The Sky is Falling! The Sky is Falling!

[Christopher O'Brien]

[The clucking of the "chicken little's" is getting louder & louder as this article aptly illustrates. Are these unusual drought conditions, massive blackouts and tenuous political and social times an indication of even worse times ahead? Were the Maya, Hopi and other indigenous cultures truly aware of what will be transpiring at the end of this "prophesised" time-period? Truthfully, I dunno, (I kinda doubt it) but I'm sure time will tell, and real soon! ---chris]

A Glimpse Into Our Future?
Full Article HERE:
This week has provided two very clear examples of why it is so important to keep on prepping. In the United States, the historic drought ravaging the central part of the country is absolutely devastating our crops. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, drought is affecting nearly 90 percent of all corn crops in America at this point. This is pushing the price of corn to levels never seen before. On Tuesday, the price of corn hit another new record high of $8.20 a bushel on the Chicago Board of Trade. Over the past six weeks the price of corn has risen more than 50 percent, and it could go a lot higher as the drought continues to absolutely bake America. Meanwhile, the massive power grid failures in India are reminding us all just how incredibly dependent we are on electricity and technology. Power was cut off to nearly a tenth of the entire global population on Tuesday, and there was quite a bit of panic about that even though power is rapidly being restored. So what would happen to them (or to us) someday if the power went off for good? As much as humanity would like to think that our technology has conquered nature, that simply is not the case. Without the rain that falls from the sky, there would be mass starvation on this planet. We are not immune to drought, and there are a lot of indications that the drought we are experiencing right now is just the beginning of a longer trend. For example, one team of scientists has just published a study that says that the western United States could be facing a "100-year drought". Rest of the article HERE:

 

[nameless]

lol. just listened to an old show where Chris is freaking out cos of the three feet deep flash floods.

 

[Wade]

Oh Yes, the shift is about to hit the man

b.t.w. Chris I noticed that your countdown clock didn't make the transition to your new site ?

 

[RenaissanceLady]

This is what our reality looks like.

I live at 8800 feet up in the Colorado Rockies. This past winter and the prior winter we had almost no snow with nothing on the ground during times when we should have been measuring several feet of snow on the ground. We had our first major fire, which killed a woman, back in March. By June, major fires were a regular occurrence. Neighboring communities have had to evacuate while we have nervously watched and wondered if/when it would be our turn. Now we're having the monsoons and flash floods with accompanying mudslides, due to all the burns and extremely dry ground. Even with this rainfall, we're still desperately needing more. We've been having record heat even with the storms and we even had a tornado touch down by Mt. Evans this past Saturday.

Rare Mountain Tornado Touches Down Near Mount Evans « CBS Denver

Did I mention this is the Colorado Rockies? As the crow flies, this happened about 12 miles from my house. I grew up on the Gulf Coast and know tornadoes. I somehow had thought that moving to the mountains would mean that these were a thing of my past. When I first moved to the mountains in 2006, we ended up having one of the strongest winters in recorded history yet it still didn't give us enough snow pack to make up for the years of drought. Every few years we're beating records in terms of severe weather yet it never balances out. Mountain tornadoes are just the latest twist.

So what do I do? I'm trying to "be the change I want to see in the world" but I feel more like a lone fish swimming upstream. I have a job I can do from pretty much anywhere but the truth is I'm one of the people who is working harder and harder for less and less. It's part of the race to the bottom. Be willing to almost kill yourself for next to nothing or someone else will do even more for far less. I'd love nothing more than to find some "opt out" button, move off the grid and allow others to fight over the scraps left in the system. Many of my friends have fled this country like rats off a sinking ship but I'm not certain their predicament is any better, though at least it offers a change of routine. This reality isn't anything I signed up for. I think I erred by growing up. It's a trap and I don't recommend it.

I feel most people are trapped in a broken system. I have more freedom than most yet I certainly feel like an old wheel that's spinning in mud. How do those working the corporate shifts, taking care of families and mortgages, not rely upon fuel costs, power grids and what's available in grocery stores? How do they find a way to break away? I'd like to see a solid investment in the infrastructure with an emphasis on helping communities but what I got was the Corporate States of America and a plutocracy. At what point does "trickle down economics" become "trickle up poverty" and when will the masses be empowered? Possibly never. The system is designed to keep people ignorant, scared and dependent upon those in power. A few people will have all the goods, hiding away in gated communities, while the rest of us are left to struggle and suffer. We're not supposed to have critical thinking (as a party in Texas recently said in their platform). We're supposed to shut up and serve our masters. We're now reaping what we have sown.

 

[Christopher O'Brien]

Thanks for the thoughtfully insightful post Renny Lady, I agree. The USA/free-market model (with its illusionary carrot of upward social mobility) has been folded, spindled and mutilated by the money dogs that have found the magic formula. Keep 'em distracted while we have our way with the ostriches w/ heads in the sand. Your term "trickle up poverty" is sad but appropriate. Capitalism and democracy are inspirational (in theory), but ultimately the power and influence of the almighty $ has created a corporate-controlled oligarchy that is dooming the system to failure. The "1%" that exercises this influence has attained complete command of the process and soon there might be hell to pay. What the mucky-mucks forget is the consequences will be shared by us all and the banksters and shysters will be called out w/ prejudice by a pissed-off 99%. There is a breaking point, and it won't be pretty! I suspect the next year will be a test for us all for we are indeed living that curse of "interesting times."

 

[dyingsun]

Odd.. indeed.

 

[RenaissanceLady]

This is worth watching. I have tremendous respect for Michio Kaku and feel his statements about the American educational system are spot on:

Dr. Michio Kaku America Has A Secret Weapon - Snotr

 

[Christopher O'Brien]

lol. just listened to an old show where Chris is freaking out cos of the three feet deep flash floods.

Naw, it was our most recent show and I was impressed by the volume of water rushing past the window, plain & simple.. lol I was just dazzled by moma Gaia's way of contributing to the conversation. Ultimately, she will be the one that dictates what happens to us mere mortals down here who simply think life is for losing...

 

[Christopher O'Brien]

Odd.. indeed.

ya think?

 

[dyingsun]

Agree, the planet/she/it will, let's not 'wish' anything into existence here.

 

[RenaissanceLady]

Naw, it was our most recent show and I was impressed by the volume of water rushing past the window, plain & simple.. lol I was just dazzled by moma Gaia's way of contributing to the conversation. Ultimately, she will be the one that dictates what happens to us mere mortals down here who simply think life is for losing...

I think those who haven't lived in the Southwest have a hard time grasping just how awesome and sudden a flood in an arroyo can be, or the intensity of a true lightning storm (compared to generic thunder storms). Glad you're still with us and weren't washed away or fried by Mother Gaia.