[lotrfan55345]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Tyler_JC', 'I')s that Bicardi I see in the picture? Aren't you like 16? Tsk, tsk.

[SevenTen]

The world is going into the shitter and he's getting a hard time for enjoying some rum. The real deal about drugs is this: there are only two types of drugs, good and bad, and you will need to experiment with them to tell the difference. If by "drug", we of course mean "something you do which alters your state of consciousness", and then aerobic exercise, sex, food, the Internet, television, religion, art, reading, and music are all, also, drugs.

So which, really, is the worst among rum, commercial television, or organized religion?

Personally, I would save a single good bottle of rum before I'd save the Fox Network or the Catholic Church. And I don't even particularly care for rum.

Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we may all be *&%^$# right up the ass.

[PolestaR]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('zensui', 'O')h come on! I'm not a cornucopian but there is still some hope. I've read in posts above someone indirectly comparing the cornucopians' denial of PO with pedophilia and smoking-related cancer. Doomers and cornucopians are too extremes; even if "too little too late" for a hard crash something can be done about PO to "save something of civilization".

[Zardoz]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('strider3700', '.')..When people that understand the issue clearly can't be bothered to prep I have zero faith that general society will be ready to handle even minor problems never mind a serious crash. This means I prep for the worst case and hope it's nowhere near that bad. It's a far better option then hoping for the best case and being wrong.

[Zardoz]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Tyler_JC', 'A')m I the only one who has noticed the sudden surge of pessimistic attitudes on this site?

[Jack]

Let's see now...why am I more pessimistic...

The flow of funds. In case no one has noticed, lots of money is going into energy stocks. This has been going on for some time - about 16 years that I, personally, recall. In fact, Matthew Simmons PowerPoint slides discuss the matter. This suggests an ongoing process that validates the view of higher-cost, more scarce energy.

We also note the troubles airlines and car companies have. Further validation.

One looks upon events such as Katrina. This is suggestive of how the population will behave if systems are disrupted. The breakdown did not need to be so rapid, profound, and violent - but it was. Was New Orleans unique? I doubt it.

The war in Iraq has been mentioned. But that is only a small part of the geopolitical problem. Look to South America. Look at the burgeoning population of South America and the Mideast. Then gaze at shrinking grain stocks, declining water tables, and increased climate volatility. What happens when people by the hundreds of millions - or billions - start going hungry?

Then there's China. The world's factory. What happens when their needs, wants, and desires bump up against supply constraints? That should be exciting.

Look now to gold. Is the increasing price suggestive of high rates of inflation? What does this mean for the masses?

Turn to income and wealth disparities in the U.S. and around the world. Large disparities have led to social and political disruptions in the past. Perhaps they will again.

Now consider the development of the so-called alternatives. We see problems developing rapidly. But the alternatives aren't. They're advancing glacially.

Will the electrical grid survive for a time? Probably. Enjoy your plasma TV as your stomach growls - because food is transported by truck. So we give priority to the truckers - and thus wound the rest of the economy. This should transform us into optimists?

Then we have the "new technology" proponents. So, how many of us have truly, actually discovered something new? No, I don't mean a new bar drink. I mean a new contribution, however small, to humanity's store of knowledge. Few hands will be raised, I dare say. OK, so what we're depending upon is new knowledge that will mitigate the coming crises, and do so quickly. Well...we've known about this for years. There's the SAIC report, Simmons, the Corps of Engineers report. And we're doing...what? Nothing, right? And this is going to change...how, exactly?

Look, folks - I'd love to be able to conclude that I'll be comfortable, prosperous, and healthy for a couple more decades. Maybe I could even work on my karma (no, to improve it). But I see nothing, other than forlorn, irrational, unfounded hope behind the curtains. There is no basis in reality for that hope.

I gaze at postings by the proponents of "hope" and I see mere self-delusion and denial. The die-off cannot happen because we don't want it. The failure of our cities will not occur for like reason. Our political mechanisms, which we've seen in action over the years, will suddenly bestow perpetual abundance upon us.

I simply shake my head and smile. And buy more ammo.

[Graeme]

Jack, It seems that many others in your country see the future a little differently. Your government, Jeremy Rifkin and Warren Reynolds see enormous economy opportunity for a solar/hydrogen economy.

eere

hydrogennow

emagazine

[Jack]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Graeme', 'J')ack, It seems that many others in your country see the future a little differently. Your government, Jeremy Rifkin and Warren Reynolds see enormous economy opportunity for a solar/hydrogen economy.

[SevenTen]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Graeme', 'J')ack, It seems that many others in your country see the future a little differently. Your government, Jeremy Rifkin and Warren Reynolds see enormous economy opportunity for a solar/hydrogen economy.

eere

hydrogennow

emagazine

[Revi]

People are just responding to the uptick in inflation and the price of gas. They don't really pay attention until something actually happens. As long as they have a full tank of gas at a lower price they don't care what happens. As soon as they have to fill up and the price is higher than the last time they get a tiny inkling as to what's going on. They become pessimistic. The cost of the fuel that keeps their unsustainable lifestyle going has gone up. The cost of living in general is rising. It's finally affecting them. They are finally waking up to what's going on. It's enough to make anyone pessimistic.

They are beginning to have a clue to what's kept us awake at night for many years. We have to remember that we have been in the pessimistic state for so many years, that we are actually moving into hope, whereas most people are just figuring the peak oil thing out. There's going to be less every year, not more. Their fortunes are not assured. It's enough to make anyone pessimistic.

[TWilliam]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('SevenTen', 'W')e don't have the time or resources or energy to build sustainable, renewable solar (renewable using only solar or other renewable sources) at any meaningful or significant scale. Had we started 30 years ago ... but we didn't.

[vision-master]

Start smoking one of these. It will help!

[dinopello]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Jack', 'B')ut I've improved my balance sheet with investments based on the assumptions listed above. Arguments and rhetoric are lovely, but the market couldn't care less. And the markets are saying - at least, for now - that the oil problem has not been solved.

[Ebyss]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'J')ust what is the market saying?

[strider3700]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Zardoz', '
')What are you preparing for?

[Jack]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('dinopello', 'h')mm, yes my rail and energy stocks have done well recently. But, then again so has everything. A very good bet in the last 6 months would have been on the Whopper (increase of 40% in 6 months). Just what is the market saying?

[PolestaR]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Jack', 'I') gaze at postings by the proponents of "hope" and I see mere self-delusion and denial. The die-off cannot happen because we don't want it. The failure of our cities will not occur for like reason. Our political mechanisms, which we've seen in action over the years, will suddenly bestow perpetual abundance upon us.

[Baldwin]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Graeme', 'J')ack, It seems that many others in your country see the future a little differently. Your government, Jeremy Rifkin and Warren Reynolds see enormous economy opportunity for a solar/hydrogen economy.

eere

hydrogennow

emagazine

[Jack]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PolestaR', 'S')ince you're in Texas you should be careful on the help eh? Don't want to be helping JackKiller too much do you?