Welcome to Journey to the East home page,having to do
with the eclectic exploits and musings of yours truly, Stan Kahn
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Y3K Order a copy from Wingspan Press
also available at other online bookstores
Read Introit and First Three Chapters
Y3K is primarily a look back from the year 2999 at the world’s
looming social/ecological crisis from the viewpoint of Max and
his extended family; thirtieth century hippie communards. Inspired by my own five years of living communally, the beginning of the book unveils an evolved form of that lifestyle in the old growth forests of America’s Pacific Northwest. |
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Parallel
U - Living and Working in
Slice of Life
If you really can’t get
enough of this
And there's more. I've recently written three articles for a Cambo-expat-oriented magazine called Bayon Pearnik on buying, owning and driving a car in Cambodia.
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New Market, Phnom Penh
Overloaded Pickup, Rural Cambodia |
Occasional
Political Commentaries
Latest Entries
Mass Transportation 7-3-2008
In the same way that electric motivation is far superior to combustion, trains operating on fixed rails are the most efficient means of mass transportation and further, electric trains are, far and away, the best way to go.
Some years ago I was treated to a theater-of-the-absurd example of the deficiency of relying on diesel power for commuter train service on a trip from downtown Chicago to the suburbs. Imagine boarding a train in a semi-enclosed space with several large diesel locomotives roaring away at ear deranging levels and spewing their noxious fumes. Once it got going every time the train started and stopped - obviously frequently since it was a commuter train - it was a long, slow, lumbering process.
When you contrast that with electric trains that are non-polluting at point of use and much cleaner overall, nearly silent, accelerate and decelerate very quickly and smoothly and cost a lot less to operate and maintain, there really is no long term sense whatever in diesel locomotion.
Electric Motivation 6-26-2008
General Motors recently announced that it was closing four plants currently producing dinosaurs, aka, SUV’s and trucks. As an aside it said it would have an electric car on the market, the Chevy Volt, by 2010.
The first part is another example of American industry digging its own grave. For years the big car companies, in tandem with the auto unions, have been fighting higher mileage standards for cars and for exemption of big vehicles. This helped them bring in the big bucks until recent oil price spikes. Now they can hardly give the monsters away.
Nudging the Limits Part 2 6-14-2008
Recent discovery of oil off Cambodia’s coast provides a stark and stunning example of the impact of peak oil on the ability of the world to sustain its thirst for the crude stuff.
The reserve is said to be 500 million barrels. However the field is broken up into many small reservoirs and difficult to extract so that as little as 10% may be recoverable. The five hundred million figure is part of the 30 year supply the world is said to have by those supposedly in the know; the US Department of Energy, the big oil companies and a few other big time deniers. It’s there all right, and for the most part will remain so for eternity.
Nudging the Limits to Growth 5-12-2007
There are several reasons cited for the recent worldwide spike in food costs which has seen the per ton price of rice nearly triple, with other grains amongst nearly all foodstuffs also seeing steep rises. However, one cause, which I consider the most important, is not mentioned very often, and especially not in the corporate media.
China is Making a Fool of Itself 4-21-2007
The Chinese leadership’s response to Tibetan grievances and protest is a testament to how out of touch they are. They think the same moronic rhetoric they feed to their own citizens should also work for the international community.
Fat Cat Bailout Time 3 - 20 - 2008
In the past week or so the Fed, America’s central bank, has twice committed large sums to bailout struggling greedy bankers. You know, lend a hand in time of need, help them through a difficult period; you know, corporate welfare.
Supply and Demand 2-28-2008
Oil recently hit $108 barrel (every additional day it takes me to write this the price goes up another notch). There are several good reasons why this is happening. The first is the most obvious: while demand continues to rise, production has peaked. For those of you who need a refresher, peak oil is that point at which half the total resource has been extracted. It’s also the high point on a bell curve: after the peak, production can only go down.
In the Tank January 26, 2007
American response to the likelihood of economic recession is a combination of pissing in the ocean to try to raise sea level with continuing to dig after you’re already deep in a pit. Taken together a lot like staying the course when you’re headed over a cliff or maybe thinking you can fight global warming by getting people to turn down the thermostats on their 10,000 square foot mcmansions.
Brainwashing at an Early Age January 3, 2008
A couple months back BBC reported on a fascinating study of the effects of marketing on young children. I doubt very much if it was carried by the American media since it’s so damning of the whole edifice of advertising.
Warmth Invisible December 26, 2007
A while back I caught the Bush at his Iran press conference. It was on a big screen at a local bar; I only saw him, not heard him. I watched for quite a while; him twitchy, nervous, wincing a bit in anticipation of the next inanity he would need to utter in defense of the defenseless… “Sixteen intelligence agencies say Iran gave up its nuclear weapons program four years ago?” “That doesn’t make them any less dangerous or me any less likely to bomb them.
Legality and Fairness November 17, 2007
Lately I’ve been putting together a compilation of 100 songs from my music library. It’s a wide ranging mix of sounds from around the world but mostly old favorite artists, though not necessarily their most popular songs.
It’s for myself, to play for visitors, as well as to give to others. It’s not a terribly important endeavor, but fun nonetheless, especially since I have close to 20,000 songs to choose from in my library.
Corruption? In Cambodia? November 7, 2007
A recent article in the Cambodia Daily, our local English newspaper, reported a drop in Cambodia’s rating in the Corruption Perceptions Index put out by a group called Transparency International. In fact, it stands at 162 out of 180 countries surveyed.
China Syndrome or Cannibal Capitalism... October 26, 2007
Has Anybody Noticed... October 15, 2007Surge of Nonsense... September 15, 2007
JOURNEY TO
THE EAST
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STRING OF |
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North of Kathmandu at 13,000 feet
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Goa, on India's West Coast |
Guangxi Province |
FAR OUT AND AWAY On the Asia Travelers Trail - 1992
First time out at the age of fifty, join me on a year's journey through eight countries.
GLOBAL
DEMOCRATIC
This is somewhat dated after
12
years, but the essence is the same: We will eventually have a single
world
government.
Introduction,
Table of Contents and Chapter 1. The Inspiration
Instant Runoff Voting for Oregon
Fair
Vote Oregon
STRUCTURAL LEGISLATIVE REFORM
Ideas for a radical restructuring of America's electoral systems
STAN
KAHN for District 14 November
1998
Oregon State House of Representatives Pacific Green Party
ELECTORAL
CHANGES
submitted to the 1999 Oregon
Legislature
And finally a few favorite
Links
stan at tripeast . com(put them together to send an email; they’ve been separated to foil email spammers)