V. Arnold
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I think we’re on the verge of a post apocalyptic society. We’re there, but not quite full blown…
Serious decisions loom: Time to decide about how you’ll live; what are your values, limits, and penchant for personal violence against other and what are you willing to do to protect self and family…
To clarify; I’m not saying we’re moments away from total collapse; just recognize we’re in a form of collapse, just not the stereotypical, dystopian view, of the general MSM’s version 2.0.@ Nassim
When “the wall” fell and the Soviet dissolved, Chomsky warned that an important balance was lost. He foresaw the west taking full advantage and here we are.
Yes, let’s hope for a healthy re-balancing.@ Nassim
Here’s a video of the Russian supersonic anti-ship cruise missile (2) hitting a ship with bow on shots (very difficult). The kinetic energy alone causes huge damage even before the warheads explode.
My greatest fear is the apparent underestimation of the Russian’s technological abilities.
The hubris and hyperbole coming from the west is just stunning/numbing…https://xbradtc.com/2014/10/15/russian-supersonic-cruise-missile/
Through the late 80’s, into the 90’s, and further into the ought’s I watched as real estate just kept appreciating. I was not an owner, just a curious observer.
I kept asking myself; how is this possible? The whole economic situation seemed not real, a construct with no substance. Then I witnessed friends, whose wages (mine included) did not substantially increase, use credit to keep up with rising inflation. Homes became ATM’s which is all history now.
My point is, I saw this and questioned it and was always rebuffed as wrong and not savvy about the true financial nature of the economy. So, I spent decades with the uneasy feeling that something was wrong, but having no outside support for my feelings.
Sadly, I came to realize common sense was grossly missing from the majority, who bought the whole construct: And I saw the result and felt vindicated, but it brought little solace.
I’ll not lay claim to any expertise in economics, but good economic policy does seem a matter of common sense. Those who claim otherwise are Sophists and hypocrites, IMO.@ Rapier
If Putin is best for Russia or not I can’t guess. I simply know a unipolar world is impossible.
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Your comment in toto makes no sense.
Russia is under attack, directly from the U.S.. Do you not see this?
Putin is demonized at every turn.
If one has no understanding of Russian culture then that one has nothing to say. At least nothing of much value.
I was married to a non-U.S. born Ukrainian woman and had some involvement in their culture. What I learned was very interesting; the world is not dependent on the U.S. centric world view. And culture counts, a whole helluvalla lot!
God’s be good; do I actually have to say I don’t buy the whole spcheel?
But I do buy that the U.S. is wrong and totally fucked in its policy towards Russia and Putin!Glad to hear Gorbachev supporting Putin.
Putin is the best thing for Russia. The west, especially the U.S., does not have a clue about Russian culture. The U.S. cannot see past its own provincialism and hubris.
Fortunately there are Orlov, the Saker, and RT for those interested in just what the hell is really going on in Ukraine.
For those geographically challenged, take a look at a map and look at the vastness of Russia. Putin knows what he’s got and is trying to develop his resources.
One can only hope America’s 5th column inside Russia can be defeated.
Putin is well aware of it…Whomever is responsible for U.S. economic policy is bat shit crazy.
I think there is no “whomever”; it’s on a broken auto-pilot.
Greed is a very ugly condition, no?
Thailand won’t sign an FTA with the U.S. and that may well ease its passage through this fucked up, global, economic maelstrom. But then, what the hell do I know?A very timely piece.
My guess would be that poverty is an abstraction for most of the posters here.
Poverty is a prison with no visible walls. It’s self perpetuating. A very hard cycle to break.
The poor make bad decisions. When given choices the poor tend towards the immediate rather than the long term. Being shunned by society at large they “know” their place and don’t consider alternatives.
If education is available it is generally substandard and likely won’t be contiued beyond the legal requirements. In S.E. Asia that would be the age of 15. Even the “legal” minimum wage is out of reach due to a lack of skills.
Even when the government has programs designed to help the poor, they are ignorant of those policies and fail to get help. The poor lack phones and computors and governments are lacking when it comes to outreach.
In Thailand there are programs for the poor and healthcare is available to everybody, regardless of income. This is true of education as well, but going on to university is very difficult if even possible for the truly poor. Women of course, are the majority affected by poverty followed closely by children.
The U.S. is at war with the poor and blame them for their poverty. The bloodless politicians have cut benefits across the board and want more cuts. The U.S. Government/politicians are the largest generators of poverty in their race to the bottom. Humanity is MIA.@ John Day
The passivity of Americans is vexing. I have never understood it; having been active in anti-Vietnam war demonstrations (I barely escaped being drafted[but that’s another story]).
Frankly, I do not believe the U.S. citizens know or understand what’s being done to them. Provincialism extracts a very high price in the end. It may be that simple.Self sufficiency probably is not possible for most; but sufficiency will be imposed and those without “community” will be fucked (there’s no polite way to put it).
In fact that’s exactly the situation extant as I type this. The U.S. has lost all sense of community. Of course there are exceptions; but they are far and few between.
My view from afar is that most are not really looking for answers or solutions. Too close to the elephant’s leg…Why anybody would still be doing business with “banks” is quite beyond me.
I gave up on “banks” more than 20 years ago; credit unions are the only viable alternative, IMO. Being a member is way different than being a “customer” (translation=one-to-exploit).
As long as one plays the game, one is in the game; withdraw consent by not playing the game.Valdai. I listened to all of it; 3 hours worth of it. Putin’s best speech ever and maybe the best speech from a world leader yet in the 21st century.
I liked #6 from Orlov’s blog;
6. Russia will not attempt to reformat the world in her own image, but neither will she allow anyone to reformat her in their image. Russia will not close herself off from the world, but anyone who tries to close her off from the world will be sure to reap a whirlwind.The west’s provincialism, especially the U.S.’s, is appalling. Nobody’s talking about the Valdai conference and particularly Putin’s speech.
I’m just gobsmacked…Raúl Ilargi Meijer;
At times you overwhelm us simple folks with an avalanche of information (welcomed, by the way).
It is then, like the box tortoise, that I pull into my protective shell to consider the great “out there”, you know, the nothing. And then try to divine the best way forward.
I’m on a steady course of living small and sufficient. So far so good…What do I know?
Not much really. Maintain zero debt and up ones savings as much as possible. Live small and sufficiently.
And I think you’re correct about the viability of the dollar, at least in the not so foreseeable future…@ Formerly T-Bear;
“How long will it take for people to immediately react to such deceptions as being just another lie not worth the air it arrived on, or the bog-paper it was written on.”
This doth come to mind…
A Little Boy Blue come blow your horn,
The sheep’s in the meadow the cow’s in the corn.
But where’s the boy who looks after the sheep?
He’s under a haystack fast asleep.
Will you wake him? No, not I – for if I do, he’s sure to cry😉
Allegiance to anything other than family or friends is the end of personal sovereignty.
We truly are living in an Orwellian world where lies are insisted to be truth and truth is nowhere to be found outside of a very few conscious beings.
Governments are such vile organizations; it’s a wonder humans are so attached to them…https://rt.com/shows/boom-bust/199967-us-stress-tests-economy/
Follow the link; the E.U. stress test was phony as a three dollar bill…
The Potemkin economy marches on…@ Formerly T-Bear
I barely listen to or watch any U.S. media (Democracy Now excepted).
I refuse to listen to anything from Obama, Kerry, Clinton (both), or Cameron. I turn off the sound as their voices are offensive and insulting to any sentient soul.
I find RT to be quite refreshing for the most part; but one must listen with a very keen ear…
The Saker and Orlov are worth a visit as is TRNN (The Real News network).
Our world is enveloped in a very toxic atmosphere…Well, you got the numbers exactly correct. 25 banks failed! Good sources, no?
We’re in the era of circus maximas of the Roman games.
We’re such fools…@ venuspluto67
When one thinks one is omnipotent, then that one tends toward the absurd.
It is incumbent upon us, to recognize via common sense, when things have gone off the rails.
Seeing that, we (those with common sense) tend towards reasonable behavior. At least those of us who can still see, using our common sense…
The rest/majority? They do what they do…Mother of God; Costas Lapavitsas’ video is just appalling. I mean hell, just look at the audience.
He’s spouting economics at a level that is just a guaranteed non-starter.
Financialization just isn’t that difficult to explain.
Financialization is the privatization of everything that used to be a social, government funded benefit.
Fuck all, no wonder the U.S. is a walking, talking piece of propagandized shit!!!
I like TRNN, but this is just a fail!Well Ilargi, you do a masterful job of laying it all bare, for all to see.
The powers that be picture the Glass Bead Game; they think they are Magister Ludi. But they don’t know the power of their own belief system, or it’s limitations.
This will crash as you seem to agree. It can’t be other.
IMO, the only reasonable course (individually) is to withdraw and wait. Bide ones time from a position of knowledge/reality, present!
Leaving is certainly an option and highly recommended. It gives further options…Ilargi,
You have many questions, most of which deserve consideration.
And I think understanding (as much as possible) human nature would do much towards answers.
There was a fundamental change when the War God Yahweh came on the scene. It firmed a patriarchal hierarchy, possibly for the first time. Priests garnered tremendous power and began an increasingly hierarchical aspect to the order of society. Riane Eisler’s The Chalice and the Blade is an excellent read on this.
This set the course for the future and all of the offshoots of almost all the worlds religions began competition for dominance. That requires growth. Natural greed took it from there.
Not to over simplify, but capitalism and greed were a marriage made in heaven (spelled; H.E.L.L.), and here we are.
Having been an early adopter of Edward Abbey, The Monkey Wrench Gang, and Earth First, my only concern has been sustainability. There is only one economic model that is rational; Sufficiency Economy (which means sufficiency living).Realistically and looking at the world today; I see no evidence we humans are anywhere near our intelligence tipping point of awakening to what’s actually going on…
@ Ilargi
I wonder why so many people choose to confuse self-chosen isolation with loneliness.
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Good and valid question. Alone, but not lonely.
Being lonely has nothing to do with isolation; it’s an internal disconnection from the ability to feel or maybe “need” to be “included”. The (what is now a cliche’) one who feels lonely surrounded by people.
We sell our real freedom so cheaply simply because we cannot recognize it for what it is, and its true value has never been taught or learned.
And yes, the ability for self-chosen isolation is gold…Hmm…
Most of my most memorable (joyful) moments have been in solitude. My rotten social skills not withstanding, I find forced social situations pure torture.
Retirement for me has been freedom from the social, except by my own choosing or my wife’s necessity.
Ever the contrarian, I didn’t find much of interest in Monbiot’s pov, excepting a critique of a declining western world’s social structures.
Unfortunately it also is resulting in the wanton destruction of the planetary environment.
We act a self loathing species with a healthy dose of arrogance.The climate denial sickos remind me of “Planet of the Apes”, when Heston sees the head of the Statue of Liberty sticking up out of the sand, he screams; “You Maniacs! You blew it up! Ah, damn you! God damn you all to hell!”
Yep, we’re really, really doing it…Ilargi, you’ve hit all the points clearly.
Having strongly and constantly held “we” to full account for the government/world we’re now inheriting, I was particularly happy to see you address the “we factor”.
And here we are; powerless.
Some can take action, but I see that on an individual basis, not en masse. For a while yet we still have our personal freedoms (travel); but they’re fast being taken away.
The denial among us humans is strong, especially in the U.S., IMO. That combined with a perverse form of corruption; it’s unlikely, IMO, we’ll ever get our lives back.@ John Day
Remember VHS?Mercy yes. And mercifully DVD’s followed. How about 8-track? 78’s, 45’s, and 33’s? 😉
Congrats of your children’s success.@ John Day
“The great nothing”; good reference to The Neverending Story”, a good kid’s movie.
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Glad you could reference that, says a lot. 😉
Ever the contrarian: My kid never died. I would say, a good story about not giving up. It’s a movie I try to watch every year or three or four.
Cheers.Ilargi, just how much of this shit do you actually believe?
Me? I just need to step back a bit and watch the insanity to know they’re all nuts!
Captured in their own game.
Healthy humans don’t live like this and given real choices will choose the best options.
God’s be good, get out. And get out as soon as possible or you’ll be consumed by the nothing; because that’s what’s coming; the great nothing.@ Raleigh
We are the Earth’s virus.While dramatic, I think you have it exactly backwards.
Gaia, the living organism called earth, will destroy us. We cannot possibly destroy the earth. We’re just not that omnipotent.
Without us humans, or at least a dramatically reduced population, the earth (Gaia) will do just fine.
Gaia will always seek an equilibrium and adjust accordingly.
Regardless the ravages of climate change (an extremely human centric event), Gaia will find a way back to stasis that will have nothing to do with “us”.
The spice must flow, so-to-speak… 😉Oh come on. There is no way this will end well.
Kunstler and his ilk aside, this won’t be an attack that instantly wipes everything to shit.
It’s a painfully long slog to, what?
The fact is nobody knows, but by paying careful attention to the here and now, one may just get the drift, the direction, and adapt to the indicated direction.
Our ability at adaptation is one of our strong points (always has been).
It would seem logical to not be too densely packed together.
It may usher in a whole new definition of freedom, no?There is now a second confirmed case directly from Duncan in Texas. One in Massachusetts as well.
The operational word is exponential, one cannot understand the potential without understanding Ebola spreads exponentially.
We (humans) will surely find a way to muck this up. So far we’re doing a fair job of it…
I can hardly wait to hear of the first case in S.E. Asia. We have a large African population here in LOS.@ Raleigh
Yes, Vietnam is beautiful, but I’m not in Vietnam. In April of 2003 I was offered a job with an American toy company in a rural area of Thailand, close to the Myanmar border.
I came alone. I wasn’t married at the time. No, I did not renounce my citizenship, a U.S. passport is still more of a benefit than a liability (M.E. excepted). I cannot imagine a reason to ever return to the U.S.
The political situation here is unstable, but that’s been the norm for the last 82 years.
Anything is preferable to living in a country that kills and tortures with impunity anywhere it deems necessary. Its thuggery has replaced any semblance of diplomacy. Moral bankruptcy is an ugly thing to behold.
Internal politics aside, Thailand, outside the large cities and tourist areas, is quite lovely and rich in culture and the cost of living is remarkably low. The language is difficult but learn-able with some effort.
Cheers
