Category Archives: 2) Collapse

The collapse of the financial system, breakdown of supply chains, blackouts, end of being able to make computer chips, and so on are symptoms of the underlying cause: LESS OIL AVAILABLE TO DO MILLIONS OF ESSENTIAL TASKS. Whether the house of cards goes from the financial shock of a natural disaster or from debt and corruption, blockage of the Suez canal, Export Land Model, or (nuclear war) — there is certain to be a series of dislocations that ultimately bring population down to 1 billion or less, and given past collapses, take about 20-30 years. Let’s hope there are some islands of sanity and that you, dear reader, are living on one of them!

Book review of Turchin’s “Secular Cycles” and “War & Peace & War”

Posted on May 1, 2023 by

Preface. This is a book review of both “Secular Cycles” and “War & Peace & War”.  I recommend reading “War & Peace & War” first, then the more difficult “Secular Cycles”. Turchin has found patterns in the rise and fall … Continue reading →

Posted in 2) Collapse, Overpopulation, Peter Turchin, Predictions, Social Disorder, Stages of, War Books | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Book review of Turchin’s “Secular Cycles” and “War & Peace & War”

Prime movers of human evolution

Posted on April 10, 2023 by

Preface. The human brain and culture evolved at an astonishing rate, making scientists wonder what conditions and ecological pressures drove it, why we became homo sapiens so quickly. This is a post that will grow over time as I find … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Evolution, Human Nature | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Prime movers of human evolution

Review of Lights out: the electricity crisis, the global economy, and what it means to you

Posted on April 3, 2023 by

Preface. My books and energyskeptic.com explain why the electric grid can’t stay up.  This is a book review of Makansi’s “Lights out: the electricity crisis, the global economy, and what it means to you”. He explains why the grid is … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative Energy, Blackouts Electric Grid, Books, Electric Grid, Electricity Infrastructure, Energy Books | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

California Governor Newsom goes furthest to soften collapse of any U.S. state

Posted on March 19, 2023 by

Preface. In September 2022, Governor Gavin Newsom passed 12 bills making abortion easier to obtain, and invites women from states where abortion is forbidden to come here.

Posted in Biodiversity Loss, Overpopulation, Population | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on California Governor Newsom goes furthest to soften collapse of any U.S. state

Collapse of Mayan civilization: drought, mercury poisoning, toxic algae

Posted on March 12, 2023 by

Preface. Drought is probably reason #1, but collapse is complex, I’ve seen lists of over 200 reasons for the Fall of the Roman Empire, and our own fall will have even more causes, though triggered by energy decline, since for … Continue reading →

Posted in Drought, Drought & Collapse, Peak Food, Scientists Warnings to Humanity | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Collapse of Mayan civilization: drought, mercury poisoning, toxic algae

Review of “Vision or Mirage: Saudi Arabia at the Crossroads”

Posted on February 26, 2023 by

Preface.  This is a book review of Rundell’s “Vision or Mirage: Saudi Arabia at the Crossroads”. If this book is right, things have gotten a lot better in Saudi Arabia than when my other review on Saudi Arabia was written … Continue reading →

Posted in Middle East, Peak Oil, Peak Resources, Threats to oil supply | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Human sprawl and wildlife destruction: a book review of “Nature Wars”

Posted on February 13, 2023 by

Preface.  This is a book review of Sterba’s “Nature Wars” and our interaction with wildlife as our insanely huge population growth wipes out nature.

Posted in Biodiversity Loss, Natural History, Overpopulation | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Human sprawl and wildlife destruction: a book review of “Nature Wars”

Nuclear waste storage plans in the news

Posted on January 23, 2023 by

Preface.  With world peak oil of conventional likely to have happened in 2008 (90% of our oil) and all oil, including conventional in 2018, there’s not much time left to clean up nuclear wastes to keep future generations for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Nuclear Power Collapse, Nuclear Waste | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Nuclear waste storage plans in the news

Will women be accused of witchcraft after energy descent?

Posted on January 16, 2023 by

Preface. This is a book review of “In Defense of Witches: The Legacy of the Witch Hunts and Why Women Are Still on Trial.”  The author Chollet writes that the book won’t spend much time on witchcraft today, but explore … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism, Religion, Slavery, Social Disorder, Who is to Blame? | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Will women be accused of witchcraft after energy descent?

The staggering level of corruption & kleptocracy in the world

Posted on January 9, 2023 by

Preface.  This is a book review of Frank Vogl’s 2021 book “The Enablers: How the West Supports Kleptocrats and Corruption – Endangering Our Democracy” (well, mostly kindle notes).  They couldn’t get away with it if there weren’t so many places … Continue reading →

Posted in Banking, Bond Market, Corporate Welfare, Corruption, Crime, Gangs, Corrupt police, Private security, Debt, No Jail for Bankers & Wall St execs, Politics, Scams | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on The staggering level of corruption & kleptocracy in the world