[Newfie]

Lucky,

As the thread starter I can say it was started with the hope of finding someone who other path forward, of identifying some economic principal to guide us. Is see none. If memory serves pre Western contact Polynesia expanded in part because of excessive population. The excess would be told to go find some new place to live. In other methods there was some pretty brutal warfare between islanders that kept population down.

I am encouraged that populations are expected to drop everywhere except Africa. But I don’t expect the effects od African population rise ti be confined to Africa.

Degrowth in itself needs a goal, degrow to where? Some sustainable level. Japan continues to be the leader in this experiment, but their coping mechanism has been to hold knowledge and export it to have other hands do the work. That can work in isolated cases but not globally. Perhaps AL in the form of robotization? That Japan seems to struggle forward provides some small hope.

[theluckycountry]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Newfie', 'L')ucky,

As the thread starter I can say it was started with the hope of finding someone who other path forward, of identifying some economic principal to guide us. Is see none. ... Perhaps AL in the form of robotization? Degrowth in itself needs a goal, degrow to where? Some sustainable level. Japan continues to be the leader in this experiment,That Japan seems to struggle forward provides some small hope.

[theluckycountry]

Ahhhh! Cover Story

The Next Round of AI-Induced Layoffs is Here
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '
')We previously noted that numerous Fortune 500 companies are announcing large-scale layoffs, replacing sales, marketing, management and other white-collar jobs with AI. Some major announcements:

Proctor and Gamble is laying of 7,000 people, roughly 15% of its non-manufacturing staff.
Microsoft announced it will be firing 6,000 people, most of them managers.
Walmart has said it is laying off 1,500 positions in sales, tech, and advertising.

This is just the beginning… Ford’s CEO recently claimed AI could replace half of all white-collar jobs in the U.S. Amazon’s CEO, Andy Jassy, has told employees...

[theluckycountry]

McDonald’s ends AI experiment after drive-thru ordering blunders

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'A')fter working with IBM for three years to leverage AI to take drive-thru orders, McDonald’s called the whole thing off in June 2024. The reason? A slew of social media videos showing confused and frustrated customers trying to get the AI to understand their orders. One TikTok video in particular featured two people repeatedly pleading with the AI to stop as it kept adding more Chicken McNuggets to their order, eventually reaching 260. In a June 13, 2024, internal memo obtained by trade publication Restaurant Business, McDonald’s announced it would end the partnership with IBM and shut down the tests.

[AdamB]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('theluckycountry', '[')b]McDonald’s ends AI experiment after drive-thru ordering blunders

[theluckycountry]

Over on another forum in a degrowth thread we are discussing the issue in the light of new innovation, and while there has been some in the past 20 years they are in toto, a net negative. Electric cars and wind generators (which don't generate wind btw) have caused the living standards of many to decline, and I'm not just talking about the poor souls that bought them, but the public at large that have seen their tax revenues diverted to fund them. So while these add nothing to the quality of society individually or as a whole, they have in effect triggered more Degrowth. It's hard to awake to this though because many people simply don't travel far now and their lives revolve more and more around staring into digital devices inside their homes. It the parks are unkempt, the bridges crumbling and homeless people are filling up the CBD they would hardly notice. If immigrant ghettos are springing up in formerly peaceful small cities it's not an issue unless you happen to be in the crossfire of a turf war one day.

While Australia has a long way to go to catch up with the US in regard to societal degradation, we are experiencing a slowdown in construction of major transport infrastructure, rail for example, and freeways to the new outer suburbs in the major cities. Slow traffic in peak-hour is a serious concern for many. WA is a bright spot here because their low population and massive natural resource exports, as well as only having one major city, Perth, has allowed them to build a futuristic cityscape with impressive freeways and integrated electric rail. A sort of Singapore of the South. But all in all the rest of the nation is content with the way things are, although I personally am not happy with the fact that Dutch Marzipan has vanished off the supermarket shelves. In it's place are two British variants, neither of which I consider suitable for a late night snack.

This is a german log, 100g on ebay for $4 delivered. Not bad... I'll search Google, there will be a local distributer that's cheaper, there always is with this sort of eBay stuff.

You know Armageddon is near when good Marzipan gets scarce.

[AdamB]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('theluckycountry', ' ') Electric cars and wind generators (which don't generate wind btw) .....

[mousepad]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('theluckycountry', ' ') and wind generators (which don't generate wind btw) .....

[careinke]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('mousepad', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('theluckycountry', ' ') and wind generators (which don't generate wind btw) .....

[theluckycountry]

33 Tons Of Gold, Silver Concentrate Hijacked In Mexico

No, it's not a story about Gold, it's a story about banditry, which always rises as civilization descends into anarchy. Mexico has a lot of "normal" civilized behavior, and it's always had it's drug cartels and bandits, but the uptick in banditry is well beyond what the government can deal with now.
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '
')Armed thieves in Mexico hijacked a truck transporting 33 tons of gold and silver concentrate belonging to the Mexican mining firm Grupo Minero Bacis, local media reported... The incident highlights the surge in highway robberies across the third world country, which now occur every 50 minutes, with cargo thefts rising over 30% in early 2025 compared to the previous year.

[AdamB]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('theluckycountry', '[')b]33 Tons Of Gold, Silver Concentrate Hijacked In Mexico

[theluckycountry]

[AdamB]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('theluckycountry', '
')Armed thieves in Mexico hijacked a truck transporting 33 tons of gold and silver concentrate belonging to the Mexican mining firm Grupo Minero Bacis, local media reported...

[theluckycountry]

The fundamental mistake our estranged cousins in America made was rebelling against the British Empire. History has shown that the "former" colonial assets were all granted independence, once they had proven they could maintain a stable and just political system, based on the English model.

Australia for example was first settled in the 1800's and a mere 100 years later became a self-governing Commonwealth nation on January 1, 1901, following the federation of its six colonies. This process involved several referendums and the eventual approval of the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900 by the British Parliament. Before federation there were periods of anarchy, much like the early American experience. We had banditry, lawlessness, slavery even. But under the pressure of the British justice system these were eradicated and when we had proved ourselves competent we gained autonomy.

It was the same story with Canada and New Zealand. But America in breaking away before they had constructed a secure and just social system fell into slave trading and lawlessness of every kind, much of which still exists today as can been seen in the simple fact it has the largest prison population per capita on the Planet! The Gangs the rule many areas of the United States are simply the continuance of the Wild West, it never ended. The trafficking of women and children a similar carry through from the slave days. It's a shame they can't go back in time and undo their mistake but it's baked in the cake now, they are Mexico and Columbia, South Africa and Venezuela. A nation ruled by dictators and cartels, the corporations in this case, who have captured the government and courts and use them as rubber stamps for the exploitation of the people.

If degrowth is collapse of a civilization then they are well on the way, and have no buffer to slow the process. My latest posts on the Coal thread, about the Queensland government acceding to the wishes of the people in maintaining reliable power, and rejecting the wind farms corporate entities were trying to force on us, is a good example of people power under an honest government system. One only made possible because of our English roots and our propensity not to rebel.

[theluckycountry]

Australia Rebuffs Trump As US Demands To Know What Allies Would Do In Taiwan War
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '.')..As for Australia, it has clarified it will not commit troops in advance to any conflict. As laid out by the defense minister:

Australia will not commit troops in advance to any conflict, Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy said on Sunday, responding to a report that the Pentagon has pressed its ally to clarify what role it would play if the U.S. and China went to war over Taiwan. Australia prioritizes its sovereignty and "we don't discuss hypotheticals", Conroy said in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

[AdamB]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('theluckycountry', 'T')he fundamental mistake our estranged cousins in America made was rebelling against the British Empire.

[theluckycountry]

I think the biggest challenge Australia faces in the decades ahead is avoiding getting sucked down by the collapsing European and American nations. Our pivot toward China and Asia in general is a big step in this direction. Thank God for the Pacific ocean. I don't know how Eastern Europe and Canada will fare though...

[AdamB]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('theluckycountry', 'I') think the biggest challenge Australia faces in the decades ahead is avoiding getting sucked down......

[theluckycountry]

America’s Crumbling Infrastructure
None of this is really in dispute. And there are no ideas how to fix it.
If you have a weak heart I advise against watching the following sixty minutes documentary.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoYYxs9OSUg

California's Hi-speed rail, 16 years later...
Don't worry, there is plenty of CGI imagery of what it "would" be like if it ever gets off the ground
The US is the world leader in CGI as far it comes to portraying future achievements.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHk_F42RtDQ

[AdamB]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('theluckycountry', '[')b]America’s Crumbling Infrastructure