Friends: Brace yourselves for another economic turn.

[superboyac]

I'm probably being too paranoid, but I think another economic dip or badness is right around the corner.  I also think many of my favorite economists agree with this.  Stocks are not doing well for several weeks now, there have been a couple of odd buyouts lately (Skype), interest rates are still low, the president has been really vocal with the doomsday talk about the economy lately, Greece is about to go Iceland on the world, we're spending a lot of money fighting the wars, and adding to it with libya and all.  The Middle East continues to undergo rapid change and reformation.  On top of it all, there have been a lot of big natural disasters in recent years, all needing major recovery.  As a sidenote, California has not had a big quake for a loooooooong time, and I feel like it's right around the corner also, especially with all these massive tectonic movements in Japan, Indonesia.  I think we're on that same "plate".  I remember a researcher investing the quakes in CA when I was still in school, and he showed that a big one occurs pretty consistently every 12 years or so.  Well, it's been a while since Northridge (1994).  A quake right now in CA would be pretty bad.  The state is already financially strapped, all the government orgs are cutting everything...it would be really expensive and ill-timed.

Prices in general are going up, which is also not a good sign in these situations.  I don't know.  Of course, I realize I am normally just a paranoid person, but still.  I mean, I've been watching and thinking about all the hot topics: copyright, technologies, employment...it feels like we're just stuck.

So there.  I apologize for the gloomy talk, that's what I do! 

[Renegade]

WOW~! You're an optimist~!

No. Really. It's worse! Murphy's laws anyone?

[Gothi[c]]

You forgot to add that world food stocks are going down and population is going up

[superboyac]

i couldn't have said it better:

The entire world financial system is simply swamped with way too much debt.  The world has never seen anything even remotely close to the gigantic mountains of debt that have been accumulated around the world today.

The current global financial system is not sustainable.  More crashes are inevitable.  A lot of people are going to get steamrolled.

[Deozaan]

Who are you quoting?

[Deozaan]

You forgot to add that world food stocks are going down and population is going up

-Gothi[c] (June 15, 2011, 05:16 PM)

Thank goodness for Japanese ingenuity!

Some hardcore carnivores have a hard time finding meat alternatives such as soy protein or tofu burgers to be palatable. But non-meat eaters may lose their appetite along with their carnivorous friends over this one – a meat alternative made from HUMAN EXCREMENT. Yep, you heard me correctly — Japanese scientist Mitsuyuki Ikeda has developed a “burger” made from soya, steak sauce essence, and protein extracted from human feces.

-http://inhabitat.com/poop-burger-japanese-researcher-creates-artificial-meat-from-human-feces/

The world hunger problem is solved!

Eat. Poop. Eat poop. Poop. Eat poop. etc.

EDIT: Just saw this hilarious YouTube comment on the video about the poop burgers:

2 Girls One Cup was a sobering depiction of our not-too-distant future.

[Renegade]

This is NSFW, but points out a few things about why people are screwed and hopeless:

http://www.youtube.c...b0&feature=share

It's got a short bit with George Carlin in it, just to give you an idea.

[Renegade]

You forgot to add that world food stocks are going down and population is going up

-Gothi[c] (June 15, 2011, 05:16 PM)

Thank goodness for Japanese ingenuity!

Some hardcore carnivores have a hard time finding meat alternatives such as soy protein or tofu burgers to be palatable. But non-meat eaters may lose their appetite along with their carnivorous friends over this one – a meat alternative made from HUMAN EXCREMENT. Yep, you heard me correctly — Japanese scientist Mitsuyuki Ikeda has developed a “burger” made from soya, steak sauce essence, and protein extracted from human feces.

-http://inhabitat.com/poop-burger-japanese-researcher-creates-artificial-meat-from-human-feces/

The world hunger problem is solved!

Eat. Poop. Eat poop. Poop. Eat poop. etc.

EDIT: Just saw this hilarious YouTube comment on the video about the poop burgers:

2 Girls One Cup was a sobering depiction of our not-too-distant future.

-Deozaan (June 15, 2011, 08:08 PM)

That was funny! I'll pass though...

[cmpm]

Many things come to mind on this.
It's happened before and will again.

Just maybe life and death will be looked into with more interest.
'rites of passage', the 7 fires, unstoppable change now and later
What we can do now and what will be done is continually 'now'.

The taking effect and characteristic of most,
will not supersede the giving of the few.
Giving outnumbers taking by it's impact.
Regardless of the situation.

Most important is to take time to stop the noise, the chatter in our minds.
To hear and see more clearly what has been shouting and beating against the 'house'.
From inside every soul drawn out by that which is always with us, inside and out,
seen when not trying to beat it out of ourselves.

[AndyM]

Re the grim prognosis, I fear it's correct.

Re the poop burgers, Soylent Green.

[zridling]

We've had the biggest global financial and bank crises since the Great Depression in the last 3.7 years. Call it "The Second Great Contraction." That was followed by a crushing (ongoing) recession in which nothing has been done to remove the bad debt (loss of housing equity) from the books of banks around the world. China is "growing," but only in the sense it is still spending nonstop on infrastructure. The US should be spending on infrastructure, but we just gave the zillionaires another tax break last November. Oy.

Get used to this for a while. We're in it for at least another ten years. And no, when we come out, things won't be better.
-- Governments will continue to restrict and criminalize internet use.
-- Copyright, DRM, and patent insanity show no glimpse of letting up.
-- Wealth disparity policies will continue (the rich will be given more at the expense of the rest), and with the middle class being immobile, turning many advanced economies into Banana Republics.

Whether I'm a pessimist or realist, all I know is that the glass is just about empty! 

[Renegade]

On the happy topic of China... If you've been following their expansion over the last, oh, 50 years or whatever...

Friends: Brace yourselves for another economic turn.



Here's one of their current issues:

http://thejournal.eu...-in-south-china-sea/

[superboyac]

Who are you quoting?

-Deozaan (June 15, 2011, 06:38 PM)

One of the doomsday blogs I read:
http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/

[40hz]

Things won't get really bad until you either get a climate change; or a prolonged drought/flood situation that takes out most of the US export food surplus. There's about a 20% chance of that happening sometime during the next 25 years give or take.

Once you start seeing a global food shortage people will stop worrying about things like DRM and hedge funds. Because things will get very ugly very fast once that happens.

If you can sell otherwise civilized nations on the benefits of 'ethnic cleansing' for political or religious reasons, imagine how much easier it will be to get them to do it once those bloody "outsiders" are accused of "taking" the dominant tribe's food!

I can hear it now: "My fellow (insert collective name)! The time has come to make hard decisions and stand firm in a course of action. We do this, not by choice or out of malice, but to ensure the survival of our people. We do this not for ourselves. We do this for our children!" (Then comes a meaningful pause as the speaker closes his eyes, and appears to gather strength. He opens his eyes and looks directly at the somber crowd for a long poignant moment. Then, with a sad but resolved sigh, he raises his eyes towards the heavens.) "May god forigive us - and let history judge us." he intones. There is a silent moment before the cheering begins - and then grows louder.

Heck, an argument like that works even when there's not a real crisis diving it!

Imagine how well it's gonna play once people feel the pinch from something at the bottom of Maslow's hierarchy of needs.

Now that's what I'd call having a bad day!

And the reason why I pay so much attention to global weather forecasts and the statistics tracking the annual diminishment of arable lands.

[Renegade]

Things won't get really bad until you either get a climate change; or a prolonged drought/flood situation that takes out most of the US export food surplus. There's about a 20% chance of that happening sometime during the next 25 years give or take.

Once you start seeing a global food shortage people will stop worrying about things like DRM and hedge funds. Because things will get very ugly very fast once that happens.

If you can sell otherwise civilized nations on the benefits of 'ethnic cleansing' for political or religious reasons, imagine how much easier it will be to get them to do it once those bloody "outsiders" are accused of "taking" the dominant tribe's food!

I can hear it now: "My fellow (insert collective name)! The time has come to make hard decisions and stand firm in a course of action. We do this, not by choice or out of malice, but to ensure the survival of our people. We do this not for ourselves. We do this for our children!" (Then comes a meaningful pause as the speaker closes his eyes, and appears to gather strength. He opens his eyes and looks directly at the somber crowd for a long poignant moment. Then, with a sad but resolved sigh, he raises his eyes towards the heavens.) "May god forigive us - and let history judge us." he intones. There is a silent moment before the cheering begins - and then grows louder.

Heck, an argument like that works even when there's not a real crisis diving it!

Imagine how well it's gonna play once people feel the pinch from something at the bottom of Maslow's hierarchy of needs.

Now that's what I'd call having a bad day!

And the reason why I pay so much attention to global weather forecasts and the statistics tracking the annual diminishment of arable lands.

-40hz (June 16, 2011, 09:53 AM)

 


I fear you are far too smart, and far too likely to be correct...

The speech was too close...

Well, Stoic Joker has his guns, time for the rest of us to stock up~! 

[Stoic Joker]

If you can sell otherwise civilized nations on the benefits of 'ethnic cleansing' for political or religious reasons, imagine how much easier it will be to get them to do it once those bloody "outsiders" are accused of "taking" the dominant tribe's food!

I can hear it now: "My fellow (insert collective name)! The time has come to make hard decisions and stand firm in a course of action. We do this, not by choice or out of malice, but to ensure the survival of our people. We do this not for ourselves. We do this for our children!" (Then comes a meaningful pause as the speaker closes his eyes, and appears to gather strength. He opens his eyes and looks directly at the somber crowd for a long poignant moment. Then, with a sad but resolved sigh, he raises his eyes towards the heavens.) "May god forigive us - and let history judge us." he intones. There is a silent moment before the cheering begins - and then grows louder.

-40hz (June 16, 2011, 09:53 AM)

Been practicing that speech have you? (hehe j/k)

Unfortunately, it wouldn't surprise me in the least to see that one on the news. I just wish at some point before it came to that folks would realize that the earth is all propagated up now - has been for a while actually - So it's time to back the hell off that little project before we start running out of stuff.

[Stoic Joker]

Well, Stoic Joker has his guns, time for the rest of us to stock up~!

-Renegade (June 16, 2011, 10:10 AM)

Shopping List:
Bullets
Bullets
Bullets
 ...

[Gothi[c]]

http://www.youtube.c...fREUujocYik&NR=1

[superboyac]

^^^Nice, 40.  That makes sense to me.  I know I talk a lot of doom and gloom, but I also know that I can always find something to get a little freaky about.  But I also agree with Zaine in that no matter how big or small I make it in my head, reality suggests that the next decade is not going to be very rosy, especially compared to what I've been used to in my life.

Yes, if a country like the USA starts feeling a shortage in food supply, that's a pretty big deal.  That's not going to be good for anyone.

[Renegade]

Well, Stoic Joker has his guns, time for the rest of us to stock up~!

-Renegade (June 16, 2011, 10:10 AM)

Shopping List:
Bullets
Bullets
Bullets
 ...

-Stoic Joker (June 16, 2011, 10:20 AM)

I want some of these:

http://www.barrett.net/

Any of them. It doesn't matter.

This one would do nicely:

[Gothi[c]]

* Gothi[c] waits for dc to be flagged as terrorist organisation

watch all the paypal funds be frozen

[superboyac]

http://www.youtube.c...fREUujocYik&NR=1

-Gothi[c] (June 16, 2011, 10:26 AM)

Very cool.

[Renegade]

* Gothi[c] waits for dc to be flagged as terrorist organisation

watch all the paypal funds be frozen

-Gothi[c] (June 16, 2011, 10:48 AM)

tearurrizin' da interwebz since 2005!

[Renegade]

http://www.youtube.c...fREUujocYik&NR=1

-Gothi[c] (June 16, 2011, 10:26 AM)

Very cool.

-superboyac (June 16, 2011, 10:54 AM)

+1

It was stunning to see the very low view count. More people should see that.

When he went on about military spending and what that could do... Shameful...

[40hz]

If you can sell otherwise civilized nations on the benefits of 'ethnic cleansing' for political or religious reasons, imagine how much easier it will be to get them to do it once those bloody "outsiders" are accused of "taking" the dominant tribe's food!

I can hear it now: "My fellow (insert collective name)! The time has come to make hard decisions and stand firm in a course of action. We do this, not by choice or out of malice, but to ensure the survival of our people. We do this not for ourselves. We do this for our children!" (Then comes a meaningful pause as the speaker closes his eyes, and appears to gather strength. He opens his eyes and looks directly at the somber crowd for a long poignant moment. Then, with a sad but resolved sigh, he raises his eyes towards the heavens.) "May god forigive us - and let history judge us." he intones. There is a silent moment before the cheering begins - and then grows louder.

-40hz (June 16, 2011, 09:53 AM)

Been practicing that speech have you? (hehe j/k)

-Stoic Joker (June 16, 2011, 10:19 AM)

Nope.

I've just heard it (or a variation of it) used to justify so many bad things so often that I've got it memorized right down to the gestures and pauses.  

Sometimes I don't know which part disgusts me more. The fact that leaders still use that spiel. Or that their constituencies still so often applaud it.

Reminds me of the Bandar-log (i.e. monkeys) in Kipling's classic The Jungle Book. Their rallying cry was: We all say so, and so it must be true.

...the Bandar-log began, twenty at a time, to tell him
how great and wise and strong and gentle they were, and how foolish he
was to wish to leave them. "We are great. We are free. We are wonderful.
We are the most wonderful people in all the jungle! We all say so, and
so it must be true," ...

...and whenever a speaker stopped for want of breath they would
all shout together: "This is true; we all say so."

Seems the silly ape was indeed made flesh, and dwells among us still.