[Twilight]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('MrBill', '.')... therefore, I see it as the stranded infractructure and legacy costs that will have to be abandoned as we run out of the energy and the money to subsidize existing infrastructure designed for the pre-peak oil age.

[cube]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('MrBill', '
')Source: Airlines’ Cuts Making Cities No-Fly Zones

[MrBill]

I do not think that the airline is the canary in the mineshaft. Many carriers have had a broken business model for decades now. High fuel costs just exacerbate their financial woes. Perhaps the utter foolishness of selling airline tickets for pennies, while expecting regular economy and business class flyers to subsidize those seats. This just results in a lot of crowded airports and unnecessary flights.

UPDATE:
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'F')light delays could cost U.S. airlines more than $2 billion in wasted jet fuel this year, according to a congressional report released on Thursday.

The Joint Economic Committee study estimated that flight delays and congestion, especially in the New York region, are squeezing airlines at a time when the industry's financial condition is deteriorating rapidly due mainly to the unchecked cost of fuel.

"The airline industry is drowning in red ink," said U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, who introduced the report that more broadly found flight delays severely impact the economy.

Commercial aircraft burned an estimated 740 million gallons of excess jet fuel because of record flight delays in 2007, costing them $1.6 billion. The calculation assumes an average wholesale price of $2.15 per gallon.

[gampy]

Consumerism.

I hate that word, and I hate being called a consumer. Mind you, I do consume things, like food, occasional clothing, beer, tobacco, etc.

I want to write a big essay, or rant, that talks about how modern society is so hollow, so vacant, so bereft of anything wholesome or good.
When I bike to work, I see all the cars, all the strip mall businesses, all the poor city planning, all the fucking concrete. Makes me sick.

I despise the fucking shops that sell useless shit. I hate fucking telemarketers, and marketing campaigns (one and the same).

Consume. Consumer. It means nothing except buy more oil, buy more crap, buy more shit to keep lackeys like me in service sector jobs. And huge profits for the folks who run these fucking franchises.

I feel fucking trapped. Trapped in this fucking hamster wheel.

I have a big fantasy of moving out to my folks place and making a self sufficient lifestyle, but I have been a city rat for too long.

I don't know if I could make a go of it for me and my folks. Too soft, too used to modern, G-7 lifestyle.

The Mennonites, the Amish, the Bedouin, Kalahari Bushmen, and others have my complete and utter respect. I really believe they have the answer, and the skills.

I am atheist, but I would be willing to bow my head to their god, if they would have me , and teach me how to live closer to nature(god?). I would seriously submit to their ways, if it meant learning, and loving nature, and god.

I wonder if they take converts, or only their offspring.

[dmtu]

@ gampy

It is my understanding that the Amish will happily take in youngsters. You should understand that they need new blood, and that their system is a form of socialism. If you are serious and you think that decision would make you happy then you should honestly take closer look if not a plunge.

[Waterthrush]

Gampy - you should try to think of ways that will bring you into more contact with the outdoors. The problem with not having a car is that you are confined to the city. There are plenty of beautiful parks and natural areas within 25 miles of almost anywhere in the US, but they seem to require a car to get to them. I haven't solved this problem yet!

If your job is the kind you can leave and get back into easily, consider a season of working for some natural history position. They mostly pay peanuts, but usually include room and board. Bird-banding, wildlife census counts, clearing invasive species. If you cannot get away, volunteer to be a "friend" of your area's parks or open spaces. You will meet people who know of other positions.

What I'm saying is that the natural world is reasonably close at hand. It is like stepping through Alice's looking glass, when you pull into an unmarked parking area, slip through an opening in the trees, and are then in a dense forest.

[FoolYap]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Kingcoal', '$')20 sneakers do just fine for me also.

[MrBill]

Got gas?




$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')his is a beautiful coach. Matching black leather sofas, two 42" plasmas, Gaillo granite with brass inlays throughout. Rear master suite with queen bed and walk-in closet. 17.5 Fisher-Panda generator. Heated Floors. Power awnings all around. KVH in motion sat. 4 Roof acs. The list goes on. Will consider all trades. South Florida water front property, motorhomes, ect. US$539,900

[dinopello]

Article in Wash Post today

All Consuming Problem

What's going to happen to these people? Recovery after cold turkey? Shellshocked zombies ? Rage?

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '"')When I'm unhappy, I want to shop to make myself happy," said the mother of two from Bakersfield, Calif. "I'm happy for a brief moment and then angry with myself because I've spent money."

[PenultimateManStanding]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('dinopello', '
')Hey - what is the name of that video about the rise of consumerism through marketing to the base desires around the time that Freud's brother came over to the U.S..?

[Specop_007]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PenultimateManStanding', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('dinopello', '
')Hey - what is the name of that video about the rise of consumerism through marketing to the base desires around the time that Freud's brother came over to the U.S..?

[PenultimateManStanding]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Specop_007', '
')Thats a good link!

[the48thronin]

Possibly in the trucking industry which usually leads other indicators by 2 quarters?

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'O')n a same site basis, TA's total fuel volumes were down 16 percent for the 2008 second quarter over the corresponding 2007 period and down by 14 percent for the first six months of 2008 as compared to the 2007 period.

[the48thronin]

anecdotally, I am again parked at the Hyatt in Savannah, Ga with a clear view of the container port upstream.

Last week while I was unloading here, all 4 container docks I could see were busy, in fact one ship left only to be replaced by another within minutes.

Today one of the docks is occupied, and for the entire day the other three have been empty.

HMMM.....

[Roccland]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('the48thronin', 'P')ossibly in the trucking industry which usually leads other indicators by 2 quarters?

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'O')n a same site basis, TA's total fuel volumes were down 16 percent for the 2008 second quarter over the corresponding 2007 period and down by 14 percent for the first six months of 2008 as compared to the 2007 period.

[Eli]

Fall of consumer credit

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'C')onsumer credit fell by $7.9 billion, the most since statistics began in 1943, to $2.58 trillion, the Fed said today in Washington. In July, credit rose by $5.2 billion, previously reported as a $4.6 billion gain. The Fed's report doesn't cover borrowing secured by real estate.

[Eli]

That is about 15 billion of cash pulled out of the economy in the course of a month.

Consumer credit drying up = economic death for the US, and China.

[RdSnt]

Christmas season is definitely going to be harsh.

[Sixstrings]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'N')ov. 26 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. sank into a deeper recession as consumer spending, the biggest part of the economy, dropped in October by the most since the 2001 contraction, economists said before a government report today.

Consumer spending dropped at a 3.7 percent annual pace in the third quarter, more than the government had previously forecast and the biggest plunge since 1980, revised Commerce figures showed yesterday. The economy shrank 0.5 percent, also faster than initially estimated.

[burn0gas]

Next bubble = soup kitchens?