From Jenna Orkin
Headlines
World oil reserves at tipping point
Oil reserves 'exaggerated by one third'
Tipping Point: Near-Term Systemic Implications of a Peak in Global Oil Production
Platts: China's Oil Demand Tops Record High in February
Newcastle Coal Exports Fall 24%; Ship Queue Shortens
British Gas workers vote to strike
Strikes will hit millions in run-up to election
Economy
Why John Mauldin Is Worried About A 40% Market Decline
15 States Where Folks Are Too Depressed To Even Look For Work
Fourteen states sue over Obama health reforms
U.S. states may be the next dominoes to topple over - from Rice Farmer
California, in Financial Crisis, Opens Prison Doors
Why the U.S. can't inflate its way out of debt - from Rice Farmer
Ron Paul: National bankruptcy will lead to repeal of 'Obamacare' - from Rice Farmer
It Begins: Florida Set To Change The Rules Of Its Retirement System As Prelude To Eventual Social Security Endgame
Netanyahu raises stakes ahead of meeting with Obama
Study: Canadian stimulus package had negligible economic effect
Secret Service Paid Credit Card Hacker $75,000 a Year
After 15 Months Of Being Long Only, Jim Rogers Loading Up Some Shorts
Terror/Intelligence
US aviation security to adopt Israeli model
Europe/World
Anticipating Eurozone Collapse - from Rice Farmer
"We have to put the loaded gun on the table to ensure that the markets react properly."
Greek Crisis May Provoke Trichet-Bernanke Split That Extends Euro's Slide
Budget figures are not based on reality, say experts
Over-optimistic growth forecasts mean Labour could fail to hit deficit target
Top Mossad agent expelled over passport row
Mossad's top agent expelled from UK over passport assassination row as British-Israeli relations sink to new low.
Analysis: expulsion marks new low in relations
Rising waters threaten Nile Delta
Scientists warn higher salinity in the fertile region could lead to economic disaster.
And...
Eyes betray numbers in our heads, study says
"It may be harder to lie about your age, or your poker hand, after new research."
How about oil reserves?
Man 'too fat to put in ambulance'
'Too big to fail' doesn't work for humans.
Orchid Mantis
MCR...An idea for making some money...Since you mentioned you're available for paid speaking engagements, you might consider making yourself available for paid teleconferences or Webinars, too. The economics and what you would charge a group for this may work better for some people, and may in fact allow you to make money from home when traveling to speak in front of a group, depending on the distance, may be cost prohibitive.
ReplyDeletefor those interested: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Long-Term-Planning-Committee-for-the-Human-Race/190629022488?v=wall
ReplyDeletethe discussion starts with oil; i just deposited todays headlines from here...
Re: Rising waters threaten Nile Delta.
ReplyDeletePure greenwash!
From wikipedia:
"The increased use of artificial fertilizers in farmland below the dam has caused chemical pollution which the traditional river silt did not do. Lack of irrigation control has also caused some farmland to be damaged by water logging and increased salinity, a problem complicated by the reduced flow of the river, which allows salt water to encroach further into the delta.
The Aswan Dam tends to increase the salinity of the Mediterranean Sea, and this affects the Mediterranean's outflow current into the Atlantic Ocean"
I have been following this blog and find the information interesting. However, I certainly don't find it useful.
ReplyDeleteI'm sold on the whole collapse premise. I don't need additional information indicating how screwed we are, what I need is information regarding how me and my family and my finances can be put in the best possible position NOW for what is to come in the future.
If I were to believe the sensational headlines and opinions presented on this blog day in and day out I would wake up each morning and hide in my closet waiting for the implosion.
Where are the resources that provide practical financial and precautionary steps to take if we assume that the government will not be around? This type of information may be apparent or a logical progression of thought for some readers, but it is not for me. I am craving a resource that provides steps and analysis on strategies.
I've purchased several books that claim to be the definitive peak oil survival guide. But what they all deliver is a 90 page summary on peak oil and a 10 page list of instructions like 'grow a garden' or 'here's how to build an advanced water filtration system in the desert'.
I doubt that the content of this blog will change, however perhaps here in the comments someone can link me to a different site with these types of resources.
If the us dollar collapses, I want my money spread out, with part of it in gold. But where exactly? What types of items should be purchased now as barter items for later?
Any advice is appreciated.
adam; you might try
ReplyDeletewww.motherearthnews.com
or any of the rodale sites...
but the best advice i can offer is
dont build a bomb shelter, BE ONE..
For Adam:
ReplyDeleteWe all hear you. We all agree. The information here is very useful for those of us who can see its implications for us locally. But we also live in a fungible world where an event, or combination of events abroad can have immediate impact here. Your needs are going to be addressed by Collapsenet which we hope to luanch by the third week of April. Please keep watching this blog. We will want direct input from you to make Collapsenet better. We will want your questions. And we'll try to help answer them.
MCR
Adam - Here are some "Prepping" ideas:
ReplyDelete1. Anything you use regularly can be stockpiled; it's like money in the bank. Whether inflation or deflation, at least you have your necessities -- and if you buy extra, you have barter items. Nothing is too mundane if you use it. Whether canned food or toilet paper, it's the ultimate "Store of value." (Extra tools and seeds wouldn't hurt, either...)
2. EVERYBODY should have a copy of the LDS Preparedness Manual. It covers all the essentials, and has the most exhaustive coverage of water treatment that I've ever seen. Free download here:
http://www.green-trust.org/freebooks/Preparedness.pdf
Note: For those unaware, the LDS (Mormon) church includes family preparedness as an integral part of church doctrine. They have substantial resources in this area (canning facilities, granaries, purchase programs), and in my experience, have been open and helpful to non-members. (A prepared community means less trouble for everyone.) Don't be reluctant to contact them.
3. There are dozens of good gardening books (take your pick), but Bill Mollison's Permaculture: A Designers' Manual, is an important reference. Expensive, but encyclopedic.
4. Less expensive, and useful for food planning, see Making the Best of Basics by James Stevens. (About $23 at Amazon.) Good info on food storage, recipes, etc.
Take stock of your situation, your beliefs and resources -- then make a plan and move ahead. If you are thinking of growing your own food, this is a perfect time to get started!
@Adam
ReplyDelete"I am craving a resource that provides steps and analysis on strategies"
Well, as it's been suggested on many an occasion: "If you want to know what happens at the fall of empire, grab a history book".
If you're looking for expert advice on what to do at the end of peak oil, you're not going to find it. It's something that's never happened before!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHmXhgBhtWk
ReplyDeleteA guy who's preparing his house and family for potential peak oil
See also Backwoods Home Magazine...they're a little too Right-wing populist for my taste, but they definitely "get it" on some level and have excellent tips and guides and how-tos regarding living "off the grid", excellent articles on guns, etc. Just renewed my subscription a few months ago.
ReplyDeleteElmo said, "EXACTLY! In fact the abundance of such creatures only serves to illustrate my point... that within the creature's own environment, there were many mathematically easier forms it could have taken, if survival were the only factor in it's evolution. In fact; a common green mantis does the best, strictly from a survival standpoint. So there must be some other reason why creatures like this evolve."
ReplyDeleteThat mantis has evolved to fit a niche. With it's form, it has a food supply that other mantids don't often get to eat.
It's not just survival, but also competition.
Hahaha... I KNEW you wouldn't let that last comment slide! Truth's too harsh for sensitive ears, eh Jenna?
ReplyDeletecertain discussions of hypothetical murder can raise legal issues, eh, elmo?
ReplyDelete(i'm not inviting a response and will probably not continue this conversation.)
Adam, go back 4 or 5 posts and read what i wrote. I spelt out a presription that contains the essential elements. Bits like hoarding food and learning to filter water are a bit like wall paper, great if you have a house, but good for bugger all if you live in a bark hut.
ReplyDeleteDon't tell me you're afraid of the Powers-That-Be! How do you expect to survive collapse if you can't at least overcome that?
ReplyDeleteNo need to reply. It's a rhetorical question.
I'm really at a loss as to what some of you are expecting to see as "possible solutions". Are you hoping that someone will announce that "J. C. Penney's is having a sale on Peak-Oil Survival Gear"?
ReplyDeleteWe all know that Food, Water, Shelter, Breathable Air, and a Reasonably Comfortable Environmental Conditions are the absolute necessities in life. Everything else is a luxury. So, how much discussion is really necessary?
If I say what I think is likely to happen, based on historical data, I get censored --which is no surprise at all, considering that the only forecast anyone wants to hear is: "and they lived happily ever after"... and that has never been historical truth!
So, Adam... Somewhere in the FTW censor logs is my honest response to your question. Sorry, but you may never see it!
@Weaseldog
ReplyDelete"That mantis has evolved to fit a niche"
Right... a niche so astronomically unlikely to be filled by random mutation, that it lends credence to intelligent design.
I'm not saying I agree with either theory; just that I understand the argument. Actually, I'm holding out for a third option. :-)
be careful about spending too much time and energy preparing for what you believe the future will be...as someone who's been playing that game for well over 30 years, i can tell you most of your well thought out assumptions & preparations will inevitably prove wrong...
ReplyDelete@rjs
ReplyDelete"i can tell you most of your well thought out assumptions & preparations will inevitably prove wrong...
True enough! But then what is the point of this blog?
RE: California opening its prison doors....
ReplyDeleteToo many people in jail for weed-related crimes.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100325/ap_on_re_us/us_marijuana_legalization
As much as we'd like to help Adam, the problem moving forward is not everyone has the time to pick apart his situation and come up with solutions that he can use to save himself. I feel that it's upto each of us to learn how to make maps and learn to develop plans that benefit us and our families.
ReplyDeleteOn the gloom and doom note, Baltimore City to lay off 300 Police Officers.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bal-budget0326,0,7338463.story