tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post7041660703092889786..comments2010-09-28T13:13:47.679-07:00Crunchy Chickenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10612320939936593420noreply@blogger.comBlogger65125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-68737888829648438192008-08-02T07:14:00.000-07:002008-08-02T07:14:00.000-07:00As a male, I am glad to stumble upon this blog to balance out my heavy diet of male-authored PO media. Gender differences in awareness/response to PO are real. There are some gun-toting peakists out there - but as Heinberg says, "You've gotta sleep sometime". I think a "lifeboats" strategy will be more viable than a "bunker" strategy.<BR/><BR/>IMO, women tend to respond more to personal stories about rape and murder victims, or someone like Cindy Sheehan protesting the Iraq War - as one who it has affected personally, than they do to macroeconomic issues. Global commodities such as oil have been at the root of much of modern warfare. Since few societies ever draft women for the army, the messy geopolitics of oil and how our political leaders choose to deal with it, is something that females are more privileged to remain detached from.<BR/><BR/>In the age of oil, the physical strength of males has never been more worthless. But the value of female beauty (and male desire for it) has suffered no concommitant obsolescence. Simultaneously, fossil fuels have created an economy where sedentary professions are the norm and in which women are often superior to men. A post-oil economy will require more manual labor. I hope that the gains of the Women's Rights Movement can be sustained as we shift towards an economy that increasingly requires us to get our hands dirty. If we are to survive the bottleneck of population overshoot, it is crucial that women see themselves as something other than baby-factories.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-9976804302190902632008-07-31T21:13:00.000-07:002008-07-31T21:13:00.000-07:00I'll tell you- I have never been one to be influenced by my gender. Maybe thats because my gender is the root of so many problems today. Nor am I a nesting pregnant female. A lot of the things I do I do because I like them. I learnedd to make Jam because I like homemade jam. And I don't see any other way to get it. I sew buttons on my shirts and actually hem my own pants (albeit not with any great skill) because no one else is gonna do it for me and I am too cheap to pay a seamstress or seamster to do it for me. Maybe I am dreaming of being Martha Stewart- hell I don't know. All I know is I learned my attitude from my father. I learned cooking from my Mother. CHalk it up to being raised by liberals!Robj98168http://www.blogger.com/profile/12449968557883132353noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-57167790070597447492008-07-22T15:12:00.000-07:002008-07-22T15:12:00.000-07:00Oops. No edit function. 2nd paragraph should have been last.Step Backhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06178091823442339760noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-69118158904869433232008-07-22T15:10:00.000-07:002008-07-22T15:10:00.000-07:00Chris,<BR/><BR/>That is an excellent analogy. Both the man and the woman are choosing a "tool" by which to deal with the perceived problem. The man may choose a rock or a stick as his "tool". The woman is creating a social circle as her "tool". If the bear is a grizzly, neither of these tools will be effective.<BR/><BR/>Same with oil. Unless there is an infrastructure in place of sufficient caliber to make an impact, none of the panic choices are really going to help.<BR/><BR/>At the heart of it, all women and men are naked vulnerable creatures. We need "tools" like shoes and clothing in order to survive at the most rudimentary of levels. What differs between the sexes at the more complex tool choosing levels is that women gravitate towards social tools (i.e. let's form a perma-culture community to deal with the Peak Oil bear) and men gravitate towards loner tools (i.e. let's build a nuke reactor to deal with the Peak Oil bear).<BR/><BR/>The tool choosing propensities of the two genders differ, but in the end they are both choosing a tool.<BR/><BR/>And as mentioned for the case of the grizzly bear, unless the man already has a rifle of sufficient caliber and enough time to aim and use it, neither choice is going to help.Step Backhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06178091823442339760noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-51550986583332391032008-07-22T11:39:00.000-07:002008-07-22T11:39:00.000-07:00I have noticed and pondered the sharp gender differences in response to peak oil as well. Here's how I see it. <BR/><BR/>Scenario: A man, a woman and their child are walking through the forest. Suddenly a bear jumps in their path and roars at them. What do they do? <BR/><BR/>You know what they do, without a moment of forethought: The man looks for a weapon and a way to confront the threat. The woman puts herself between the bear and the child and seeks to protect it. <BR/><BR/>I think in many ways--generalizing, now--peak oil is exactly like that. Men are hardwired to be alert to a threat and to defend their tribes. Women are hardwired to guard the nest, and make sure there is an adequate supply of the necessities of life: food, shelter, water. Beneath the veneer of our modern societies and attitudes, those hardwired impulses still lurk.Chris Nelderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07054816737532285895noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-20065984909239256382008-07-21T12:14:00.000-07:002008-07-21T12:14:00.000-07:00Yes, you're right, there's a great deal of men out there writing blogs talking about peak oil, and 'going all rambo' etc. There's a lot of them that very much do feel like they're _looking forward_ to the idea of societal collapse. <BR/><BR/>But they are a very small number of men. Not a representative sample. <BR/><BR/>It's like how the vast majority of violent crimes are committed by men. But only a very small fraction of men (No idea, but I'd guess less than 5-10%) ever commit a violent crime. <BR/><BR/>Whatever trait you care to measure, women tend towards the moderate, and men tend towards the extreme. The tallest and shortest people on record have been men, for example. <BR/><BR/>There's a lot of things that could be causing this, and we can have a lively discussion speculating as to why, but men tend to extremes of any bell curve.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-49903324974558675762008-07-19T21:43:00.000-07:002008-07-19T21:43:00.000-07:00CC said: "ccpo - I was hoping to get people's general impressions on gender-based reactions to PO without going into the gory details. I'll be torturing everyone with many posts on that later."<BR/><BR/>Well, I did that, didn't I? :) And, to paraphrase, we have not yet begun to get into detail!<BR/><BR/>""PO and Climate Change can end our civilization. Will it? Don't know. But either has the power to do so. (This is basic complexity and Chaos theory.)"<BR/><BR/>I would argue that PO is more a stochastic process rather than one based on chaos theory."<BR/><BR/>I wasn't talking about PO, I was talking about collapse. Either way, I'm not sure "stochastic" vs. "chaotic" is a meaningful distinction. One "stochastic" process is a stock market, which are well-modeled using chaos.<BR/><BR/>Anyways... Mars, Venus... Pluto gettin' freaked by Goofy...<BR/><BR/>;)<BR/><BR/>Cheersccponoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-1692781924761100632008-07-19T14:33:00.000-07:002008-07-19T14:33:00.000-07:00My only opinion (mostly because I am pretty uninformed on this topic) is NEVER lay off the rum cache!!!mudnessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10542400857346376155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-33139493123394972112008-07-19T11:29:00.000-07:002008-07-19T11:29:00.000-07:00Crunchy Chicken,<BR/><BR/>Here is a good solution to peak oil when it comes to transportation -- The Surrey Bike. http://www.surreycompany.com/products.htm<BR/><BR/>AveAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-73955800842106913242008-07-19T09:09:00.000-07:002008-07-19T09:09:00.000-07:00ccpo - I was hoping to get people's general impressions on gender-based reactions to PO without going into the gory details. I'll be torturing everyone with many posts on that later.<BR/><BR/>And, no, definitely not all men are reacting with a guns and ammo attitude (as you can see from several comments by men here). Just some of the more vocal ones.<BR/><BR/>I don't have as bleak an outlook on things as you do and it's not from just wishful thinking, but based on research. I'll be explaining that more later in future posts. <BR/><BR/>"PO and Climate Change can end our civilization. Will it? Don't know. But either has the power to do so. (This is basic complexity and Chaos theory.)"<BR/><BR/>I would argue that PO is more a stochastic process rather than one based on chaos theory.<BR/><BR/>"And Climate Change can actually make us extinct."<BR/><BR/>Well, a number of things can do that, but I'm not losing any sleep over it yet. That doesn't mean that I haven't changed my behavior, but I'm not driven to spiral thinking.Crunchy Chickenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10612320939936593420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-14765052534390328252008-07-19T07:52:00.000-07:002008-07-19T07:52:00.000-07:00I didn't read all the comments because I had read so many and not one addressed PO in any way that was meaningful. I realize the question was why men and women deal with it differently, but how do you address that without addressing what "it" is? It's impossible, in fact.<BR/><BR/>A few people stated opinions about PO, but not one offered any reason why, and certainly there was no support of their positions. For the sake of this post, I'm going to assume the majority, a large majority, were women.<BR/><BR/>I think we all know women tend to solve problems in terms of relationships and men in terms of logic, efficiency, etc. This pretty much explains why most people addressing this are men: it's a problem to be solved that has been awaiting a wider acceptance of actually being a problem. We've hit the tipping point on that, so now women have a reason to act: protect the nest. Not being as inclined to jump to confrontation, it perhaps makes sense.<BR/><BR/>But lets get back to "it." I firmly believe a world with mroe female leadership can only be a good thing. Look at the Iriquois, for example. But, ladies, you've got to know what you are protecting from, don't you? So, let me toss some thoughts:<BR/><BR/>1. We are at peak. Period. See the Newsweek article this week on Saudi Arabia if you doubt it.<BR/><BR/>2. Energy = GDP, historically.<BR/><BR/>3. Current paradigms are built on eternal growth. Can't be done without some very big changes: different energy sources, greater cooperation, etc.<BR/><BR/>4. Collapses have, and will, happen. Just wishing it isn't so doesn't solve the problem. Never in human history has the entire planet been so interwoven and at so much risk. PO and Climate Change can end our civilization. Will it? Don't know. But either has the power to do so. (This is basic complexity and Chaos theory.) And Climate Change can actually make us extinct.<BR/><BR/>Everything I have stated in #4 is addressed by basic biology: systems go through bom and bust. They rise and collapse. Are we separate from all other animals? I say no. Collapse will come. There is really nothing I can see that argues against this being the time it happens.<BR/><BR/>#5. Time. If PO is now, there is no time to adjust, as per the Hirsch Report.<BR/><BR/>#6. I agree this is an opportunity. Despite my generalizations above (for the sake of argument mixed with a bit of reality), I don't think you can fairly say men are reacting to this in a guns and ammo way. Few, in fact, seem to be doing so. Most are trying to rally community, family, friends. I think this is such a huge problem that we will see large numbers of people/groups trying like hell to pull out of this nosedive. And we can. I have serious doubts we *will*.<BR/><BR/>So, ladies, know this problem is dire. You won't solve it by ignoring it's there or that it's filling half the room. At least, I don't think you can. Get to know at least the basics of the various issues involved. It may not behoove you to get deeply into the whys and wherefores. I can see how that might disrupt your natural mental/emotional processes. But allow yourself to face the beast eye to eye. <BR/><BR/>My 2c.ccpoaperfectstormcometh.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-52190521559155725112008-07-18T20:49:00.000-07:002008-07-18T20:49:00.000-07:00Most of what I know about peak oil comes from Kunstler, so I found that link on Y2K very educational. ;-) Thanks, Crunchy. That said, I tend towards the gloom scenario. It may not happen as soon as people think, but I think the best case scenario is that it's going to be a rough ride, and I'm not sure personal stockpiling is going to help much. We're all on this planet together.Donnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896172914500564208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-24989422463316546542008-07-18T12:57:00.000-07:002008-07-18T12:57:00.000-07:00This post rocked my world...am glad I checked in at Sharon's today and scrolled down the page a bit.<BR/><BR/>The gender aspect in peak oil discourse? Hmmmm...well, over-generalizations can be problematic...but I'm inclined to think there may be some "there" there. Hmmm...thanks for the perspective--never noticed it before, but it clicks. It'll be rattling in my head for days and days...<BR/><BR/>(Non-sequitor babble (sorry!!!)...but re: Mars v. Venus book...there was a recent NPR story about a female psych. researcher who found evidence that the roles and attitudes described in that book have parallels in homosexual pairings. So, she thinks it's a relationship thing...not necessarily a gender-based thing...wish I had a link...)P.Pricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01440306286962105757noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-14727457365524228212008-07-18T11:27:00.000-07:002008-07-18T11:27:00.000-07:00Yesterday a drug dealer ran through our neighborhood. Literally. My next door neighbor and his daughter were sitting on their front stoop while the children played and all of a sudden someone comes tearing out of the back yard, runs across the street and into the neighbor's yard and beyond. We soon learned the full story and the kids spread the news to other neighbors in fearful excitement. We all came out of our houses and chatted and caught up and by the end of the night we had planned a block party.<BR/><BR/>There's only so much of this gloom and doom I can take before needing to take to my bed for the afternoon. I just don't have time for the people who want to bar the door against the neighbors as though they were a horde of zombies. I think, by and large, more people will plan with their neighbors than against them. Perhaps with a few nudges, ala Stone Soup which I recently read to my daughter, or even a fleeing drug dealer.<BR/><BR/>Meanwhile I'm choosing to learn the skills of self-sufficiency: frugalness, cooking from scratch, gardening, sewing, etc now while I have time to learn in leisure. I find these things fun and useful. Someday they may be more necessary than a hobby.<BR/><BR/>So I'm strongly in the feminine camp. I'm also honored and tickled about Camp TEOTWAWKI.Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05308684878865888128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-59412406654766956982008-07-18T09:12:00.000-07:002008-07-18T09:12:00.000-07:00Crunchy, there are problems with the thin film solar options. It pertains to a correction to one thing I stated before - it's not precious metals that are needed in thin film, it's rare earth elements. When my research is done, I'll be posting about this. :)Chilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11406176434011890590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-88546796547475818872008-07-18T08:13:00.000-07:002008-07-18T08:13:00.000-07:00Oldnovice -- I love the names for the categories in Exit Mundi! I don't really want to read most of them, but wow...LimeSarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12148436703368147996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-76759499122386636172008-07-18T06:54:00.000-07:002008-07-18T06:54:00.000-07:00<I>Holy balls, that link you posted on Kunstler's take on Y2K is friggin' heeelarious!<BR/><BR/>Apparently, certain theatre majors don't understand how 'puters operate.<BR/><BR/>Anyway, substitute Y2K with "Peak Oil" in his article and it's oddly similar to his latest rantings.<BR/><BR/>Prophet or profit? </I><BR/><BR/>I saw a FEW profit financially through book sales and survival gear, but most doomers are looking for validation. <BR/><BR/>Other sites of interest include: <A HREF="http://greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a.tcl?topic=TimeBomb%202000%20(Y2000)" REL="nofollow">Greenspun's Y2k forum</A>. It's got all the doom you'd ever want combined with all the discussions offered by experienced homesteaders, survivalists, etc. It's defunct now, of course, but you can probably find all the answers to questions you might have on preparedness there. <A HREF="http://www.exitmundi.nl/exitmundi.htm" REL="nofollow">Exit Mundi</A> provides the most comprehensive doom CATEGORY information I've seen on the web. Click on the oil pump to get your "fix" of doom on peak oil. Click on some others and you'll see the same Mad Max scenarios discussed. I don't see an icon right away there for bird flu, but it's been a popular "doom" topic since 2004 or earlier. I saw several Y2k doomers just migrate right into bird flu as the latest reason for prepping, never even considering the error of the first. The logic is "Even a stopped clock is right twice a day." You're right, too, that it's a "fill in the blank" format. Someday, for SOME reason, people are gonna need to have (insert your choice) and *I*'m gonna finally be recognized as important because *I*'m the one who warned them that they'd need to have (...). Until that time, the people who listened live in fear, uncertainty, and doubt, but that's the price you pay for survival. <BR/><BR/>P.T. Barnum was right.Oldnovicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17714134603537886606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-22302763164518316602008-07-18T00:09:00.000-07:002008-07-18T00:09:00.000-07:00Old Novice - Holy balls, that <A HREF="http://www.kunstler.com/mags_y2k.html" REL="nofollow">link</A> you posted on Kunstler's take on Y2K is friggin' heeelarious!<BR/><BR/>Apparently, certain theatre majors don't understand how 'puters operate.<BR/><BR/>Anyway, substitute Y2K with "Peak Oil" in his article and it's oddly similar to his <A HREF="http://jameshowardkunstler.typepad.com/" REL="nofollow">latest rantings</A>.<BR/><BR/>Prophet or profit?Crunchy Chickenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10612320939936593420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-78302828805770800042008-07-17T23:56:00.000-07:002008-07-17T23:56:00.000-07:00Thistle - I sent you an email.<BR/><BR/>Rob - Funny how your only comment in yesterday's post was all about having to come up here and shoot up us Ballardites. Interesting passivism.<BR/><BR/>Arduous - I'll get a book list going that doesn't forecast death and destruction, but still covers the nitty-gritty.<BR/><BR/>Chile - Get a grip woman! Think thin film solar rather than PV. And maybe 2 shots of limoncello.<BR/><BR/>Green with a Gun - Thanks for the link to your post. You've earned an honorary pair of boobs. Now, you'll never have to leave the house.Crunchy Chickenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10612320939936593420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-58082202043620125092008-07-17T19:59:00.000-07:002008-07-17T19:59:00.000-07:00I used to be made fun of and called the "Prophetess of Doom and Gloom" because I used to warn various friends and family (in the 1990's no less) to be prepared for Earth Changes (now called Climate Change). I've seen visions of it in my dreams/meditations a lot for many years. While PO is part of that, it's not what's really going to ruin people's lives as you can see even from just the Iowa floods. (And not to be a buzz kill, but people on the west coast should have a plan of action for the future in case you need to relocate - I've seen that a lot, too). <BR/><BR/>My husband's family is in WA, OR and CA and when I've brought up this topic, they don't really want to talk about any kind of preparation or back up plan so I've dropped it with them but sent an xmas gift one year of a few important items. Wonder if they still think it's nonsense or not.<BR/><BR/>I told them to store some bulk foods, some water, a solar portable radio, sleeping bags, gas in gas cans for the car to leave, etc. Most of my family lives in NY and is not hurting for money at all so they did not like me talking preparedness when they thought it all a farce and could buy their way out of anything (so they think). <BR/><BR/>I decided to keep my mouth shut on this topic and have done a pretty good job of not speaking about it these past 5 years. I was sick of being thought of as a freak. I did at least get my mom to store a 3 day supply of food and necessities since she moved to Florida and has dealt with hurricanes.<BR/><BR/>My husband and I have stored bulk foods, put food up in various ways, are growing an extended garden this year, have extra bedding for 4 or 5 beds for guests to sleep on, have a water filter to filter the nearby creek's water, herbal meds, firewood for our 2 fireplaces,etc. I am, as the old saying goes, "tying the camels" but living my life normally. We have taken some amazing vacations the past 2 years to beautiful, natural places we wanted our son to experience before anything might change there. <BR/><BR/>I try to focus on living in the moment and being grateful for what I have, willing to share and not being fear based which is what my husband is good at keeping in check for me and he's in agreement with me about being prepared in our home for us as well as being able to have the family show up at any time. <BR/><BR/>We both like having the food, supplies and skill set between the two of us to really do almost anything to live off the land and survive - and teach others to do so as well. That feels good.<BR/><BR/>What I am constantly amazed by is how people like us are such an extreme rarity still and so many walk around oblivious to what is really going down around them. Just watch people in the grocery store and you'll see what I mean. Complete oblivion. They are the ones I feel so sorry for but it's their choice to become aware or not. This is what I've learned by not talking about it anymore - except a little here and there in passive ways on my blog and probably more so this year. <BR/><BR/>This is why I like Sharon's blog so much, she really hits you over the head with a sledgehammer but gives you the info on how to help yourself so if anyone asks me about it, I direct them to her site!Nature Devahttp://www.naturedeva.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-51770313364283293122008-07-17T18:44:00.000-07:002008-07-17T18:44:00.000-07:00Hmmm, on thought I could put my musings more briefly:<BR/><BR/><I>There is no doubt we'll come out alright through peak oil, climate change or anything else: the only question is how much misery and chaos we have while the change is happening.</I>green with a gunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13047638048463160737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-81466636167060375372008-07-17T18:40:00.000-07:002008-07-17T18:40:00.000-07:00<I>"Of the women writing about Peak Oil, the predictions are much more metered."</I><BR/><BR/>Uh-oh, I thought I was a boy. I guess, <A HREF="http://greenwithagun.blogspot.com/2008/02/peak-oil-mad-max-and-me.html" REL="nofollow">going from my take on peak oil</A>, I must have been wrong. ;)<BR/><BR/>Your generalisation is a good one, though, CC. There&#39;s a lot of macho wanking around, from the ARSE Brigade (assault rifles &amp; spam-eaters) to the Kunstlers of the world. <BR/><BR/>I don&#39;t think we&#39;re facing doom. I think of it as, energy is the income of our society. When your family looks like losing one source of income - a job, a business - you can focus on trying to squeeze the last few bucks out of it, or you can just go looking for a new source of income to keep your family going. Same with society - we need to find a new source of energy income.<BR/><BR/>Luckily, we have it, we don&#39;t need any new inventions. But just as getting a different job or starting a new business will sometimes lead to some changes in the way your family and home are run (different hours, less or more money on transport, etc) so too with energy.<BR/><BR/>Now, some people when their income is changing, they don&#39;t cope very well and things turn nasty for their family - maybe the family even breaks up. And sometimes things just don&#39;t work out for them, and they have to make do on less. And I think the same is true of society and its energy income. <BR/><BR/>So that&#39;s why I think that we face some hard times, but not doom, that if we&#39;re smart and creative and work hard it&#39;ll turn out alright. But if we&#39;re stupid and unimaginative and lazy and desperately hang on to the old stuff, we could be in trouble. Not doom, but trouble. <BR/><BR/>It&#39;s interesting what people have said about men focusing on the Big Solutions, and women on the personal scale stuff. There&#39;s some truth in that, I think. Me, I think of these things as parallel. I can&#39;t do anything without the community - and a country and the world are just big communities - and the community can&#39;t do anything without me. Well, they can do it without me <I>in particular</I>, I meant the general me, individual people.<BR/><BR/>For example, if I want to reduce the energy I spend on transport, I can ditch the car and use public transport. But I can't do that unless the community has provided it, and the community won't provide it unless I'm going to use it. So the individual and the community are working together in a complementary way. <BR/><BR/>I dunno, I've always been a "middle ground" person, so maybe I'm doing that with the "male" and "female" ways of looking at these problems, too.green with a gunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13047638048463160737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-76257184999303933502008-07-17T17:12:00.000-07:002008-07-17T17:12:00.000-07:00I have been drifting more towards the doom 'n gloom camp but it's not just because of peak oil issues. If peak oil was the only problem, I think humanity could deal. <BR/><BR/>But, we've also got climate change upon us, exacerbated by burning up all that oil that's now got us into peak oil. If we <I>just</I> had climate change, yep, we could probably deal with that. <BR/><BR/>But wait, there's more! We've got economic problems stacking up the likes of which haven't been seen since the Depression, and with a global economy, we're all in it together. A much larger human population than were here in previous times of shortage means less available resources per capita, and let's not forget the distribution problems. <BR/><BR/>You still get more with this package! Peak precious metals limit solar upscaling. Electrical grid degradation doesn't bode well for the kind of reliable power we've become accustomed to. <BR/><BR/>And, if you order right now, you also get peak clean water. <BR/><BR/>We've got a whole boatload of problems on our doorstep, most caused by high human populations, greed, and overconsumption. <BR/><BR/>So yeah, I think we will see TEOTWAWKI. The world we know is changing. Will technology save us? Who the heck knows, but I'm not going to count on it. That's why I stress making preparations to live life more self-sufficiently. It's kind of nice that this happens to also be cheaper, usually, result in a lighter impact on the earth, and is a satisfying fulfilling lifestyle.<BR/><BR/>Now excuse me while I go slug a shot of limoncello to relax, and then clean the kitchen so I'm ready to can lemon zucchini relish with a friend tomorrow.Chilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11406176434011890590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-70685541854898592382008-07-17T16:13:00.000-07:002008-07-17T16:13:00.000-07:00Hey, Crunchicita, could you also point us in the direction of books on peak oil? Preferably ones that don't take place in Camp TEOTWAWKI, because then I will get angry, and stop reading even if there is good stuff in there. I am arduous like that.arduoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17043512641324366469noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-20268504944751114682008-07-17T16:02:00.000-07:002008-07-17T16:02:00.000-07:00Oh, I forgot to add one more thing: the term peak oil. Back in the 80s and early 90s in college, we talked a lot about oil depletion and the effects that will have on the world. But when my husband started talking about peak oil, it sounded like an elitist term. 'Oh, you don't know about peak oil? Well, let me enlighten you.' Or, 'ha - so-and-so politician just said oil depletion but he really means peak oil - I wish he would just say it.' Who cares about the words, isn't the general idea the important part? And why must it be treated in such a coded way anyway? (Is that a guy thing, too?)<BR/><BR/>I know the idea of a peak and decline is important to understand the severity and complexity of it, but I don't think the term helps spread the word. I wish we could use a term like oil depletion, or something that is more accessible to the rest of the population.Melindahttp://1greengeneration.elementsintime.comnoreply@blogger.com