[PrairieMule]

I never openly discuss peak oil or my long term plans outside my family. Around the water cooler I'll wedge myself into rousing energy conversation by asking:

"Have you heard of this Kunstler guy? I saw him on Colbert Report the other night. He said some pretty sobering things"

"Do you really think we will have the infrastructure for a 100%switch to ethanol soon?"

"You know Hybrids have been out for 10 years now and I don't see one Prius in our parking lot"

That goes down smoother than low ball of 100 proof doom. Then I'll mention peakoil.com. If anyone starts looking at me funny I'll talk about the Dallas Stars or some tripe on the cover of People Magazine. It throws them off. Now it's just reckless to tell folks I'm going to retreat to cattle ranch when TSHF.

On the flip side, I'll occasionally run into someone "tuned-in" then well talk. I am finding I can spot these folk out. Kind of like Gay-dar for Doomers.

[Jack]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Jenab6', 'I')f the do-gooders among us pull too many of them into the boat, the boat goes down, and we will die too. This is overshoot, and that means we're in a leaky little lifeboat, not on a dock on the shore of Paradise.

[patience]

I have begun to restrict my talk about peak oil to family and close neighbors. Out here in the sticks, neighbors mean something different than they did when I lived in or near a city. Here, they are much fewer in number, and are precisely the people I will continue to deal with on a day to day basis. Therefore, I want them to be as prepared as possible for the future.

Yesterday, I broached the subject with 2 neighbors who were in the shop on business. Both were listening, but it remains to be seen how much effect it had. Not much, I think, since both are avid consumers.

One, however, is a truck driver, and sees the effects right now. He seemed to take it in as explaining what he sees going on. He has a farm background, and a frame of reference for other ways to live. He asked, "How are people going to live with fuel getting so high?" I answered, not well at all, and that I expected we would be driving a lot less, and probably getting together to share trips to town, and carpooling to work. I suggested that he put in a garden, because food was getting expensive, and due to the selloff of beef cattle last year (he hauls livestock, so he knows about that), that the price of beef and pork would go sky high this next year. Maybe he should get a freezer? He'd thought about that, so I told him of a used one I knew about for sale.

I left him with websites for LATOC, and Peakoil. We'll see. I hope for the best for him. He'll make it. His folks own 2 farms. I want my whole community to make it, but I know some will not.

[bodigami]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('allenwrench', '(')...) The truth is that which does not change. (...)

[TreebeardsUncle]

This is a little off-topic.

Am wondering if the often-repeated statistics that if all the US cropland were used to grow biofuels then that would meet only 20 to 25% of the current demand for gasoline in the US.

Also, how viable do people think biofuel-electric hybrids would be as an alternative to gasoline or diesel powered cars.

I am hoping that the automobile-exclusive detached-single-family house model of suburbia is going down and most people won't be able to drive cars in the US.

Geoff

[Tristan]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('allenwrench', '.')..In the end you only have to please yourself with your actions...just be authentic with what you do and you can be at peace with whatever the outcome is.Link

[Ex_MislTech]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PrairieMule', 'I') never openly discuss peak oil or my long term plans outside my family. Around the water cooler I'll wedge myself into rousing energy conversation by asking:
"Have you heard of this Kunstler guy? I saw him on Colbert Report the other night. He said some pretty sobering things"
"Do you really think we will have the infrastructure for a 100%switch to ethanol soon?"
"You know Hybrids have been out for 10 years now and I don't see one Prius in our parking lot"
That goes down smoother than low ball of 100 proof doom. Then I'll mention peakoil.com. If anyone starts looking at me funny I'll talk about the Dallas Stars or some tripe on the cover of People Magazine. It throws them off. Now it's just reckless to tell folks I'm going to retreat to cattle ranch when TSHF.
On the flip side, I'll occasionally run into someone "tuned-in" then well talk. I am finding I can spot these folk out. Kind of like Gay-dar for Doomers.

[PrairieMule]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Ex_MislTech', 'I') am not going to try to convince the muleheaded ones any longer.

[cowuvula]

Just tell them oil will forever go higher more quickly .
If this happens I am right
If gas gets cheaper, then you are right.
Lets wait and see.

in a year they will talk again.

As for the population, higher prices will make them angry and that opens the way for political shysters promising to fine the oil companies and whatnot.

They will never know what hit them, but everyon will be ready to go to war about it, makes for bad social situation.

No fix. Just stay out of the way and be quiet. best advice I have come up with for about two years on this site now.

[joeltrout]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Ex_MislTech', 'I') have friends and family working in the oilfield now.
Some of them are being paid to research title at the courthouses on wells that are HBP "held by production"
They look for old wells that used to produce and ... I kid you not .... re-drill them deeper.
Hoping to get a little more oil.
I know how that looks to me, and am guessing most of you feel the same.
That is expensive, and they know it will be limited results, so it tells me, " It is that bad ".

[Pablo2079]

I've given up on trying to inform people. It's just too frustrating for me. I have better things to do with my time.

Soon the issue will be self-evident and no longer a debatable point (to most here, it's well past that).

Good luck with spreading the word!

[pedalling_faster]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pstarr', '[')b]To summarize: we could plant the entire US cropland in corn for ethanol. No more food for anyone and that would only account for 19% of our gasoline needs. No diesel to carry the bodies.

[IgnoranceIsBliss]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('joeltrout', 'I') agree many people are getting worried whether it is specifically peak oil or just economic problems in general.
I order some Mountain House #10 cans last week and they are on standby because so many orders are being placed and they cannot keep up with demand.
joeltrout

[burtonridr]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('IgnoranceIsBliss', 'I') also ordered some #10 cans this week.
I talked to my parents about getting some basic food and water stored at their place in FL, and their answer was "We'll talk about that later. Why don't you wait to order anything until we can all talk about it?" Umm, because there is already a backorder on most food with a nice 25 year shelf life. I'm sick of the procrastination and denial!
They seem to think that in an emergency, we should drive down to their place to ride it out. I told them that I won't even consider going down there unless they have some food and water (and we probably wouldn't be able to get enough fuel to make it anyway). Every time I mention anything about current events to my mom, she quickly changes the subject. Heck, they have their entire life savings in the local BANK. (above FDIC insurance limits of course) I've been trying for years to get them to consult a fee-based financial advisor. (and we're talking about smart, college educated people who should be able to get it together!!)
So I am just about to give up on my own family!!!! It's rough when even they won't listen to you. I will just work on my husband for now so that at least he will be with me.

[Ferretlover]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pedalling_faster', 'w')hy not cut out the middle process & just hire 10 people to carry you around, the way royalty are transported in the movies?

[bobaloo]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I')t's more than that, Micki. Your comparison with saving drowning people is not complete. You must also suppose that prepped people were sharing a lifeboat, which is not able to carry the weight of all the drowning people. If the do-gooders among us pull too many of them into the boat, the boat goes down, and we will die too. This is overshoot, and that means we're in a leaky little lifeboat, not on a dock on the shore of Paradise.

[bodigami]

bobaloo, I'm with the Compassion is great... but when I think of how that Compassion can extend towards 7 000 000 000 humans my mind halts... how to explain it... having Compassion towards all Humanity is great, but that Humanity has to wake the f**k up and be willing to make some serious sacrifices in comfort and letting go those that will die of sickness! As minds everyone can be saved, as organisms not so. For me, overshoot is a fact.