right
    - theamericanconservative.com: what it says

The New Republic is more liberal or centrist than conservative, but otherwise it's a good analysis of the sources.

Greer appreciated the list, writing "Dwig, fascinating. Thanks for the leads."  I hope all my readers found them useful, too.

I'll return in the future with more on The Archdruid on Fascism and the future, including comments on what constitutes Left and Right, observations on his scenario of a fascist takeover, and an aside on the LaRouche movement.  Given the way I operate, I'll probably get to that last one first.  LaRouche's disciples are in the news this election season, including a return engagement of the one I encountered in A-10s on parade.  Stay tuned.

What The Archdruid ignored in 'Mentats wanted'

In The Archdruid and I talk real estate, I mentioned that I commented about more than just real estate and would talk about it later.

Greer and I got into a side conversation in the comments to Mentats Wanted, Will Train--real estate.  Even though I had plenty of things to say about the main topic, that's what he responded to.
...
I'll get back to the rest of the conversation...later.

As I type this, I'm waiting for the comment about the death of Michael Ruppert I left at Greer's most recent entry, The End of Employment, to make it through moderation.  Waiting is reminding me of the points I made that weren't addressed two weeks ago, so I feel now is an appropriate time to post them.  Follow over the jump.

715 new exoplanets in this week's space and astronomy news

I begin with the top story from Overnight News Digest: Science Saturday (715 New Exoplanets) on Daily Kos.  First, Science At NASA with ScienceCasts: A Sudden Multiplication of Planets.

Today, NASA announced a breakthrough addition to the catalog of new planets. Researchers using Kepler have confirmed 715 new worlds, almost quadrupling the number of planets previously confirmed by the planet-hunting spacecraft. Some of the new worlds are similar in size to Earth and orbit in the habitable zone of their parent stars.

Space.com also has an article: Population of Known Alien Planets Nearly Doubles as NASA Discovers 715 New Worlds by Mike Wall, Senior Writer, on February 26, 2014 01:01pm ET.

NASA's Kepler space telescope has discovered more than 700 new exoplanets, nearly doubling the current number of confirmed alien worlds.

The 715 newfound planets, which scientists announced today (Feb. 26), boost the total alien-world tally to between 1,500 and 1,800, depending on which of the five main extrasolar planet discovery catalogs is used. The Kepler mission is responsible for more than half of these finds, hauling in 961 exoplanets to date, with thousands more candidates awaiting confirmation by follow-up investigations.

"This is the largest windfall of planets — not exoplanet candidates, mind you, but actually validated exoplanets — that's ever been announced at one time," Douglas Hudgins, exoplanet exploration program scientist at NASA's Astrophysics Division in Washington, told reporters today.

DarkSyde on Daily Kos also wrote about the discovery in This week in science: All these dirty worlds are yours.

Recap of Oscar predictions

Good morning!  It's time to check up on the Oscar predictions I made in Discovery News on this year's nominated documentaries
 and 'Gravity' in Crazy Eddie at the movies.

First, the documentary features.  After discussing or mention four nominees, I pointed out that "the one nominee I haven't mentioned, "20 Feet from Stardom," which is about the lives of backup singers and the biggest box office hit of the bunch, is the one I think will win."  It did.


Next, "Gravity."

"I think it has a good shot at Visual Effects, Sound Mixing, and Sound Editing..."  It won all three.

"The technical details will help it with Production Design, although I have a hard time imagining it beating "The Great Gatsby.""  "The Great Gatsby" won.

"The music was effective but minimal, so I'm not optimistic about Best Original Score."  I should have been more confident about the music, especially after taking into account the psychology of a sweep on the voters.  At least I didn't make a prediction about which other movie might win.

Now a more extended prediction.

It might win Editing, but it's against all the very best films of last year.  Cuaron did win Best Director at the Golden Globes, so I think he'll do it again here.  The Cinematography was stunning, so I think it has a good chance.

Again, "Gravity" won all three, for a total of seven Oscars, the most of any film at last night's awards.  Just the same, two awards got away.

Finally, Sandra Bullock put in a great performance, but she will not beat Cate Blanchett for "Blue Jasmine."  Also, "Gravity" may not even be the best science fiction film nominated.  "Her" might be.  Neither of them will win for Best Picture.  I expect "12 Years a Slave" will repeat its win from the Golden Globes.

Both of my predictions came to pass.  Blanchett and "12 Years a Slave" won their categories.

I could claim 11 for 11, but I honestly shouldn't, as I didn't think "Gravity" would win best musical score.  Even so, 10 of 11 is nothing to sneeze at.

Discovery News on this year's nominated documentaries

The Academy Awards are tonight, which means it's time for me to share either my take or someone elses on the nominees in the categories and genres I care about.  I'll start with the nominees for Best Documentary Feature and pass along what Discovery News had to say about three films up for that award, "The Square," "The Act of Killing," and "Cutie and the Boxer."

First, Screening Room: Egypt's Fight for "The Square."

The Oscar-nominated movie "The Square" captures the events that took place when a group of Egyptian activists demanded for President Mubarak to step down.

Since then, the Egyptian Revolution has become a different revolution to many. Not only is this happening during our lifetime, but much of it is broadcasted on the internet for the world to see. Laci took time out to watch this intense documentary and tells you why it's so historic.

This looks familiar, as the recent revolution in the Ukraine followed a very similar path.  The difference is that a neighboring major power didn't interfere in a very visible way, such as Russia is doing right now.  On that note, follow over the jump for part of a relevant press release I included in last night's Overnight News Digest: Science Saturday (715 New Exoplanets) on Daily Kos, followed by DNews's reviews of the other two films and my opinions on this category.

Technology for the developing world

It's time to finish the project I began with Steampunk fans ejected from San Diego area mall and left off at Post-apocalyptic book list as part of last month's perspective theme.  Here are two links and excerpts that tie into 'A Steampunk calculator' and six other sustainable technologies from The Archdruid.  Both of them are about technologies developed for developing countries that might be imported into the developed countries like the U.S. during what Greer calls "The Long Descent."

First, I present this article from the University of Georgia that I originally used in Overnight News Digest: Science Saturday (Sochi Olympics).

UGA engineer receives $1 million to develop milk cooler
February 3, 2014

Athens, Ga. - Keeping milk safe and healthy to drink is a challenge in areas without electricity. A University of Georgia engineer received $1 million to continue working on a milk cooler designed to help dairy farmers, particularly those in sub-Saharan Africa, who lack access to refrigeration.

The milk cooler, developed by William Kisaalita, professor of biological and mechanical engineering in the UGA College of Engineering, uses the principle of evaporative cooling to quickly bring the temperature of milk to a safe holding temperature.

"It's the same phenomenon that occurs when you jump into a swimming pool and then you come out on a windy day," said Kisaalita. "If there's water on your skin, you will feel cold. This same principle is applied in chilling the milk."

That might come in handy if electricity and other forms of refrigeration become scarce.

The second link and excerpt describe an explicit proposal from the University of Michigan about "reverse innovation" in transportation.  Follow over the jump for it.

Neighborhood stations riding different tracks on gas price rollercoaster

The situation when I wrote Another ride up the gas price rollercoaster was that four neighborhood stations were selling regular at $3.49, which happened on Wednesday.  As for how long that would last, I ventured that "I wouldn't be surprised if next Monday or Tuesday, the corner station tries to go up as high as $3.69 before settling at $3.59."

Today, the corner station raised its price to $3.69 for regular, so they made the first half of my prediction right a few days early.  I'm also sure that the price will drop, but it might go lower than the $3.59 I expected.  The response of the three stations down the street was not to raise prices to $3.55 or $3.59 and then wait for the corner station to drop to $3.65 and then $3.59.  No, they all lowered their prices a penny this afternoon to $3.48.  That's a surprise, and it makes me think that the corner station might return to $3.49 this weekend after finding themselves out in No Man's Land.

As for the longer term picture, I still expect prices to go up.  Gas Buddy shows that the national trend of steading increases in the average price has continued unabated, with the mean currently at $3.44.  The Detroit average jumped up yesterday to $3.60 and is now at $3.63.  This follows the same pattern I described two days ago.  However, if the price rise then follows that pattern, then the current step up has crested and the metro area's average should decline slowly.  The next time the corner station raises prices, they likely will stick and the neighborhood price will settle between $3.55 and $3.59 inclusive.  That's next week.  Right now, enjoy the gas war.

Space news for the last week of February

Just a brief generic summary of space and astronomy news this week.  When that happens, NASA weekly summary goes first: Cygnus Released on This Week @NASA.

With delivery of more than a ton of supplies and experiments completed, Orbital Sciences Corporation's Cygnus cargo craft was detached and released from the International Space Station February 18 -- wrapping up the first of at least eight NASA contracted supply missions to the space station for Orbital through 2016. Also, Orion recovery tests, NuSTAR findings, Stofan visits Stennis, Virginia Aerospace Days and Friendship 7 anniversary!

Follow over the jump for the rest of the week's space news from Overnight News Digest: Science Saturday (Our best animal friends) on Daily Kos.

Another ride up the gas price rollercoaster

Here's what I wrote almost two weeks ago in Good news for now as corner station lowers prices.

The three stations down the street are still at $3.39, so the holding steady is still happening.  Their prices are 36 cents cheaper than at this time last year, as I had also forecast.  That's not the best news.  The corner station dropped its price to $3.35, so it's selling gas for 40 cents a gallon less than last year.  It's also a decline, which is what I save Professor Farnsworth for.


As for how long this good news will last, probably until sometime between tomorrow and Tuesday, when stations usually raise prices.

Prices have gone up, but it took longer than I expected.  First, the corner station attempted to pull all the rest of the neighborhood outlets up with it by raising its price to $3.55 on the Tuesday I forecast for the price rise.  It turned out to be a charge into No Man's Land, as all the rest held steady at $3.35.  Then it jacked its price up to $3.59 over the weekend.  I thought it would go down again.  It didn't.  The next day, it remained up.  I was walking, not driving, so I didn't go over to see what the rest of the neighborhood stations were charging, but I realized they had to have raised their prices, too.  On Tuesday, the corner station had dropped slightly to $3.55.  That was a sure sign that the nearby stations had increased their prices, but not as high as the corner station.  I was driving, so I checked.  Two of them down the street were at $3.49, while the third matched the corner station at $3.55.  I was hoping that all would meet at $3.49.  On Wednesday, all four neighborhood outlets did exactly that.

Based on the data at Gas Buddy, I expect more price increases, as the national average has continued its slow and steady rise, having gone from $3.32 two weeks ago to between $3.42 and $3.43 today.  Metro Detroit's prices have hit another plateau, gliding done to $3.52 from $3.54 a few days ago.  Just the same, the past month's data show a disciplined stepwise increase of 5-10 cents every week, which I expect to continue for a while.  I wouldn't be surprised if next Monday or Tuesday, the corner station tries to go up as high as $3.69 before settling at $3.59.  That's the bad news.   The good news is that even if that happens, prices will still be below where they were last year.  In fact, almost exactly a year ago, gas was selling locally for $3.85 and then dropped to $3.79 a year ago today.  It's still 30 cents/gallon cheaper now than then.  Now I know why I included Professor Farnsworth in the quoted passage!

Examiner.com article on library millage passing

The millage increase for the Salem South Lyon District Library passed Tuesday.
Credit: Salem South Lyon District Library Facebook page.

I concluded Examiner.com article on voter registration deadline by wishing my readers "welcome to the next installment of Save the libraries, save civilization."  I'm happy to report that civilization won.

Salem-South Lyon Library millage passes

Voters approved the millage for the Salem-South Lyon District Library overwhelmingly Tuesday night with 1205 yes votes (72.94%) to 447 no votes (27.06%).  Turnout was light, with 12.40% of all registered voters casting ballots.

The millage increased property taxes by $0.495 on each $1,000 dollars of taxable value on eligible property within the Salem-South Lyon Library District for a period of twenty years beginning this year and ending in 2033 to fund library operations.  For 2014, the measure is estimated to bring in a total of $310,103 from all eligible properties.
...
With the millage passing, the library thanked the voters on its website, saying that because of their support, the library will be able to continue the level of service its patrons have come to expect.

More at the link, including a comparison and contrast of how the residents of the City of South Lyon and Salem Township voted on the issue, the reasons for the millage, and a counterfactual about what would have happened if the millage had failed.   Good thing it didn't.

Physicist retires from congress

While I’m on the subject of Representatives retiring and their replacements, here’s an item from Science Magazine that I first included in Overnight News Digest: Science Saturday (Our best animal friends) last Saturday night: Rush Holt to Leave Congress.

One of two physicists in the U.S. House of Representatives announced today that he is retiring at the end of the year.

Representative Rush Holt (D-NJ), a plasma physicist, didn’t reveal why he has decided to leave Congress after eight terms, or what lies in his future. “This is not the time to discuss next steps in my career; that can come later,” said Holt, who was assistant director of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory before coming to Washington in 1999.

However, one science lobbyist who knows him well speculates that Holt, who was beaten badly in the Democratic primary last year for an open Senate seat, could still harbor statewide ambitions. “If you wanted to run for governor [in New Jersey in 2017], getting out of the House is probably a good idea,” says Mike Lubell, head of the Washington, D.C., office of the American Physical Society. “At least, that’s what I’d advise him if he asked me.”

The bad news is that a scientist is leaving public office.  The good news is that he may not be gone for good.  Here’s to hoping he runs for N.J. Governor in 2017.  The state needs someone better than Fat Bastard.

Examiner.com article on Debbie Dingell’s candidacy

I concluded Examiner.com article on Dingell retirement by telling my readers to stay tuned, as “I’m planning on writing an article on the likely candidates to succeed Dingell tomorrow.”  I’ve written it. Here’s the excerpt.

Debbie Dingell, wife of U.S. Rep. John Dingell (D-MI), will likely announce her candidacy for her husband’s seat. Here she is at the luncheon where Dingell announced his retirement.
Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images

Debbie Dingell to announce candidacy for retiring husband’s seat Friday

This afternoon, the Washington Post reported that Debbie Dingell, wife of retiring U.S. Representative John Dingell, plans to announce her candidacy for her husband’s seat in Congress Friday.  The Detroit News, Detroit Free Press, and Ann Arbor News followed up with articles containing details confirming the Post’s report.

Mrs. Dingell would be running for the Democratic nomination for Michigan’s 12th Congressional District, which includes Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, and surrounding areas of eastern Washtenaw County along with portions of southern and western Wayne County.  Should she win the seat, she’d be the third Dingell to represent Michigan in Congress, as both her husband and her husband’s late father served in the U.S. House of Representatives with the senior Dingell having first been elected in 1933.

Dingell’s announcement has been expected.  The Detroit Free Press had published yesterday that she would be interested in running for her husband's seat, a move her husband appears to support.  He told the Free Press, “if my wife runs, the lovely Deborah, I will vote for her.”

More at the link, including a Daily Best interview of Debbie Dingell and more on her background and qualifications, along with the likely Democratic challengers.  For some reason, I haven’t been able to find the names of any Republican candidates, although I’m sure there will be at least one.

Speaking of challengers, the most serious potential Democratic rival to Debbie Dingell is Rebekah Warren of Ann Arbor.  Over in the comments section of the Deadline Detroit article on Mrs. Dingell’s potential candidacy, I mentioned that in a conversation with a couple of disgruntled readers.  Follow over the jump for how the back and forth played out.

Cancer research news to mark a year of being cancer free

Today is the anniversary of the prostate surgery that removed both that organ and the cancer it contained that I first mentioned here in Surgery as a fresh start.  A year after the surgery and ten months after I wrote that entry, what I said then--“that thing was killing me, both literally and figuratively and I'm much better off without it”--still holds true.  My perspective on the my treatment and its outcome has, if anything, become firmer.

To mark the occasion, I present all the cancer research from KPBS and campuses on the campaign trail I’ve included in Overnight News Digests since the last two times I’ve mentioned the topic of cancer, Quitting smoking in the New Year and Health research and outreach from KPBS and campuses on the campaign trail.

Following my policy of “if it moves, it leads,” here is the one video, which comes from KPBS: Task Force Recommends New Lung Cancer Screening Guidelines.

The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force said lung cancer screening for many chain-smokers and former smokers should be done with a CT scan instead of an X-ray.

I’ll have more to say about smoking in another entry.  For now, follow over the jump for the rest of the stories about cancer research.

Examiner.com article on Dingell retirement

U.S. Rep. John Dingell (D-MI), 87, the longest serving member of Congress in U.S. history, gives a 'thumbs up' before announcing his retirement at a luncheon February 24, 2014 in Southgate, Michigan.
Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images

Longest-serving U.S. Representative John Dingell announces retirement

This morning, both the Detroit Free Press and the Detroit News reported that U.S. Representative John Dingell will not seek re-election for a record-breaking 30th full term.  Dingell is already the longest-serving member of Congress, having been first elected in 1955.

Dingell, who represents Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, and surrounding areas of Washtenaw County as part of Michigan’s 12th Congressional District, announced his decision in a statement containing the text of his annual “State of the District” speech that he gave to the Southern Wayne County Regional Chamber of Commerce at noon.

“Around this time every two years, my wife Deborah and I confer on the question of whether I will seek reelection. My standards are high for this job. I put myself to the test and have always known that when the time came that I felt I could not live up to my own personal standard for a Member of Congress, it would be time to step aside for someone else to represent this district.

“That time has come.”

Reasons for the retirement and testimonials from Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lon Johnson, U.S. Representative Tim Walberg, and President Barack Obama along with a video on the story from the Associated Press at the link.

Dingell’s retirement has made my position as Washtenaw County Elections Examiner a lot more interesting.  I’m now covering an open Congressional seat for the first time since I started reporting for Examiner.com.

Also, stay tuned.  I’m planning on writing an article on the likely candidates to succeed Dingell tomorrow.

More from the Archdruid and his readers on zombies, part 1

Apparently, I’m not done with The Archdruid and his readers on zombies, which is appropriate on another night when “The Walking Dead” is on.  In Fascism and the Future, Part One: Up From Newspeak, which I linked to in The Archdruid on Fascism, part 1, Greer linked back to his previous essay on the subject, Fascism, Feudalism, and the Future.  That entry from 2007 opened with the classic image of collapse that lends itself to the Zombie Apocalypse.

One of the things that I can’t help noticing, as someone who listens for narratives in the ways people talk about the future, is the way that certain motifs reappear over and over again in discussions surrounding peak oil and the future of industrial society. These are distinct from the great mythic stories that shape so many accounts of the future – the myth of salvation through technological progress, for example, or its usual debating partner, the myth of redemption from an evil society through apocalypse. The motifs I’m speaking of here are more self-contained and more flexible, and pop up in most visions of the future in circulation these days.

One classic example is the image of mindless, marauding hordes spilling out of the dying cities and ravaging everything in their path. This one has been a recurring cultural nightmare in the western world for a couple of centuries now, since the cities of the industrial world disconnected themselves socially from their agricultural hinterlands and began filling up with immigrant populations. Read such classic fictional treatments of the theme as Newton Thornburg’s Valhalla (1980) and it’s clear that on this side of the Atlantic, at least, it roots into the enduring emotional legacy of American racism, the terror of the dark Other on which the shadow of white America’s unacknowledged desires has long been projected.

You can look through history books in vain for examples of urban populations invading the countryside en masse in the twilight years of civilizations, but the motif remains stuck firmly in place. The inhabitants of Willits, one of the few American towns that have taken the imminence of peak oil seriously, have apparently laid plans to blow up highway bridges leading into town from the south, to keep those imaginary mobs at bay. Willits is in liberal northern California, but it’s embraced the same fantasy that leads survivalists on the opposite end of the political spectrum to indulge in wet dreams about automatic weapons blazing away at marauding hordes.

The very first comment noted the connection to our culture’s current interest in zombies.

Erik said...
mindless, marauding hordes spilling out of the dying cities and ravaging everything in their path.

And the late resurgence of pop-culture interest in all things zombie-related is surely not a coincidence...

With that, Greer’s readers were off to the races.  Follow over the jump for more.

Post-apocalyptic book list

I’m getting over my “I can’t be all DOOM all the time” mood, but I’m not completely out of it.  Consequently, I’m going to resume posting about the links that the universe (actually, my news feed and research) have dumped into my lap that tie into my previous conversations with the Archdruid beginning with the lightest one possible.  Ironically, it’s all about doom, but in an entertaining way: The Post-Apocalyptic Book List.  This is a resource I found while getting prepared to write The Archdruid and I have a conversation about science fiction.  It lists more than 2000 works by title, author, date, type of catastrophe, and genre.  As comprehensive as it is, the 11 pages do not list one of the books Greer and I discussed, “Star Man’s Son,” although they do include “The Pastel City,” “Hiero’s Journey,” and “Breed to Come.”

The same site also lists e-books (only 20 so far), movies (143 so far--there are some glaring omissions, such as all three of the most recent zombie movies I’ve watched, “World War Z,” “Warm Bodies,” and “I Am Legend,” although the book is on the appropriate index), and comics (118 titles, which does not include “The Walking Dead”).  There also aren’t any TV shows yet.  Fortunately, there is another page, Suggest a Title.  I think I’ll do just that.  With any luck, the titles will end up on the front page along with all the other recently added works.