How much of it is in our own heads?
Our view of the world and its future is highly influented by our personal experience.
reddit.com: Energy, food and economic fears looming, new survivalists prepare for the worst
Here’s an interesting anecdote for you. I used to follow a conspiracy site that had a survivalist bent, and for awhile gave serious consideration to the author’s views. (I still read the blog because the author collects interesting news, though I no longer agree with his extreme interpretations.) I remember reading the comments to one post, where three of the comments in a short thread, authored by separate readers, made reference to a significant other (spouse or similar) who had struggled or was struggling with cancer; the article itself had little or nothing to do with cancer. It hit home because that was the exact same situation I was going through. It made me realize that my attraction to the doom-and-gloom had much more to do with my own personal catastrophe than with any looming end-of-the-world.
“Do you have curtains? Do you close them? Why? What do you have to hide?”
Meeting’s tarnished reputation
“Solar power surface needed to power whole world, EU, Germany”
Secrecy is good. Particularly if you are a banker
Bank bail-outs to be kept secret | This is Money
And what, may I humbly ask, is so special about banks that they are to benefit from this immense generosity. They neither feed us nor water us: they neither clothe us nor house us: they neither educate us nor entertain us: they neither keep us in health nor cure us when we are ill. They are totally parasitic and should be left to die a natural death. They are the authors of their own misfortune and do not deserve our sympathy. The Government is doing the country a disservice by pandering to them.- Alan, Amersham
Hoarding deepens food shortages
Food Rationing Confronts Breadbasket of the World - April 21, 2008 - The New York Sun
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Many parts of America, long considered the breadbasket of the world, are now confronting a once unthinkable phenomenon: food rationing. Major retailers in New York, in areas of New England, and on the West Coast are limiting purchases of flour, rice, and cooking oil as demand outstrips supply. There are also anecdotal reports that some consumers are hoarding grain stocks.
Alternative energy: the next economic boom?
Solar Power From Africa: The Best Investment the EU Can Make | SolveClimate.com
Its architects claim they can build a supergrid of concentrating solar thermal plants (CSP) that can meet most of Europe’s current electricity needs by using just 0.3 percent of the deserts of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) – and at a cost less than oil.The long-term prospects look even sunnier.
For an investment of $400 billion over 30 years, Desertec could eventually power Europe plus two-thirds of the MENA countries by 2050, while dramatically cutting C02 emissions and phasing out nuclear power at the same time.
That’s a sizeable chunk of the whole world’s energy needs. And for only $13 billion per year.
What a bargain, if you consider that building a single nuclear power plant in Europe carries a price tag of around $2.5 to $3.5 billion these days.
When the going gets tough…you are on your own!
photo credit: Busko
It is interesting to see how the social dynamics between individuals are mirrored exactly in the same way in a global and macro-economic scale. Whereas in the good times states cooperate with each other with more flexibility, when the situation worsens, not only each system actor shuts down to outside cooperation, but what is more alarming, they look for scapegoats to explain their own failure. This has already started:
Bloomberg on migration and the UK
Business week: senators target visa loopholes
On a global scale, as the economy worsens -and these emerging forces are pushed to greater extremes by populist politicians- this has historically lead to war.
Will it be different this time?
It may be so, if we consider the cracks already starting to appear at the local level. In the case of the state of Philadelphia, notice that the local government is going against national commercial rules with this decision:
http://www.reuters.com/article/gc03/idUSN2830318520080328
This has no recent-history precedent but may well be a sing of things to come, leading the the splitting of nations into smaller, self-administered regions. Expect the same growing tensions as well within the European Union, as the richer states start to drag their feet on the Union idea as they feel they are subsidizing in excess the poorer states…
Why SEO is better than PPC, explained in lay man terms
Inbound Marketing Strategy: Why SEO Is Better Than PPC
Summary: Once you put in all the brilliant hard work to get leads and customers via SEO, it’s much harder for others to take that advantage away. And, even if they do, you’re much less likely to be completely blind-sided by it, as you would be with PPC.
Biflation?
I think what we’re seeing is Biflation.We’re seeing price increases on commodities which we compete for on the world markets (wheat, oil, etc) and price decreases on things which require credit to buy (houses now and eventually cars).
To some extent price increases on the necessities of life (like food and fuel) will actually lead to more decreases in things like housing because money that could have been used for the house payment now has to go into food and fuel.
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About Javier Marti
As an independent strategy consultant, futurist, speaker and founder of Trendirama.com Consulting, Javier is dedicated to help organizations, small businesses and individuals to optimize systems, increase profits and make better choices in business and in life. He is the author of the book "Mobile, Domains & The Future"
When not consulting for clients, Javier shares his knowledge and experience through information-packed, yet entertaining presentations in a wide range of subjects in English and Spanish.
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