World capitalism against the energy have-nots

Ten percent of the world uses fifty percent of the energy and resources.

Capitalism must have a large pool of unemployed to keep wages down. To maintain such a pool requires that there be about 5 or 6 poor family members for every unemployed potential worker.

Now capitalism has reached the end of cheap oil. There are no profits, only rent.

All major governments are controlled by capitalist groups of bankers and billionaires. These are now all aligned against the poor people in Idlib, Syria.

They intend a massacre. As was the case with the atomic bombings of Japan, the purpose is to tell the poor and middle classes not to fight back.

Study shows that we could reduce car deaths, but choose not to

smartcitiesdive

• Cities that make public transportation use a higher priority could reduce traffic fatalities by up to 40%, according to a study by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).
• The analysis, co-authored by the Vision Zero Network, found cities with more transit use have fewer deaths, and that traveling by public transportation is 10 times safer per mile than traveling by car.
• "One of the most powerful traffic safety tools a city can employ to eliminate deaths and injuries due to road traffic crashes is its public transportation system," APTA President and CEO Paul Skoutelas told reporters on a conference call. "It takes just a modest increase in public transit use to result in a dramatic decrease in traffic fatalities."

Elites sow division as their ship approaches next iceberg

The US elites divide people

• racism - police murders and racist marches
• gender - (incel meme, me-too 'backlash')
• generation - x vs y vs boomer
• gun 'debate' - the real gun question is how to define 'responsible' gun owner

Fake school shootings are created from security drills and used to test the ability of the corporate media to overcome social media and control what people believe. They want people begging for harsher government.

The elites know that the next bubble burst will bring unemployment to 30%. There is just no future in a system where half the office workers are keeping track of debt.The US system is based on $trillions in liquid-fuel infrastructure.

• pipelines
• tankers, road, rail, water
• refineries
• roads, highways
• suburbs
• military
• fracking and drilling rigs
• health costs of cars, collision, pollution

There is too much deferred maintenance and debt, and too little cash flow.When public services start falling apart, people will start fighting back. They want them divided as much as possible.

Why is the US afraid of Russia? [Hint: It's not,but...]

Since the autosprawl bubble burst in 2008, nothing has been done to prevent another crash.

The US, and much of the capitalist world, is piling up unsustainable debt.

Russia is an oil/gas company with a ruthless thug-controlled security system.

World fossil fuel operates on a thin margin. Everyone thinks there is a glut, but it would only take one day of Russia gas tap closure to create an economic disaster for the EU.

The US is not afraid of Russia militarily, but cannot afford the fight.

In the US, many colleges provide fare-free #publictransit

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - Bakersfield College students with a valid student ID can now ride Kern Transit Routes free of charge.
According to Kern Transit, students will not have to struggle with traffic or find parking and can focus on their studies as they commute to school.
Kern Transit adds, by using public transit, students will also help limit emissions, and in turn improve the air quality in the central valley.

Another college added to the long list of US schools that provide fare-free public transit for their students. These cases are presented as helping the students, and they do. But behind the scenes, the colleges find that making a deal with local transit is cheaper than building and maintaining parking lots and managing traffic.

Look here for lists of colleges and other locations with free transit.

Headlines in November: "Will China bailout US government?"

I’m expecting a monstrous stock market crash by late October. Attendant lack of global dimming means game over. https://t.co/kHikwdv3xw

— Guy McPherson (@Guy_McPherson) August 22, 2018

artificial intelligence meets thermodynamics

Imagine a young man sitting at his computer terminal writing fake news or creating fake audios. All of a sudden, the lights flicker and the power goes down intermittently. Why? No one seems to know, but he hears rumors that there are chronic fuel shortages at the power plants. He hears other rumors that the power plants are having trouble getting spare parts. 

Then he decides to buy a new and fancier computer screen. But there are none in the stores. Why? Well, no one seems to know — but there are rumors that the supply chains to Asia are starting to fail. 

He then calls the company that provides support for his AI software. There is no reply — they seem to have gone out of business. Why? No one seems to know. 

He now realizes that he and his family don’t have enough food to eat and the grocery store shelves are bare. 

At this point the news is far from fake. The harsh truth is that he is hungry, frightened and totally unemployable.

ChemEng  on Resource Insights

Where is the front line in the fight against fascism? [hint: not on CNN]

Here is an example of a local fight for public transit. This is the most important fight.

www.idahopress I often hear people complain that Nampa has lousy public transit. The buses aren’t frequent enough, don't come close enough to my neighborhood to even be a reasonable option and really...who wants to stand in the cold or the blazing sun waiting for a bus?

You need to realize that this is NOT the fault of Valley Regional Transit. Funding for VRT comes from many sources, including support from each city they service. Caldwell, Boise, Meridian, BSU, CWI all "get it" and have voted to fund VRT at the level needed for the next year.

Instead, Nampa's council chose to cut funding and demand more service from VRT. This follows multiple presentations from VRT showing them the facts; recent surveys where Nampans indicated public transit should be improved; and a city health assessment revealing that transportation was one of four issues due to the large number of people who cannot afford a private vehicle.

Our council's plan for transportation is to simply spend millions of dollars for more roads, lanes, signals. In light of current and future growth, this single-minded approach is shortsighted and irresponsible.

Free street parking. Extremely valuable public space given away free to cars.

theweeklynabe The average cost of residential space in my zip code is $892 per square foot. That means the total value of the street space that the city gives away for free is nearly $9 million. And that’s on my block alone.

Estonia #freepublictransport shows sharp rise in ridership

news.err.ee According to the Road Administration's public transport statistic, the number of passengers across all counties that introduced free public transport on 1 July this year has increased by 20%. In Ida-Viru County, passenger numbers almost doubled.

The introduction of free public transport has increased the number of passengers by 92% in Ida-Viru County. Kirke Williamson, in charge of the Road Administration's public transport department, told ERR that the changeover to the state-funded free transport scheme has been smooth, and that it has had a positive effect on passenger numbers everywhere it was introduced.

How can your city save a lot of money on car costs?

Your city will actually save money by making buses fare-free. What you are not being told is that much of your city's operating budget and infrastructure is to support cars. Even a lot of things that you might think are for bikes or people are actually built to get them out of the way of cars.

Reducing car use would save a lot of money. Every time you fill your tank you are exporting money out of town. Think about it.

for more detail read here or here.

#technofix futurism selling snake oil

resourceinsights So, as this existential problem literally burns our forests, scorches our crops (thereby threatening a global food crisis) and brings drought to those thirsting for water and floods to those who already have too much—even as we continue down this path of destruction, the artificial intelligence labs and 3D printing equipment makers are predicted by futurists to be racing forward to a future that doesn't include the possibly fatal ravages of climate change.

McPherson Paradox: Economic collapse will lead to sudden temperature rise

Add these together:

existing high global average temperature

no arctic ice

more frequent El Niño's

grain harvest failure

financial collapse

economic collapse

+

------------------------------------

result: sudden temperature rise

https://youtu.be/_4P4FRAS6Tw

When particulates [air pollution] are no longer being put into the sky in sufficient quantity. More heat will be allowed to hit the surface of the earth. Sudden warming will result.

US fascism will come from the center, not the right

The US billionaire elites are using their corporate media (including entertainment) to whip up division and distrust.

Through propaganda and distraction, the American people are prevented from drawing the connection between car-dependent culture and economic collapse. They cannot figure out that the source of the problem is also what they desire the most, the peaceful leafy suburb.

When it is needed, full suspension of "rights" will come with a liberal-center flavor. It will discipline the annoying "right wing," but it will implement a Syria-like regime.

When given a clear choice, Americans consistently elect more and better #publictransit

masstransitmag The voters of Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti and Ypsilanti Township expressed their strong support for public transportation services by overwhelmingly voting to renew and restore a 0.7 millage transit levy. With more than 90 percent of the precincts fully counted, over 83 percent of the votes were in favor of the millage.

Billionaire elites using time-tested strategy with Trump

They have done it many times throughout history. Ruling elites hire a thug, outside of their circle. He then deceives the people in this way: He rants and raves against his employers, and stirs the anger of the oppressed people.

Then he conflates the injustice of the elites with some oppressed minority, thereby diverting the anger of the people. In the meantime he commits all sorts of atrocities that need doing by the elites.

Then when he is done, they dispose of him in whatever way appropriate and take credit for undoing the monster [that they hired.]

Heat wave "slashes" wheat harvest

wsj.com Global wheat prices have soared to multiyear highs as a heat wave sweeping across Europe and Asia slashes forecasts for this year’s harvest.

Airline industry classifies oil as "green"

redd-monitor.org ICAO has managed to undermine its already pathetically weak carbon trading scheme. ICAO gave in to lobbying from Saudi Arabia and the United States and included “lower carbon conventional fuels” in the definition of “sustainable” aviation fuels. According to ICAO, then, “green fuel” includes kerosene as long as it is produced in an oil refinery running on renewable energy.