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Podcast

by Gregor Macdonald

Few modern economists would, for example, monitor the behaviour of Procter and Gamble, assemble data on the market for steel, or observe the behaviour of traders.  The modern economist is the clinician with no patients, the engineer with no projects. ~ John Kay, from The Map is Not the Territory: An Essay on the State of Economics, October 2011

I’m not quite sure what a depression is. ~ Martin Feldstein, in an interview with Kelly Evans of the Wall Street Journal, October 2011

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A Failure To See the Obvious 

Prior to 2008 it was generally understood that the profession hardly merited its claims of its own predictive utility. So the failure to assign enough risk to such a crisis as befell the developed world in 2008 was, frankly, no surprise. But in the aftermath of the crisis, economics, in its professional form, has revealed itself to be damagingly disconnected from observable reality.

A glaring example of this is how it cannot come to any agreement as to how the debt crisis occurred, and accordingly remains quite confused in its proffered solutions.

It’s Time To Give Up On Mainstream Economics
by Gregor Macdonald

Few modern economists would, for example, monitor the behaviour of Procter and Gamble, assemble data on the market for steel, or observe the behaviour of traders.  The modern economist is the clinician with no patients, the engineer with no projects. ~ John Kay, from The Map is Not the Territory: An Essay on the State of Economics, October 2011

I’m not quite sure what a depression is. ~ Martin Feldstein, in an interview with Kelly Evans of the Wall Street Journal, October 2011

 align=

A Failure To See the Obvious 

Prior to 2008 it was generally understood that the profession hardly merited its claims of its own predictive utility. So the failure to assign enough risk to such a crisis as befell the developed world in 2008 was, frankly, no surprise. But in the aftermath of the crisis, economics, in its professional form, has revealed itself to be damagingly disconnected from observable reality.

A glaring example of this is how it cannot come to any agreement as to how the debt crisis occurred, and accordingly remains quite confused in its proffered solutions.

by Chris Martenson

Two weeks ago, Chris flew to Spain to speak at the 2012 Gold & Silver meeting in Madrid. He gave his latest, streamlined version of the Crash Course titled “Unfixable”.

GoldMoney was a sponsor of the event and recorded the presentation, which has subsequently been put onto the Internet. The wide pickup and positive reaction have been a real pleasure to see.

If you’re one of the few who has yet to run across it, here it is. Of particular note is how deftly Chris handles the Q&A segment, which starts about mid-way through.

Unfixable (UPDATED)
by Chris Martenson

Two weeks ago, Chris flew to Spain to speak at the 2012 Gold & Silver meeting in Madrid. He gave his latest, streamlined version of the Crash Course titled “Unfixable”.

GoldMoney was a sponsor of the event and recorded the presentation, which has subsequently been put onto the Internet. The wide pickup and positive reaction have been a real pleasure to see.

If you’re one of the few who has yet to run across it, here it is. Of particular note is how deftly Chris handles the Q&A segment, which starts about mid-way through.

by JW

 align=Many of us here within the PeakProsperity.com community were introduced to the need of preparedness through watching the Crash Course and later exploring the WSID Guide and Blog.  As personal awareness grew, many of us started to look at emergencies and situations that would have a dramatic and profound affect on our lives, and we began to make preparations to deal with those emergencies and build more resiliency into our lives.

We started to evaluate our water, food, and housing security more closely and to make sure we had backup plans and resources. Health, wealth, and community became a bigger concern for many of us, as we learned more about the state of the systems we rely on so heavily and their overall decline in supporting us in the future.

With all of the situations and concerns we look at when building resiliency into our lives, one topic that gets overlooked frequently is our “digital lives” and how to protect them from catastrophe. The majority of us are perpetually connected to a digital life. Everything from banking and financial records, contracts, business documents, and our personal photos and memories are all stored on a hard drive somewhere as binary 1’s and 0’s. 

Considering Data Backup
by JW

 align=Many of us here within the PeakProsperity.com community were introduced to the need of preparedness through watching the Crash Course and later exploring the WSID Guide and Blog.  As personal awareness grew, many of us started to look at emergencies and situations that would have a dramatic and profound affect on our lives, and we began to make preparations to deal with those emergencies and build more resiliency into our lives.

We started to evaluate our water, food, and housing security more closely and to make sure we had backup plans and resources. Health, wealth, and community became a bigger concern for many of us, as we learned more about the state of the systems we rely on so heavily and their overall decline in supporting us in the future.

With all of the situations and concerns we look at when building resiliency into our lives, one topic that gets overlooked frequently is our “digital lives” and how to protect them from catastrophe. The majority of us are perpetually connected to a digital life. Everything from banking and financial records, contracts, business documents, and our personal photos and memories are all stored on a hard drive somewhere as binary 1’s and 0’s. 

by charleshughsmith

The Skills Most Likely To Be In Demand

by Charles Hugh Smith, contributing editor
Monday, November 28, 2011

Executive Summary

  • The New Paradigm For Job Security
  • Unlocking Value By Removing Systemic ‘Friction’
  • Examples of Promising Business Models
  • The Skills That Will Be In High Demand
  • Why Changing Your Behavior Will Be as Important as Re-Skilling

Part I: The Future Of Jobs

If you have not yet read Part I, available free to all readers, please click here to read it first.

Part II: The Skills Most Likely To Be In Demand

The New Paradigm for Job Security

The coming decade will turn many long-standing ideas about work and employment on their heads.

For example, in the current Status Quo, inflexibility and resistance to change are the hallmarks of secure employment. Institutional employment is “guaranteed” by contracts, and institutional resistance to change is viewed as a guarantee of secure employment.

In the near future, these brittle forms of security will prove chimerical, as the very rigidity and resistance to change that characterizes institutions renders them increasingly prone to disruption and collapse. The very traits which are currently viewed as protectors of security will be revealed as the causes of insecurity. Flexibility and adaptability—what are now viewed as hallmarks of insecurity—will slowly be recognized as the sources of real security. These include flex-time, free-lance labor, small, local enterprises and self-organizing networks.

The Skills Most Likely To Be In Demand
PREVIEW by charleshughsmith

The Skills Most Likely To Be In Demand

by Charles Hugh Smith, contributing editor
Monday, November 28, 2011

Executive Summary

  • The New Paradigm For Job Security
  • Unlocking Value By Removing Systemic ‘Friction’
  • Examples of Promising Business Models
  • The Skills That Will Be In High Demand
  • Why Changing Your Behavior Will Be as Important as Re-Skilling

Part I: The Future Of Jobs

If you have not yet read Part I, available free to all readers, please click here to read it first.

Part II: The Skills Most Likely To Be In Demand

The New Paradigm for Job Security

The coming decade will turn many long-standing ideas about work and employment on their heads.

For example, in the current Status Quo, inflexibility and resistance to change are the hallmarks of secure employment. Institutional employment is “guaranteed” by contracts, and institutional resistance to change is viewed as a guarantee of secure employment.

In the near future, these brittle forms of security will prove chimerical, as the very rigidity and resistance to change that characterizes institutions renders them increasingly prone to disruption and collapse. The very traits which are currently viewed as protectors of security will be revealed as the causes of insecurity. Flexibility and adaptability—what are now viewed as hallmarks of insecurity—will slowly be recognized as the sources of real security. These include flex-time, free-lance labor, small, local enterprises and self-organizing networks.

by Adam Taggart

The core of this site is its community. Having conscientious discussion about a post-Peak Oil future with smart, supportive, and experienced minds from all over the planet is an incredibly valuable resource.

At Thanksgiving time on this site, we like to reflect on the good fortune we share: that Chris had the courage to share his Crash Course vision with the world, that this like-minded community has flourished around it, and that we still have the gift of time to make progress in our resiliency-building preparations.

So, let’s make the most of the “virtual” Thanksgiving table we’ve created here at this site, and if you have a moment today, share a thought, story, or photo of what you’re thankful for this season.

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Sharing Our Virtual Thanksgiving Table
by Adam Taggart

The core of this site is its community. Having conscientious discussion about a post-Peak Oil future with smart, supportive, and experienced minds from all over the planet is an incredibly valuable resource.

At Thanksgiving time on this site, we like to reflect on the good fortune we share: that Chris had the courage to share his Crash Course vision with the world, that this like-minded community has flourished around it, and that we still have the gift of time to make progress in our resiliency-building preparations.

So, let’s make the most of the “virtual” Thanksgiving table we’ve created here at this site, and if you have a moment today, share a thought, story, or photo of what you’re thankful for this season.

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