The Depression No One Sees (Yet)

My discussion (premature to the narrative) of a 55 MPH speed limit in Friday’s Urban column caused some consternation.  “Oh, Ure has sold out to the Dark Side!” and sentiments like “Ure’s an idiot – we did that already…” we typical.

My intent was not to disavow speed.  I’m an adrenaline junkie from the get-go.  Something passed on to the “resuscitate dead people” and “walk into burning buildings” which took root in my son.  When he isn’t feeding his adrenaline addiction by jumping out of airplanes.

Unfortunately, however, the problem of auto speed limits, vehicle costs, safety, fuel consumption, and carbon emissions, in our longer view of humans is very complex and one of those “can’t have your cake and eat it, too…” affairs.

But it gets us back to our simple way of living.  Sailing. Working a garden in a serious way this week.  Relying on power tools in the solar-powered shop.

Because if you don’t understand part of the “cost of a future” will be resource stripping and a change of lifestyle and degradation of speed expectations, you haven’t been paying attention.

A few more thoughts of this because we too love speed.  If that’s all you got out of the column (Ure’s a fuddy-duddy) my drive to brevity buried the meaningful point.

A check of wars and charts and then the Time of Terrible Choices.  Which we’re only at the very beginning of right now.

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76 thoughts on “The Depression No One Sees (Yet)”

  1. “And that’s why 55 MPH speeds matter.” Quote from todays subscriber side once again proving everything is a business model!

  2. I find it funny that the US and the federal reserve were so vain they didn’t notice this happening way before Ukraine ..
    My thought is they should have had a clue when it hit the newspapers that China and Russia had approached the Saudi’s and the IMF about the gold standard and them adopting the secured currencies instead of the pound or dollar.. and they even announced it on would you believe it.. CNN … Now with them using GOLD backed currency and China’s visiting about doing away with the dollar and using gold backed currency.. what would happen IF.. we cannot deliver your goods until you pay us with a gold secured currency.. our rate of exchange is…
    https://www.100trillions.com/collections/50-billion-zimbabwe-banknotes

    https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Sino-Saudi-Relations_WEB.pdf
    https://www.mei.edu/publications/new-normal-saudi-uae-relations-tying-china

    https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/23/politics/saudi-ballistic-missiles-china/index.html
    https://www.newsweek.com/new-mideast-us-russia-china-1465846

    “The problem for both the US and Europe is simply enormous: Who is going to favour a US dollar, supported by nothing, by a nation of USD 30 trillion in debt, against a gold-backed rouble?
    If other countries follow, e.g. China, we automatically go to global economic changes as the dollar will not be the world’s reserve currency.”
    https://warnews247.gr/ektakto-i-rosia-espase-tin-pagkosmia-symfonia-me-ipa-anaviose-ton-kanona-tou-chrysou-aitia-polemou-gia-dolario-kai-evro/

    • I believe that is the whole idea behind this incursion into the Ukraine – we don’t care about your dollars and by the way – If you happen to believe you are an ally of the US and they come and protect you – Nato or not – think again …….

  3. Globalization is dead.

    What follows is famine. We have already had round one of the plague and the war parts. The plague has not been so bad. Once famine weakens peoples immune systems the plague will come back, just much worse.

    Then starving people will move into revolution. Remember that the Arab spring was triggered by a doubling in food prices. No one was starving. They just suffered a reduction in the amount of the food available and the increase in prices. The quality of food had not dropped.

    This time the quality of food will drop. Most people are aware that fertilizer is being restricted. Very few people are aware that natural gas is used to dry damp crops. In several countries satellites are used to predict when crops must be harvested. Farmers are contacted by the satellite operator and advised when to harvest. Crops are harvested in any weather.

    What if it’s raining? Wet crops can get mouldy. They can also catch fire. To prevent this harvested crops are mechanically dried thus preventing mould. Without natural gas crops will suffer a reduction in quality across Europe. (In spite of the best efforts of greens, ESG, environmentalists, law suits, and regulators to crush the energy industry the USA is still self sufficient in natural gas.)

    To summarize the end of globalization means: famine plague revolution and war.

    • Dont think need to weaken their immune systems – the graphene oxide is the way..pathway for neural control of the newly created “mudbloods” who volunteered to receive blood/gene/dna altering vaxx.
      As if one “G” wasnt enough…. https://youtu.be/ifKfL5YdMaM

  4. The 55MPH thing actually worked when gas was scarce – few remember odd-even license plate rationing, because Boomers are dying. I have been driving 60MPH max for over a decade, as it changes my mileage by 20% – which I see at the pump with my 4×4…

    Spent the afternoon with my brother last week. He owns a funeral home, and has been inundated with intakes for almost 3 months. He didn’t get to his lakehouse where I was staying until well past 8pm, and started at 7am. None of his intakes were Covid related, which is quite a change from 2 years back.

    George, I don’t know how the numbers shake out, but my brother was told there would be a ‘death bloom’ when he was in mortuary school. This would the the big Boomer die-off, and those in the right position would be covered in lucre. My brother thinks this wave has just started, and his 6th sense tingles are pushing him in the direction of selling his business to someone soon, as revenues are at all time highs.

    What are your thoughts on the Boomer die-off? I ask because I never penciled that out, but it sure puts a hurt on the eternal growth and expansion model when there are visible cracks in the growth forever paradigm due to fewer available persons?

    How does removing the Boomers affect things relative to the previous and following generational cohorts??

    Club of Rome is turning out to be much more accurate than most people ever grokked, as is the old Hubbert Curve – we just had to shift it a bit due to technology improving. And peak uranium is upon us – so the entire ‘nuclear will save us’ crowd is likely to be bloviating in the not-too-distant as well. Your plan (and mine) to head for sustainable living with minimal inputs was a sound one it seems.

    I’m wondering if this is the oil price increase that stays, and thus changes the balance of things sharply away from globalism? That would seem to fit, as wage slavery is tough to engender without ultra-cheap transportation costs.

    Appreciate your thoughts on these items…

    • OM2: Thank you for a quality post that integrates first-hand observation with some general trends to come to a reasonable conclusion. I try to do the same. For example, just had a conversation with my son this morning. He works in Sweden and we were talking about where he should put his pension money given the prospect of a wider war. In passing he mentioned the 5000 LAW missiles Sweden has already sent Ukraine and disabused my naive belief that they were like bazookas. Not even close; range of 800 meters and are “fire and forget” and can be set for either broadside or top-down hits. Got me to thinking and web searching. About 14,000 anti-tank missiles have been sent to Ukraine by European countries plus whatever Javelins the USA has delivered. According to Wikipedia, 45,000 Javelins have been produced. According to Forbes, 300 Javelins have killed 280 tanks so far in Ukraine.

      I had initially assumed that Ukraine would be a goner fairly quickly. I don’t have any military experience nor am I student of military tactics, but it’s looking to me like it’s going to be a long slog in Ukraine and that a cornered bear might be quite unpredictable. My son also mentioned that both Sweden and Finland already share resources with NATO and that NATO membership is a distinct possibility in the very near future. He also mentioned the Finland-UK mutual defense treaty. Upshot: I’m stocking up and preparing for a power-out situation beyond what I usually do before hurricane season. And keeping the cars gassed up as we live not far from Cape Canaveral.

    • Could be what your bro is seeing is results of the jab itself. Is he also seeing long and unusual blood clots? Several undertakers have made comments supporting the jab as the actual cause of death.

      • He did see a lot of bogus causes of death stuff from the coroner until this fall, but it returned to normal. He hasn’t seen anything clot-related to date, but has seen many more ruptured aneurysms than in years past.

        He has only had 2 or 3 Covid deaths this year – the rest have been typical normal CoDs

    • OM2, globalism is ALL about collapsing countries, and Black Hole-ing them into the NWO, so everything is going as planned. Whether individual countries or regions are destroyed via wars or their economies collapsed matters not.
      Full steam ahead.

  5. “The math here is simple: A conversion to acres. Multiply hectares times 2.47. It pencils out to 12.35 billion acres.
    The world population is now 7.9 billion people.
    Again, grade school math tells us 12.35 billion acres divided by 7.9 billion results in 1.56329 acres available per person alive today.”

    Exactly.. and that doesn’t take into account any weather related issues..
    Can I go off on my normal decades old rant on this subject.. that cities should be made to green scape..I know I know.. I have been told for years that my idea is plain ole stupid.. that those with some brilliance know what they are doing.. LOL ( as i secretly think to myself.. their all MORONS)
    with it taking fourteen tree’s to process the CO2 per auto.. and seven to process the CO2 per human.. the rise of temperatures from the concrete jungles.. Green scaping is the way.. not to mention a co2 filter on every lamp post.. solar tree’s etc..of course we don’t make any of that here.. and like our Grid.. we want control… and MONEY.. so we pile all our eggs in one basket rather than develop for security purposes.. this site says five to six acres.. but the real figure is 7.5 acres to support one human..
    https://permaculturism.com/how-much-land-does-it-take-to-feed-one-person/#:~:text=A%20person%20needs%20about%205,comfortably%2C%20producing%20their%20own%20food.
    Was it two years ago.. that the earth quit being able to provide enough food for the population.. and we loose 175 farmable acres per HOUR.. just because of our expansion plans.. now.. think about that as you would describe that to a kindergardener…. it is like a candle burning at both ends .. in a jar with a lid on it.. how long can that candle burn before both ends stops..
    https://globalagriculturalproductivity.org/case-study-post/americas-disappearing-farm-and-range-land/#:~:text=U.S.%20agricultural%20land%20is%20some,way%20housing%20and%20other%20industries.
    https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ab6669/pdf
    Now toss in a few wars.. over GREED…
    We should be looking to .. NORTH KOREA.. we forced them to develop food production by our imposed sanctions.. they are now the number one source for information on small area food production..https://www.trillions.biz/news/167046-North-Korea-Turns-to-Hydroponic-Greenhouses-for-Food-Security.html
    https://youtu.be/vSQKwhL99YM
    https://youtu.be/3kDXZ43XgkU
    I beleive that IF.. we could put greed behind us.. that the planet could work together to solve many of the issues.. but GREED has to be put behind.. the Take if for me syndrome cannot survive just because a few are filled with greed….
    I was playing with hydrojel a several years ago.. stopped because my boss was not on board she thought I was nuts.. LOL
    https://youtu.be/rNh8yh-6gq4
    https://www.ebay.com/itm/153695664527?
    Now oil.. how much oil is there.. were is it..
    https://youtu.be/6HBtl4sHTqU
    https://youtu.be/kU-vEYo9tyc
    can you imagine IF we converted it back to Oil.. the US won’t allow the small home units to be sold here.. but they are available.. the only one I know of is at the University of Washington State.. the same with oil sands..

    • My calcs also didn’t take into account “common areas” which make up 7 percent of commercial property leases on upper floors and upwards of 15 percent on lower floors of hgh rise towers.
      We can back out 15% for roads, power rights of way, government access/parks, airsheds, watersheds, military bases and capitols which are sprawling monuments to egos.

      Mybe a 20 percent common area load? Or even 25% because of confiscation (rain harvesting already being criminalized in socialist Oregon) and there are property taxes on mythical asset valuations based on inflated money…but let’s not quibble.

    • And let’s not forget CO2 filters create – in manufacturing and operation – more CO2 than they resolve. Which is why I grow trees and biomass out here… Looking for a good cultivar of plastic to grow, but can’t seem to identify any.

      Although abiotic lunicuss grows in an all electronic settin.

      • Contact the Washington Liveaboard Association if they’re still around./ You will need to set up with SantiTug to get your poo tank pumped weekly – adds 200 per month.
        Also, in California living aboard sucks. The San Diego county appraisal district tried to get us for personal property tax while we were chillun at Shelter Island. Told them it was a documented boat not a state registered craft and they could piss up a rope. Sold the boat before the pissing contest began.
        BUT make sure any boat is a documented U.S. vessel which is a huge plus when global exploring.

      • Amen George.. totally agree on all of it..
        years ago I went to buy chickens.. the guy had a huge chicken operation.. we got talking about waste.. he had a huge biogas generator.. big enough that it powered the furnaces his tractors etc.. the end bi product he dried and bagged and sold.. It was quite the operation..
        A professor in a midwest college had the students build one to house five thousand gallons.. it heats the buildings.. He uses the bi products on his farm..

        https://www.homebiogas.com/product/homebiogas-2/

    • NOW do you understand how I get triggered by the real estate people building residential areas on the other side of my fence line and everywhere else in the World?? The only solace I have is knowing the financial/energy/food apocalypse WILL get here soon enough and all the people that simply have money will be S-O-L building their McMansions on solid rocky ground hoping for a greater fool to come along and buy them out. And where will they go with their money if they do find that fool? I – do – not – care. George was grousing a while back about, I think, digital coins not actually producing anything but simply making money on appreciation. This is about to catch up to us all that hold the currencies of the World. There’s no underlying value being created any more.

      • Well put: “greater fools” and digital tulips. At 79 I’m enjoying life but continue to look for purpose for the remaining years. Current thoughts: tread as lightly on the earth as possible, grow as much of our own food as possible, provide a refuge for family members, and try to be an example to others on earth stewardship. Our current subdivision in South Florida is not compatible with these goals.

        • I have so many projects I need to live another 20 years just to do them all.
          Imagine living in a state park, a sprawling home decorated in a Disney imagineered kinda of way, with Epcot-like food growing all over hell and gone, a retired one PB bunny to play with…now automate all the maintenance part, park the son on the property next door for a 1 minute medical response time…

          Having large goals – especially ones you can achieve with mainly self-study, work, and some scrounging is the best possible way to stay active and young. I have friends who read, listen to audio books, watch a little teevee and go for walks. Problem I have with that kind of “seniorhood” is there’s no actual deliverable. Not that it’s bad, but the whole purpose of life is to making amazing shit happen all around you, share thinking and a sense of awe and wonder at universe, and have some big “deliverables” all through life.

          If you read, write a good book.
          It you walk, pick a route and really get into it. NO fan of her politics, but Jane Fonda is a hell of a walker…
          If you watch teevee, do reviews.

          Activity, sharing, deliverables!

        • PS Deliverables have a point, may be left behind for others (or acts as a guidepost for the young) and act of “filming it” for the moment when your Life Flashes Before You…is, well, meaningful. That makes it a deliverable. Everything else is self-directed activity, with little “carry value” or “cool scene to watch” aspects in the Great Movie of Life.

          We all film it every day, day in and day out. We are Co-Directors in this Life.

          Would you watch your Life on immersive TV/iMax? We all do at some point…(a point which we call dead…)

      • “I have so many projects I need to live another 20 years just to do them all.”

        If life expectancy deals with unfinished projects and bills.. then I will live to two hundred if nothing new comes up.. LOL LOL LOL
        I do want to add battery backup..
        this is what I want..
        https://shopsolarkits.com/products/complete-hybrid-solar-power-system-whk-3?variant=39587354443916
        with thirty kw battery backup.. I know eighteen solar panels is an overkill.. I think I could fit eighteen more panels on the house

      • George, I’m probably being entirely selfish when I say this but, at seventy three or something, the normal frenetic activity level you’ve gone at all your life, and admire so much in others, may make The Wall you eventually hit an even more daunting barrier than it ought to be. For a “Carrera”, slowing down may be scary but, believe me, I have the same thoughts on what I’m leaving for the kids with the ranch as well. I’m sitting here with just about nothing to do since all goals this week have been accomplished and there’s a bit of panic making itself known in the corners of my mind. We may have only “X” number of days we can do what we do on this plane of existence but that doesn’t mean we can’t coast every now and then.

        Having things “set and done” for the next generation doesn’t always take into account what the kids’ world will be like and leaving them with some work to be done, #1, gives them the chance to have more personal investment in what you’re leaving them and, #2, allows them to adjust to the unknowables ahead we can’t see right now. I’d give anything to have a perfect garden to leave them but I know how perishable such a creation would be. It would be gone in a matter of only a few years even without outside influences stepping in – and we all know how short “a few years” can be.

        And DON’T let the fear of being forgotten creep into your mind either! I know no one in the family back beyond my parents’ generation but that doesn’t mean they aren’t still around – and I don’t mean figuratively either. I can’t recommend enough the book I’m reading – “The Immortality Key” by Muraresku. As incredibly scary, mean and vicious the World was 2000+ years ago there was a way to make it make much more sense with the Kukeon, “the religion with no name”. Not that I’ve tried it but there is a huge amount of “Life” that most people of our age are somewhat aware of but we’re not allowed to see that, nevertheless, is still there and would change our way of thinking about the immediacy of mundane things in life if we could. I’m sure your adventures and research into your own mind bear this out. Even for the likes of Tesla and Einstein there was considerably much more left to do by the time they exited this World.

  6. The speed of business.

    The speed limit being reduced to 55 increases travel time by 25%.

    If you have a one hour drive to the airport, it’s now 1 hour and 20 minutes. Add the extra 20 minutes for the trip back too. 2 hours round trip is now 2.66 hours.

    Shipping next day air will become more expensive because the delivery driver will be making less stops. There may even be a new overnight hop between the airport and destination. Instead of “last pick-up” for next day being 4 O’clock it’ll now be 2 O’clock.

    Reducing the speed limit is a way to funnel us into chicken coup style living and could even lead to a change from “rural development loans” to “urban redevelopment loans”. Places like Burbank may be the place to be.

    • The counter you propose infers a 100 MPH speed limit would be more economical. A 200 MPH limit better still.

      And a walk through portal best of all.

      Point is with already uneconomic lifestyles growing faster than more sustainable, are you in that big a hurry to join the lemmings on the ledge? Out here, we don’t need 3 second 0 to 60 times at our place or Oilman’s down t5he road.

      If he needs to go somewhere the least reasonable cc displacement and most economical speed seems like the money saving, impact reducing path.

      When, every soft often when there’s no covid about, we do stay in 4 and 5 star joints when traveling. Keeps Elaine happy and I remember “road warrior” times. Back on a different planet; before the collision with Reality.

      • 100MPH…

        Tesla imagined the hyper-loop tubes.

        We can chase our tails. If the speed limit was 25 and the Tesla weighed 1/3 perhaps everyone would travel safely and resources would be optimized. Travel speed would be back to 1800’s pre-train horse speeds.

        Most towns in the Midwest are about 10 miles apart. First 10 miles was a good horse distance then later the trains needed water. 10 miles is walkable too. Now, look at the web of roads connecting all the towns and all the copper and fiber and sewer lines not to forget support like police, fire, EMS.

        If anything the way populations live need to be redesigned to be more efficient. The best design so far is the line city.

        Live on top of the utilities. A front door every 25′ one stacked above another. Rich people live at one end of the line while the lazy people live at the other. The need for personal transport and all that goes with it is eliminated all together. Speed limits and personal vehicle emissions, zero.

        The original London Bridge was a great design. Pull water from one side, dump waste off the other.

        https://www.rct.uk/collection/702528/london-bridge

      • Geography is going to have a lot to do with the 55mph limit. Open road travelers and long haulers might be negatively effected but here in California not too many opportunities to do 70+ on our roads and freeways (way too much traffic 7 days a week, no quiet days anymore here) still with you on this one G.

      • Back in 2001 we made the mad dash down the freeways from Santa Monica to Forest Lawn to inter my uncle for his funeral. THAT was a experience I hope to never re-live again! I was following one of his friends who’d lived there all their life and it was nothing to them. To me it was Le Mans x10. While I was in the Navy stationed in San Diego back in the 80s I told my wife to NEVER talk to me while in that traffic. That rule was strictly enforced!

      • @ OOWS

        “Tesla imagined the hyper-loop tubes.”

        I imagined them first — in 1969, to be exact.

        Then I discovered the government was already building them…

      • “@ OOWS

        “Tesla imagined the hyper-loop tubes.”

        I imagined them first”

        This sounds pompous, and it wasn’t intended so. Steve probably meant “Nicola,” I read this and saw “Elon Musk’s company.”

  7. George,
    I am sure you have thick skin from the positions you have held in your past.
    But I will say to support your views, ANYONE who thinks your stupid or an idiot is fact talking about themselves and are a LOST cause.
    Thanks for ALL you do!
    Many people are just NOT savvy enough to see the BIG puzzle and how those puzzle pieces fit together.
    YOU DO!

    • “NOT savvy enough to see the BIG puzzle”

      Oh please, been there, done that. Be graceful. They work, cook, clean, pay Bill’s, 24 hours of duty, etc. They try to stay up on things, they are lucky if they have 1 or 2 hours day to try and figure it out .
      Help “them” with grace and kindness.

      • I DO help the ones that are NOT constantly being derogatory to someone for the way they see things, everyone is entitled to their own views, BUT that does NOT give them the freedom to bad-mouth others for how they view things. Some people just have to be keyboard bullies and that is where I draw the line.

  8. Urrea, Zoloto ,Jin Zi, Gold!

    Russia backing their Ruble with Gold now. Gold backing of Russian currency – Check (mate?) to kosher nostra bankerZ, making the Ruble the most Stable and Valuable currency on the planet . They have removed the VAT from gold purchases as well – just like davos crowd – no taxes Russian Citizen gold purchases..they be like “elites” now.

    Wonder what the convo this weekend tween nudels nuland (?mannish women?) and her fellow ‘tribesman” “Yates” is going to look like.

    ?Were we not aware the ukey oligarchs all trace back to jewish bolshevik families ? kolomoyskyi,Yaroslavsky, zvi hirsch =Boholybov..
    ..same ole scheisse – different channel, no originality, no creativity = a dead giveaway as to Humanities Advasaries/NoGoodniks.

    Watch the USD start “pouring out” – QE Infinity – after Pooterz delivered headshot -GOLD/Digi Gold.

    leak from the future – XRP will bee a “solution” to a breaking fin system..

  9. George, I understand what you’re saying about the speed limit. Not sure if it fits into (somebody’s) narrative, though. Less people died on the roads when the limit was 55. Heck, 55 is the limit through most road construction zones for “safety” reasons.

    It may take “forever to get there” but your chances of getting there are increased. – moderation.

    Btw, speaking of Food Quality, keep your apples away from the rest of your fruit. I know, fruit baskets with apples, oranges, bananas and tangerines look all cute and pretty together in a bowl BUT placing apples with other fruits makes the others Ripen FASTER. Thus, the fruit will “go-bad” and spoil faster. As well.

  10. LOOB,
    “Who is going to favour a US dollar, supported by nothing, by a nation of USD 30 trillion in debt, against a gold-backed rouble (sic)?”
    Answer: Anyone who believes in a currency backed by a thriving economy vs. one backed by an economy hamstrung by being arbitrarily fixed to some shibboleth. Also, consider the counter-party (“THIS time I’m being honest with you” Putin) risk and the inability to take delivery due to the sanctions should you decide to cash out. Scrooge McDuck was a gold bug but primarily to swim in.
    O2,
    If you believe your bro, look into “Big Death” stocks like Service Corp. International. But consider that many Boomers are foregoing big ticket send offs. Plus, there won’t be as much work for funeral homes due to the mass burials expected as a result of COVID, vaxxes, Armageddon and the cancelation of Keeping Up With The Kardashians. Maybe look to heavy equipment (bulldozers, backhoes etc.) stocks.
    The Club of Rome gang predicted we’d all be dead by now, so I think they’ve shot their wad. If only they had written in quatrains….
    And guys, put your rulers down. Extrapolating data is always a crap shoot (even with charts, graphs and animal entrails), and history has shown that it rarely follows a straight line. Rule of Thumb: If “everybody knows” something is going to happen, it won’t.

    • “Anyone who believes in a currency backed by a thriving economy vs. one backed by an economy hamstrung by being arbitrarily fixed to some shibboleth.”

      Hmm.. let me see those are some interesting contemplation points…. was it ten years ago now.. a container ship filled with products.. would not unload in washington port.. the reason.. they wanted Gold.. not the dollar in exchange for the goods aboard…. now I am not sure what the trade off was.. but shortly after that.. some companies were sold off to china around here..
      It is their industrial complex and their laborers that we depend on for almost everything.. except a burger. oh wait.. don’t they come from someplace else to..https://www.forbes.com/sites/chloesorvino/2020/09/21/meet-the-secretive-billionaire-who-makes-mcdonalds-mcnuggets-burger-kings-impossible-whoppers-and-more/?sh=38e747916da8 . ” Anyone who believes in a currency backed by a thriving economy ” take a moment and contemplate our thriving economy.. WE BUY….we don’t build or manufacture… we do some assembly but the components are manufactured someplace else…. our Congress passed laws that allowed industrial complexes to sell out the american laborer for a few silver coins of profit.. companies left the USA.. all for a few silver dollars..https://theweek.com/articles/486362/where-americas-jobs-went .. When seriously the productiveness and ingenuity of our hourly laborers has always been our storehouse of wealth.. we live in a farm belt the greed belt of the planet.. https://www.businessinsider.com/american-companies-that-are-no-longer-american-2017-6#general-electric-appliances-6
      In my opinion it doesn’t make any difference what anyone thinks from our thriving economic standpoints. Consider the Laptop from Hell.. What did the kid ask for for payment for support… has everyone forgotten the riots over a roll of Charmin toilet tissue.. or the rising cost of construction materials.. don’t even think about the empty spots on the shelves of any store today or the thousands of container ships off our coasts…. if you make something you set the price..and what they will take in exchange for those commodities.. which I think is why everyone is worried about Taiwan.. they make the chips.. without them.. most of our equipment would come to a stop..
      remember this story.. in the news..it was condemned by everyone that was a democrat in congress.. he was a fool to consider doing it..
      https://www.voanews.com/a/east-asia-pacific_voa-news-china_us-moves-pull-chinese-equipment-its-power-grid/6188992.html
      Yet they produce the parts to repair our failing grid system and just about anything else you buy…. and they have a ten year back order on many of the crucial parts..
      What I got out of the story was that they are attempting to make a change on what currency is used.. We have the petro dollar.. what would happen if the Saudi’s decided they like gold more than a promise.https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/nation-world/strange-things-saudi-princes-spent-money-on/when-money-matters/slideshow/56999098.cms out of curiosity.. what do you think is the reason they flaunt a gold car or silver car incrusted with diamonds… The only value on a promise is if it has some value all while our currency is being printed out of value.. how many trillions extra have been printed and how many more do they want to print out in numbers…. but the double sided sword of that is..you pour water on a table to push the noodle along.. when you dry it up to create a value again and the noodle pulls apart.. sales drop we are at the crucial stage of what I call noodle nomics…. they don’t have any choice but to print..

      • You asked about Russian rubles backed by gold, something you didn’t mention in your reply. And yes, for all its problems, I would still choose our economy over the Russian one you described. Please stay on topic.

    • “The Club of Rome gang predicted we’d all be dead by now, so I think they’ve shot their wad.”

      Hmm.. I remember those predictions.. WERE they wrong or just had the wrong date.. at the time they assessed the situation at the time.. if we had kept up at the same rate .. I think it would have been feasible for the changes to end.. I figured we would be in a huge depression.. years ago.. I bleiev that DJT and the positive results that were made while under constant attack got us by and even gave us a ray of hope..
      Look how fast everything deteriorated under the policies that they are all supporting.. it has only been a year and a month and a week..
      GREED never builds anything.. it has all the resemblances to a self destructive complex..
      Now I do see the need for social class separation.. you need that stability.. but where is the line drawn.. it use to be fifteen percent between classes..
      https://youtu.be/nn8YGPZdCvA
      to much of a good thing is detrimental
      https://youtu.be/KH7CsylMYfM

      • “WERE they wrong or just had the wrong date”
        Yeah, that’s it – just a matter of bad timing.
        Typical Millerite response for true believers in a failed prediction.
        I hereby predict the death of everyone in the world. Now, I just have to work out the timing.
        Sheesh.

    • My friend, I have been out of stawks for way over a decade. My assets are all tangible at this juncture – because the ball of shit was already picking up speed back then with CDS’s, MBS’s, etc.

  11. George stirred the pot vigorously with the Drive 55 discussion, as is his purpose. We have become accustomed to living in the world of convenience and luxury not known to 90% of those 7.9 billion others. Acres per person is misleading; there is no distribution of population like that, the reality is that most of those 8 or so billion folks live in concentrations above 1,000 people per square kilometer, primarily China, India, parts of Europe and major urban centers around the world, without technology this kind of density would not be possible. So, as Ure says, tech has extended the population curve way beyond normal and if tech is interrupted or has reached some kind of peak, that curve will revert quickly to the mean. How long do you think we can continue to ‘harvest’ species from the oceans with 10 mile long nets before that system goes to crap? Ain’t gonna be fun and if we can consider what we’re leaving for the next participants, doing something like slowing down a bit seems pretty minor to me. I remember Nixon’s 55 edict; I was 20 years old and had places to go and things to do but ultimately here I am, doing fine thank you. Now, I’m pretty damn rural and it would be even harder to go slow but I know I’d make my trips count with better planning and multiple destinations.
    Things are changing whether we like it or not and that bell curve doesn’t answer to our preferences – ask any biologist. One thing I like most about PN and Urban Survival is the intelligent comments from this group. Yeah, we get to rant and poke a bit but you guys and gals are smart, thoughtful people with an incredibly diverse backgrounds and good processing skills (unlike so many web mobs). So, when George tees up a topic designed to provoke, it’s likely there will be solutions in the replies.

    • Nail on the head there Rico.
      “Better planning and multiple destinations ”
      I tell my wife that everytime she pulls into the driveway and says her gas tank is empty. Too many people seem to go through life these days with their head up their butt. Being economical should be a goal to take pride in, not seeing how Kardashian we can be. America is fat and its time to go on a diet.

  12. I think Andy might be right about the Russia/Ukraine war. I remember when Joe put Kamala in charge of fixing the US southern border illegal invasion. She was interviewed on NBC and said

    “We’ve been to the border. So this whole thing about the border. We’ve been to the border,” Harris said, to which Holt replied, “You haven’t been to the border.”

    Harris countered, “And I haven’t been to Europe. And I mean, I don’t, understand the point that you’re making. I’m not discounting the importance of the border.”

    That problem got fixed right?

    Now Joe is sending her to Poland next week help fix the Ukraine invasion. Her wisdom will certainly help her there as well.

    “Ukraine is a country in Europe. It exists next to another country called Russia. Russia is a bigger country. Russia decided to invade a smaller country called Ukraine so basically that’s wrong.”

    At least she’ll be able to say she’s been to Europe.

    In like a Lion, out like a Lamb.

  13. Yes sailing. Seems the better. It’s funny you should mention this. When i got out the Betty Ford couple years ago. I lived on second floor condo on County Club lane. My roommates (two former pro hockey players, one a canuk) and I used to sit out on the deck We affectionately called “The tourret.” And drink coffee and have a smoke and meditate.

    We needed a little out rug out there. So I went to the ninety nine sense store and grabbed a random one off the shelf. I brought and moved the patio furniture and laid it out. It was map of the world. With a kingdom on one side, a sail boat, an image of a great white, a mermaid, a dragon and a treasure and a mermaid scattered around the map with a nautical star.

    Last night I was invited out to Motley Cue coverr band at a place called the tap house. The tap house them is “pirates”. Jolly Roger’s every where It made me think of that little ninety nine scent store map we had out there on “the tourret” over on County Club lane. And my two friends the hockey players one being a canuk. And certainly lots of booty at the show. Lots healthy of booty.

    It’s funny when I go to something like that, I’m treated like a celebrity even though I’m not. I just staff security and I meet everyone who is A list and top rock, rap and generally viewed as “important”. I don’t know why that is. I’m just like that. I’m a magnet for Highly successful top of their game entertainers and rich people. THE DUDE, he made my life like that.

    And this theft of yachts from people in Russia who may or may have not supported Putin.

    Hmmmm.. there is certainly many different forms of “pirates” these days. You could be married to one right now. I have been before. LOL

    The Moore I think about it, the more love the idea of living on a sailboat.

    All one needs to go anywhere is wind, food and drink. So it is with anyone born of the Spirit.

    John 3:8 “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

    The spiritual approach to sailing, I think.

    Well I best get all fresh, get my new due done. Haircut at 330, and “in” the “image” Dragons Show tonight. Coincidently found located right after the pirates on the carpet map I purchased at the ninety nine sent’s store. 2 years ago today if memory serves.

    I was at the Bad Bunny Show recently. Very popular in the Hispanic community. Like a Hispanic version of Eminem and Cold Play. His tour stage is an 18 Wheeler, the wagon unfolded and he did his show on it as the stage. I hung out mostly with his girlfriend (which I didn’t know it was his girlfriend until someone told me about an hour after meeting her) his lead guitarist who looked alot like Sammy Hagar and I even said to him, hi. I can’t drive 55. He laughed and said get the fuck out of here with that nonsense. I’m not Sammy. Hahaha he said I get that alot. And the keyboard guy. Anyway, Bad Bunnys tour is called, “The end of the world tour. 2033” his theme is a 18 gear Tractor Trailer. And here I was Andy, aka the Cosmic chicken bunny, who used to drive a semi truck, back stage with a guy looks like a dead ringer for Sammy Hagar and you are talking about a 55 mph speed limit and everyone is talking about the end of the world.

    Ohhhh the puns. Living puns.

    And last night in a place of pirates, then going to a Dragons Show tonight. All found on a map I purchased for 1 penny less than a dollar.

    Cool.

    Truly, I am so very Blessed and Highly Fortunate! It is my hope you are as well.

    Q: ~ Gooey ~

    Glass Animals

    https://youtu.be/jeo3an2M_Lo

    • Oh the A on that video blinks and looks like the all seeing eye. I never watched this video before. Glass Animals are in town for a 2 day show next week. Huh. Interesting.

      I was just mentioning that last night and how it is found within, the original symbol of power. Hmmmm….

      It’s seems I have entered into Layer 5 state of serendipity in and moving into layer 6 of the OSI Model for material life.

      #1. Multiple occurrences of juxtaposition creates coincidence..
      #2. Multiple occurrences of coincidences creates synchronicity.
      #3. Multiple occurrences of synchronicity creates dejavu.
      #4. Multiple occurrences of dejavu creates serendipity.
      #5. Multiple occurrences of serendipity creates miracles.
      #6. Multiple occurrences of miracles creates material life.
      #7. Multiple occurrences of material life creates dimensions of existence aka the multi verse.

      If memory serves.

      Lovely. Very lovely

    • Check the sait-list5 out at Shilshole for liveaboard space – when I last heard it was five plus years.
      Again, to be in the future, anticipate things well.

      • You can purchase a 50 to 55 foot sailboat right now for about 90k. I been looking at them. That is a damn good deal on a home in every port in the world. And you only have to pay taxes on it one single time.

        Gotta be a way to put some solar stuff on it, incorporate that on your sail boat. Hmmm. To bad you couldn’t put a couple panels in the hull and clear resin over them to keep them from getting damages, hook them to a couple of tesla batteries. Definitely worth a diagram on a cocktail napkin and a bloch written within the idea notebook.

        Thanks for the idea George. Good thinking.

      • And if you have the 3 d printer (and small amount of material stored), hooked up to them tesla batteries, with the right blue prints stored on a thumb drive for every single part you need on your sailboat. You could fabricate it on the fly.

        Brilliant.

        Good talk dude. Thanks for the inspiration. I appreciate that. Much to consider.

        This is why I like you George. You give me ideas when i come here.

        I’m all about ideas and opportunities.

        • I wish everyone was so…

          BTW before using one of our locally printed parts (I use them in antennas, for example) you may wish to work on ABS and make sure to print hot enough to get good layer adhesion. Otherwise, you get parts that come to pieces like a zillion thin noodles, lol.

        • On the other hand, living on a boat in a big city (did for 10+ years in Seattle) is like going on vacation every night when you get home. Nothing compares! Out for a sail parallel the Evergreen Point Bridge…cold b eer in hand…waving at people in (gack!) cars…

      • Ya forsure George. I learn something from everyone. Everyone and every thing teaches me something.

        I figure out the solar panel on the boat hull thing. The reflection of the sun off the ocean water would increase the amount of energy harnessed. I used to work in the plug department of Bayliner. I was the onsite volunteer fire Marshall and saftey coordinator there at the time as well. Huge place. They also made trophy bass boats and meridian yaghts there. Making the plugs they built the molds off.

        I actually remember my dream I figured it out in my dream. Huh. Pretty cool.

  14. What if you apply for multi citizen ship and leave no forwarding address? I mean you are technically a homeless person. I don’t know how they can go after you for taxes if they can’t find you and don’t know you live on a boat or even what country you are in. You could title the boat to a LLC, then have that LLC be a subsidiary of another company in another country like idk uhmm samoa. List it as as an asset and report a business Loss every year. There is Lots of work arounds.

    One thing I learned this last few years having multiple phone numbers all with different area codes and multiple mail box address around the United States is. People stop sending you mail and calling you. People stop looking for you. Even the government. Lol

  15. The nomadic life is appealing. I’m not going anywhere that I know of soon. I have a few friends that live that way. One is a Shaman. He took up residency in Chili, applied for citizenship, changed his name there, got a new passport, after opening a safe deposit box in Oklahoma, stashed a copy of his ID and all that there and lives out of a back pack. Has no ties to anything. Makes a living doing Shamman stuff and jumping on rail cars stuff like that. Never is without food or friend. Buys a new Walmart track phone once with cash and give me a call once and a while and says. Hey man I’m in cancoon or hey brother im in maui. Or hey man. Im in Tiland. Or hey man. Im in canada now. Thinking about going to sedona. Or hey man im Philadelphia heading to saint Thomas virgin islands. Totally off grid for the most part. No material attachments. Girlfriends all over the world. I envy that freedom. He lives by faith alone. And never goes with out. Always has everything he needs. Sometimes he is camping out of a tent and others he is in a suite at the Ritz hotel.

    It’s a different approach to life. Not the usual 9-5 grind with a 2 hour commute in traffic and and grocery lines. Lol

    I thought about doing that when my deal where im at is finished. For now, I build the future THE DUDE has me build. And who knows, in 2 years I could be on the French Rivera drinking strong coffee out of a little tiny cup in a deep dish bubble bath with some famous female singer. Never know what is next. But I’m enjoying my stay here on earth for as long as I’m allowed to be here. Doing THE DUDES work.

    Hmmm thanks for all the info. I book marked to read again and again to soak up as much as needed.

    • Andy,

      Keep in mind the ‘Dragons are paired up with MØ from Denmark, land of The Little Mermaid fairytale. The world could use more stories of tragic tales with a happy ending. Anyhow here is MØ with some Danish sayings to float your boat:
      https://youtu.be/J-gakibIBF8

      • Hahhaahahahaha you are fng funny.

        I figured out what the bullet totem means. The guides saying. “Here is your shot Andy at the Championship!”

        Well I will tell you Jester, like George, pretty much everyone on this site and Edison I have a PHD in methods of how it doesn’t work. Hahahah but that is one of my greatest assets. Ok we tried it that way 10 times now and it doesn’t work that way Andy. Let approach the subject this new Crack pot angle. Whalah Success!

        Cool that the totem was a bullet. Because I’m really good at putting bullets where I want them to go.

        So it’s going to be like standing at center court and shooting the basketball through the hoop. From my meditation. Swish! And the crowd goes wild.

        And I’m a big shot. Something like that. Hope, I don’t fuck it up. I’m really good at that. Habahahahah

        Waves are all nice and calm today. Just sitting here the blue jays having coffee and thinking about typing up more stuff for the new site. Some will be some of the matrrial you probably already read. Just in a different order since things have changed. Won’t be any reports. I will put the predictions in the words of the stories. I have an infinite supply of stories.

        Thanks!

        Andy

      • I was at the Dragons Show last night. But only briefly. I didn’t stay. The lady who cut my hair is old friend. She is super hot and well she was drunk as hell and was grinding on me the whole time she was cutting my hair. She really did a shitty job on my hair cut. But I couldn’t really say anything because she rubbing her uhmm all over me. So I just let screw my hair cut all up and told her it looked wonderful. I think I have Mohawk now. Hahahhhahahahahhshaha. But you know. Hahahhahah

        So I ran in and checked my crew and left. Went to the office and spent some time other buisness. Hahaha

        They are playing tomorrow night. My crew was sad I didn’t stay for the show. I could feel it when i left. But i decided to work on other things. I will go on Monday.

        Interesting to note. Billy Eilish is in town for 3 days. We have 2 days of John Mayer, 3 days of Billie Eilish. On 02/25 I have a circus burlesque show over at Emerald City Trapeze. Holy Cow that place is cool. I was over them practice for their burlesque show and I gotta tell ya dude, 20 lady’s in their mid 20’s all gymnasts running around in push up bras and thongs swinging on a Trapeze is a uhmmm well that place is officially Narnia for me. Hahahahhahahahh. Fack me running! Ya ya ya we can do this show! You betcha I will be on site to make sure it goes smoothly. I look forward to doing buinses with you. Hahahahahahahah. And super cross is the next day at Lumen Field, then we have the day off and Billy Idol and Journey are in town for a night. Then we just get busy for the summer.. I look forward to meeting everyone.

        So I learned this yesterday. Billie’s full name is

        Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O’Connell

        Interesting. Another round of pirates. Lock and key. Treasure to be had. Hmmmmm…. Booty booty booty, a bounty of booty.

        Truly I am Blessed and Highly Fortunate! It is my hope you are as well.

        Cue: ~ Rebel Yell ~

        https://youtu.be/VdphvuyaV_I

        Billy Idol.

  16. I’ve got 2 coonass buddies of mine that just moved into refurbished river barges. They got barged with a tug load up to St. Louis and are anchored just now, waiting to buy bigger boats to help them drift under control downstream. They only paid $1000 to get added to existing loads heading upstream.

    I haven’t got the pictures anymore, but looked like a pretty decent living arrangement. I thought about doing the same along the intracoastal waterway at one point – not as much current to deal with, and lots of fish, ducks and such all along the way. Worst thing is hurricanes and surge could leave them high and dry if not in the right spot and anchored correctly – but still there isa draw to that kind of styling.

    • Read the book “The Ion Effect” – one of the reasons people who like to take showers and like the rain, especially being just under cover from it (and waterfalls, too) is it releases negative ions. Tremendous mood elevators. Positive ions – like the Santa Anna winds work the other way: more depression, more suicides, higher accident rates, etc.
      Next time you’ve over (plum wine time yet?) notice the small ozonators around here. Going to give the green house a treatment today – before the seedlings come up, too. Ozone kills molds which is the bane of GFHes.
      Addition to a negatively charged office (ions) is one driver that gets me out of bed in the morning.

      Andy will do great on a boat, especially when he gets good at “bumpering up” both sides and single-handing. Whole world of neat places. But caution will be the watchword – because survival times in Puget Sound and the Straits suck in summer and bingo you’re dead suckahs in winter…\
      But the ion effect – he’s written many times about loving to go to beaches to hang out… you watch – water falls, high altitudes, showers, and beaches with breaking waves (a lake is much smaller effect) – Andy?

      • “Ozone kills molds which is the bane of GFHes.” WTF is a GFHe? That’s one that I couldn’t parse.

        I love high mountains, thin air, and bright sunlight(ozone?), but can’t deal with humidity. Beaches are OK, and showers are occasionally necessary. I used to like the water, but less so as I get older. I still enjoy swimming on the rare occasion that I get the opportunity. I got an ionizer for my dad way back when and it just seemed to make the walls dirty. The dirt came from the air, but I noticed no real difference. Maybe others do.

        • Should have been GH’es. (*greenhouses – Which was butchered with a chain saw, run through the blender, two cycles in the dryer and finally simmered 6 weeks in 1 1/2 cups of fresh electrons becoming starter liquid for an open source, organic, heritage TTF.)

      • Living in the tropical rainforest with 150 inches of rain annually, everything molds here. I got the biggest, highest output Ozone blower I could find and regularly treat the inside of the house here to keep it at bay. Sterilizes pathogens like Covid also.

  17. Just a thought on 55. There’s no need to mandate it – people can drive at that speed in the right hand lane. That’s legal everywhere I know, though going much slower may get you pulled over. The middle and left hand lanes should allow for the faster folks to burn their gas. There are many reasons to move as fast as possible, and others have plenty of reason to be economic. Different options for different folks – what a concept!

    We must make sure that whatever we do, there’s no way for cops to make more money from it.

    • Meh, folks haven’t figured out that the “55” isn’t a minimum speed. ‘Seems everyone needs for government to tell them how to live…

  18. The posts have been interesting for the last two days. We have two conflicting models of the future: the Ure model and the Andy hypothesis. One predicts escalating conflict, the other is a prophesy of chill coming to that most inflamed region.
    I am curious about Andy’s totem collection. Do the items have to be found or donated, or could something you find on Amazon that you suddenly just gotta buy on impulse be a totem? I am suspicious of a recent acquisition.

  19. Comrades,

    Linked is a “Daily Mail” snippet of speech by Mr. Putin. The Ukrainian media site Obozrevatol made an interesting point.

    Mr. Putin’s hand appears to pass through the microphone in front of him. It’s at about the 23 second mark in this video.

    https://youtu.be/sih429WN0gg

    “Strawberry Fields forever”

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