Comments on: Wadda Ya Mean I'm Powerless?

Wadda Ya Mean I'm Powerless?

Xurando — Sat, 10 May 2008 11:28:57 -0800

The twelve steps of peak oil and peak civilization: Powerless over TEOTWAWKI.

By: The Light Fantastic

The Light Fantastic — Sat, 10 May 2008 11:36:59 -0800

I think I'll go have a drink.

By: KokuRyu

KokuRyu — Sat, 10 May 2008 11:55:58 -0800

OHNOWEAREALLGONNADIE:Filter It's fun being frightened.

By: Smart Dalek

Smart Dalek — Sat, 10 May 2008 11:59:44 -0800

I'll only believe it when I hear the Phillip Glass soundtrack.

By: nosila

nosila — Sat, 10 May 2008 12:12:52 -0800

kooooooyanisquaatseeeeeeeeeeee

By: TheophileEscargot

TheophileEscargot — Sat, 10 May 2008 12:14:32 -0800

I can't tell if this is a parody or not.

By: Justinian

Justinian — Sat, 10 May 2008 12:56:54 -0800

peak oilers are generally a bunch of self-parodiest, so you're safe in assuming this is both consciously not a parody and unconsciously a parody.

By: Justinian

Justinian — Sat, 10 May 2008 12:57:08 -0800

self-parodies even

By: dhartung

dhartung — Sat, 10 May 2008 13:13:04 -0800

I'm writing the Great Post-American Novel even as we speak.

By: ikkyu2

ikkyu2 — Sat, 10 May 2008 13:27:44 -0800

Why would a stockbroker loose all his money in a crack?

By: pyramid termite

pyramid termite — Sat, 10 May 2008 13:37:48 -0800

Ten percent of the population of Ohio now relies on food stamps while hordes of domestic animals abandoned in foreclosed homes endure long and grotesque deaths from starvation. i just hate it when people sugarcoat things, don't you?

By: pyramid termite

pyramid termite — Sat, 10 May 2008 13:38:47 -0800

I'm writing the Great Post-American Novel even as we speak. oh - you must own a gravel pit then

By: ninjew

ninjew — Sat, 10 May 2008 13:51:48 -0800

Step 2.) Call my guy. I think I might need to stock up.

By: pyramid termite

pyramid termite — Sat, 10 May 2008 14:09:01 -0800

step 3) - powdered eggs - they're not just for breakfast anymore

By: three blind mice

three blind mice — Sat, 10 May 2008 14:22:17 -0800

The day that peak oil is reached, the government will finally release that 100 mph carbuerator that the space aliens left for us.

By: three blind mice

three blind mice — Sat, 10 May 2008 14:23:46 -0800

100 mpg, while going 100 mph that is.

By: stbalbach

stbalbach — Sat, 10 May 2008 14:24:41 -0800

I've been reading histories of prior cases where civilization broke down and found some common traits, one of which is the outlawing of "hoarding" - those who have "hoards" of goods and don't distribute them to other people in need. Like imagine in Myanmar right now, some peasant who has a cache of rice and everyone around him is starving. People like that either hand over their goods to the authorities right quick, or become targets for retribution. Stocking up is good for short-term, maybe a month or so.

By: Justinian

Justinian — Sat, 10 May 2008 14:55:42 -0800

I'm torn on both anti-hoarding and anti-gouging laws. If you know you won't be allowed to keep your supplies in an emergency why bother to stock up? If you know you won't be able to make a bigger profit on selling stuff in an emergency, why pay money to keep a higher inventory than you need? Answer: you don't. So in an emergency you have no extra inventory to sell to people and they're screwed. My gut instinct is that such anti-hoarding/gouging laws lead to much bigger problems than they solve. Unfortunately, the problems they cause (while significant) are not readily apparent to a casual look while the "problems" they solve are blatantly obvious.

By: nasreddin

nasreddin — Sat, 10 May 2008 16:34:17 -0800

My gut instinct is that such anti-hoarding/gouging laws lead to much bigger problems than they solve. Unfortunately, the problems they cause (while significant) are not readily apparent to a casual look while the "problems" they solve are blatantly obvious. What you're missing, I think, is the fact that anti-hoarding/gouging laws are not passed in a calm and secure context. They are generally the result of widespread popular demand for them--demand that usually takes the form of massive riots. (See, for example, eighteenth-century England and France.) In other words, it's not that without the laws the hoarder would be able to keep all his stuff--it would just be taken away from him by a mob, an offer impossible to refuse.

By: etaoin

etaoin — Sat, 10 May 2008 17:17:27 -0800

Speaking of Truth, I wish I had the Power to stop people from using the former for the latter.

By: nanojath

nanojath — Sat, 10 May 2008 17:43:31 -0800

Carolyn Baker is an adjunct professor of history, a former psychotherapist, an author, and a student of mythology and ritual. Finally, someone with the appropriate credentials to predict the futures the global commodity resource markets, economies, governments and civilizations. Does anybody else remember when Eric Utne became convinced that Y2K was going to, despite all predictions, go really really bad?

By: c13

c13 — Sat, 10 May 2008 18:37:09 -0800

Frankly, I don't quite understand anti-gouging laws, especially in America with its worship of free market. Finally, someone with the appropriate credentials to predict the futures the global commodity resource markets, economies, governments and civilizations. Well, she's been predicting that oil price would go up. Seems like she's been more or less correct, at least in the short term.

By: klarck

klarck — Sat, 10 May 2008 19:14:18 -0800

Years ago, my dad and I were watching TV and a Clairol commercial came on. For the first time that night, he spoke up and told me that in his childhood, during the depression, "be good to yourself" was a not-so-subtle insult. We won't need new laws, we'll have new mores.

By: Avenger

Avenger — Sat, 10 May 2008 20:47:05 -0800

...while hordes of domestic animals abandoned in foreclosed homes endure long and grotesque deaths from starvation. I'm not sure how widespread this is, but I have experience to back this up. I work at a kennel here in Houston, and we've been directly involved in at least one case where a nearby house was foreclosed and the owners left their dogs inside to starve. Other owners have left their dogs with us for boarding and training but have never returned. Rough times.

By: Dillonlikescookies

Dillonlikescookies — Sun, 11 May 2008 02:32:59 -0800

If everyone just moves to the outdoors and lives "eco lifestyles" there won't be enough room. once oil goes so does any high density population because of drastically reduced food production per acre. Most people won't seriously consider it until everyone else is, the point at which oil prices start to cripple industry. At that point, only the rich and lucky will be able to. I mean, who knows how peak oil will pan out, but our high population densities are only sustained through oil powered industry - that is, oil goes - people starve en masse. Depends mostly on how sudden the price hikes / cut backs / actual depletion of oil reserves happens, though. Just my 2c.

By: fixedgear

fixedgear — Sun, 11 May 2008 07:33:27 -0800

Well, she's been predicting that oil price would go up. Seems like she's been more or less correct, at least in the short term. Isn't that like shooting fish in a barrel? "I'm peering deeply into my crystal ball and predicting that gasoline prices will also rise."