Over 1.5 MILLION International Followers and Readers have engaged our various periodic blogs plus the regular curated digest of research, commentary and ideas from top global investors, economists, scientists, experts and media; focusing on Humanity's "BIG 7 Es" as they pertain to economics, investing and wealth concepts..In the Know ,Ahead of Markets ,Deciding Wisely
LEADERS
TOP International LEADERS Calling Market Crashes Years Ahead
Second to None, Anywhere...
'Warned 2000 tech slide; predicted 2008 meltdown in 2007. Forecasted 2020 global economic collapse in 2011, AND NOW- BY 2050 - THE MOTHER OF ALL CRASHES"
Denial wears many faces. Whether it's average people who are too busy with their lives to take on board the more extreme reports of environmental degradation; bloggers and politicians who believe that it's all a hoax cooked up by evil scientists to get grant money for bogus studies; or, perhaps surprisingly, the green activists who believe that more political or technological change will improve or even fix the situation - these are common techniques we use to avoid confronting the horror of global collapse face-to-face.
We are all familiar with the face of climate change denial. The Koch brothers, James Inhofe, Anthony Watts and a host of bloggers and politicians work tirelessly to derail any efforts to address humanity's greatest existential crisis since the Toba super-volcano 75,000 years ago. They are a resilient species, their fact-resistance bolstered by inoculations of status and cash. But this form of denial is easy to spot. There is a more subtle form, one that is endemic among the white hats of the green movement. They are the ones who tirelessly work from the moral high ground - to change policies, to develop and promote green technology, to encourage sustainability. They resolutely refuse to countenance any thoughts of our predicament being inextricable. Tireless work, even in a lost cause, tends to keep one insulated from the deeper, darker realizations, and lets one keep fighting the good fight. Heroism has always been an intrinsic part of our story: "Quitters never win and winners never quit!" Read More
There is another word that comes to mind that may also be applied to our collective group-think
Earth's Current Population Equivalents Exceed 40 Billion
For sure the first thing we have to do is get the metrics right
so that we can properly diagnose, manage and remedy, if possible, our
population predicament. To do so, we must first understand that this is not about population
numbers at all. Rather it is all about "population equivalents," but so
long as the focus remains on person numbers, then we are doomed to head
down the wrong path with little hope of finding a cure. In the end, you cannot remove a brain tumor by doing a heart transplant - it is just
not going to happen. There is no responsible economic organization or entity on this
planet that does not have an accounting system with metrics to
determine, monitor and control its status. So there is no good reason as
to why we should not work towards and apply similar concepts for the
whole planet as an initial way to get a handle on our planet's overall
situation. As a metric - "population equivalents" is a fairly
straightforward mathematical concept to apply as the prime unit of
measure within this overall planetary accounting system. Population equivalents should firstly allow us to start comparing
apples to apples and not to pears, turnips and potatoes. For example,
when the entropic/climate/resource footprint for each
developed nation person is estimated to be 34 times larger than a
underdeveloped nation's person - this comparison shows a huge gap in the
annual-planetary cost between these two person types to the planet.
The implications of this difference needs to be better understood and
managed based on objectives. As a medical professional you might start
with an old idea and goal like - LONGEVITY! Now consider the case when 100 million people migrate annually from
these underdeveloped nations to developed countries. That migration
alone has the equivalent impact of adding 3.4 billion people to the
underdeveloped nations population totals. Or you could also say it is
equal to the birth of 3.4 billion people in these underdeveloped
countries. Put in another way - the 1 billion people footprint of developed
nations calculates to an equivalent 34 billion people footprint in
underdeveloped countries. Thus, the planet's population size using
approximate actual numbers could be considered closer to 40 billion
people when population equivalent footprint measures are used.(1 billion developed plus, 6 billion underdeveloped people) BIG number? But now you be the doctor and tell the patient where you think the problem is - Heart or Brain?
So in order to get things right, we first and foremost need to start
measuring properly. Moreover, it is a "conceptual technology" that has
been well-developed by the medical profession, among others, over many
years. So why not apply it to the most important patient we know? In short, we need to go beyond checking the patient's brain condition
based on its pulse rate and advance ourselves to using proper clinical
metrics and devices to better diagnose and remedy our sickly patient. In so doing, we may then stand an improved chance of extending its life. It is your call now ... Doctor! First Financial Insights December 10, 2013
"Doctors my pulse is fine. But, my head still hurts."
Never in the history of literature has any short
story entered the world with such fanfare, mystery and expectation. For a few
moments thousands of eyes from all around the globe will be engaged for a brief
minute or two making, at the very least, literary history. For days, months and
years thereafter, thousands of minds are destined to confront the enigma of “Infinity Express Flight 2100: Entropy
Fueled”. For as John Milton so profoundly stated in Paradise Lost – “the mind is its own place, and in itself can
make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven” Are you ready to board this Starship? Are you sure?
IN-FLIGHT VIDEO
Infinity Express Flight 2100: Entropy Fueled
– Asillylittlestory …
Boarding passes were presented by the 10,000 or so passengers who
happily jumped onto Starship Earth, some 250,000 years ago. For Infinity
Express Airlines, Flight 2100, was then finally boarded; destined to take its
passengers to the last shores of Eternity. Engines were fueled by cosmic fuel -
entropy; the flight crew was a top class professional team, captained by
Economics, while Theology, Politics and Science rounded out the rest of the key
cabin crew members.
After take-off, the passengers’ only concerns were survival,
procreation and creating the distractions needed to keep their brains’ -
primary organ - neurological mass and energy mix, actively producing a range of
various cognitions. Through their cognitions they could also create many
stories that would allow them to organize and entertain themselves over an
expected long voyage. So they did all these things. It was a circular process,
like everything else around them.
All the essential necessities were provided in the cargo store
for this journey, along with enough entropy supply for the Starship’s engines,
as well as, the daily use of passengers for their survival needs and
distractions purposes. This cargo store was certified and approved prior to
departure, and then managed, in flight, by the crew.
About fifty-nine “cosmic minutes” after takeoff, the Scientist
was becoming concerned, that the now over seven billion travelers, had been
consuming too much, from both the necessities cargo store and entropy fuel
tanks. It was a grand party, as evidenced by the thick cabin smoke and clutter.
But this ever-growing passenger population created after take-off was testing
the logical stress limits of the ship and voyage. Particular attention was
given to the half-full entropy fuel tanks.
“No worries” said both the Politicians and
Theologians “The Captain says there is more than enough for another
250,000 years given past usage experience, more than enough to refuel at the
next rest-stop along the way. “With these assurances the
passengers relaxed and continued with their affairs for a moment, not even
realizing that they were still going around-in-circles. Moreover, the Scientist
for some strange reason was quickly re-assigned to coach, with the other passengers.
Back in the cockpit cabin, its atmosphere was now engulfed by
the team’s fear, high-tensions, blinking-lights and stuttering confusion. The
abstract Positive-Sum Infinite (PSI) gauges for GDP, Wealth, and Growth were
all stabilized and normal, but the concrete Negative-Sum Finite (NSF) gauges
for Climate, Resources, Water and Biosphere had just jumped sharply into
J-curve configurations. The Politician, and now acting flight engineer,
immediately pulled-out and started reading the”Infinity Express - Emergency and Flight Disaster Protocols Manual.
“Quickly, what are we supposed to do?” asked the sweat-drenched
Captain.
“Captain,” replied the Politician, “it says we are now LinearCurve Code
Red Nth”
“Then, what does it say next. Tell me! Quickly! Please?”cried a
clearly terrified Captain.
“Strange Captain? All it says is that,the greatest shortcoming of the human
race is our inability to understand the exponential function. Dr Albert A
Bartlett. That’s it?”
“Holy jumping Star bucks guys – the fuel tank just dropped to
empty. Get into batten-down mode; we gotta to tell the passengers,” bellowed the
now highly-strung Captain at the top of his lungs.
Suddenly, back in coach, in just a few brief moments the
Captain’s voice broke the newly found Starship’s passengers’ cabin short-lived
calm.“Attention all
passengers, please push back your trays; buckle your seat belts as our
indicators are telling us that we are about to enter an unexpected area of
accelerated exponential turbulence”the Captain deeply lamented in an
official resonant tone.
Then just as suddenly, sparse moments after the sturdy voice
left their ears - the engines went quiet. Then a brief ghostly hiss, followed
by Dead Silence…
Hardly moments later, within the carnage of terrifying wreckage,
a few survivors clung to their last gasps of time. A young little girl softly
and quietly turns to her father’s darkened somber face. With all her remaining
strength she blurts, “Why? Why Daddy? Why?
A single lonely teardrop etches on his face, then falls into the
soulless murmur of waves flowing into an existential universe. Looking for the
welcoming hand of eternity’s shores? Or humanity’s last thought?
There were no hands, no shores and no thoughts in the remnants
and carnage of unanswered why’s. Only whys. And then, another cosmic
minute lapsed, bearing the soft humming sounds of another passing
Starship...
“the mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven”
In His Words...
Special thanks to those
who contributed alphabetically to the crafting of this parody; Paul Chefurka, Chris Clugston, Fred Magyar,
Terry McNeil, Frosty Wooldridge, and Dr. Peter G Kinesa. And a very special
acknowledgment and thanks to the late Dr. Albert A
Bartlett, whose famous quote is cited above regarding humanity’s (particularly
mainstream economics) inability to understand and
apply the exponential function.- a conceptual failing
which will ultimately have such profound effects on its condition,
sustainability and longevity. In the end, it should prove to be one of its greatest
failings of understanding and intellectual honesty.
Why there is any debate about what is the primary root
constraint and determinant of our journey, makes no sense at all, in our opinion. Entropy is the most pervasive defining principle of ourunderstooduniverse's elements and relationships. It simply interconnects all
things.
Below is a brief pre-flight video documentary, released this past March, that adds further support to this
universal connection string; starting from our primary survival and procreation
needs, to theeconomy, to
money, to oil, to energy, and then right back to entropyExcept for Ivy-League(sic) Economists and Nobel Prize
Winners,these are
straightforward connections that most folks can readily understand -
Right?
The paradox is that
the need to survive and procreate drives the entropy that ultimately creates a
final heat death or a situation where no organized form of energy exists, to
particularly serve our survival need, in the universe. And our survival need appears
to have a deeply-embedded insatiable-thirst for energy, which in itself
contradicts its initial purpose. And that's not as straightforward.
Moreover, we seem to be
constantly trying to fight or usurp this second law of thermodynamics. But
instead, we unknowingly act as fully obedient servants to an invisible master,
by doing all that we can to accelerate the transformation of usable energy into
its chaotic form, despite fully knowing where it leads us. Worse still - we do
so, with reckless and perverse exponentialdelight! Hmm.
However, there is a resultant optimistic
point in all this. Insofar as, if we do not identify and understand what the
critical underlying issues and constraints are - then there is little or no
chance of moving towards either its better situational management or even a
possible solution. Quantum Physicists, such as Vlatko Vedral, in his
book Decoding
Reality,sets out
that there are logical possibilities beyond today's known rules of the
universe. So there still remains a flicker of hope, in the painting of our
darkening predicament.
Whether any practical discoveries or broad
applications evolve from this form of work and thought is impossible to know.
But at the very least:it could yield for us a better attitude, which is a
little thing - that can make all the difference!
Not since the dawn of time has one short story so deeply rocked and stirred the minds of readers worldwide. From beginning to end, it intoxicates your thoughts and senses, leaving you with just one inevitable question?
Premiers
November 15th 2013
At First Financial Insights and other participating websites.
On this November 15th 2013, 7 pm (EST), you are invited to join the many thousands worldwide attending thisRed Carpet Eventat First Financial Insights that Premiers:
“Infinity Express Flight 2100: Entropy Fueled"
In less than five minutes, this short story takes you from the dawn of time, to a place where eternities meet eternities. So bookmark this site, mark this time, and be one of the first of your friends to tune in and know the journey of our times!
Don’t forget your Boarding Pass…
First Financial Insights
October 30, 2013
Are you ready to board this Starship? Are you sure?
SPREAD THE NEWS #Flight2100
Be sure to invite a friend
or two to this gala social media event, so that you may share thoughts,
questions and ideas. It should enhance the overall learning experience and help
you formulate questions, opinions and action ideas.
So help us all spread the
word and #Hashtag or Tweet or Post
A few days back a number of colleagues were discussing whether over-population or climate change should have a greater priority. One person stated that such a debate was meaningless, as they both must be addressed in equal form and substance. I agreed, but took it all one step further. Writing that there are multiple threats facing humanity that need to be dealt with concurrently and equally. As each threat entails unknown, unknowns which could bring about unspeakable events. Our fragility has never been so complex and exposed. Terry Comments: October 17, 2013
I concur and believe there is no sense debating what problem has the greatest priority, as there are just too many unknown, unknowns. Four practical concerns come readily to mind. One, the other reactors at Fukushima could blow sky-high at any moment with undefinable outcomes.Two, all pollinating bugs could disappear everywhere, in short order; seriously disrupting global food chains.Three, biochemical events could rapidly accelerate the acidification of the Oceans in just months - then all bets are off. Four, a limited nuclear outburst in the Middle East could trigger Russia's automated and antiquated "dead-hand launch system" that effects an all-out strike on Western targets.
Notably, these concerns do not include more popular discussion topics such as; financial collapse, climate change, and overpopulation. Suggesting that we face multiple issues whose ranking values in terms of priority are hidden. Leading one to assert that the actual problem is that there is no complete solution because humanity ultimately faces the universal constraints of entropy and infinity. To my knowledge, applied physics has not discovered any devices or means that would allow us to leap over these barriers.
It is then paradoxical that there is no solution, which in and of itself is the solution.
Moreover, facing the governing laws of physics and the vast number of unknown, unknowns it seems debating, discoursing or conversing about prioritising these concerns would bear little fruit as there are no absolute metrics that could be applied to objectively weight these concerns. Even if that were possible, there is always the possibility that some other concern would jump onto the agenda, seemingly out of the blue - making all preceding concerns and debates completely irrelevant.
So , that's why I agree with you and conclude that we'll just have deal with them all concurrently, notwithstanding what gets in our way.
Good Evening, Recently, in an open forum of scientists, economists, academics and other professionals, most of whom are pretty much resigned to the idea that the outlook for the human species is not that good, an important question was raised. Some strongly believe that extinction is just around the corner; there is about a 50-50 chance; at best, that only a few of us will be remaining by the turn of this century. For certain. it is hard to combat their arguments, as we face climate change, peak oil, mineral scarcity, financial and biodiversity collapse and many other threats. One "Black Swan" could be lurking anywhere in our midst. Furthermore, as you should know by now, Stephen Hawking sits on a recently formed study group, charged with planning for end-of-days-events. So given the apparent certainty of matters, it is almost a natural outcome as we struggle against seemingly impossible odds that this question comes to bear - WHY CARE? Below is a copy of my answer to this question. Looking back on it a few days later, it is a sort of a fuller version of Yogi Berra's famous quote "it ain't over, ' til its over". However, this is no game - the consequences of what may lie ahead defies any and all imaginations. We would also be happy to hear your thoughts in this regard, either by way of email or comments to this post. Either way, we will share these responses with readers for the sake of the unyielding responsibilities that we share to the future generations of our kind. Of Kind Regards Terry September 29, 2013 Comments of September 27, 2013
Personally, I just
look into the eyes of children. That is all the poetry of reasons one needs.
Power may corrupt, but poetry does cleanse. (JFK)
Otherwise, clinically
for the most part I would concur with Steve, save that nothing or anything is
assured, but many unknowns are possible. If we know so much, how come we didn't
know how to avoid our current predicament? Hence, what do we really know?
I would also subscribe
to the thrust of Paul Chefurka's views in his recent article, "Paradise Lost" , insofar
as we are tied in action and thought to the laws of the universe; as we
understand them, and most particularly, the Second Law of Thermodynamics; that
in turn creates our energy-seeking hunger. However, there are are even issues
regarding the Laws of Thermodynamics that remain unresolved, as we do not know
what laws and conditions gave rise to their existence in the first place. An
then even those conditions undoubtedly would also being following a set of
instructions that are embedded in existence, yet so far, remain beyond our
knowledge, devices and discovery. Perhaps ole Socrates had a little insight
into quantum physics, as well?
Referring back to
Paradise Lost, my closing thoughts with regard to all this are recorded
as follows:
"Hence in our last
analysis, it as certain as it gets that we cannot defeat eternity, but that in
itself should not dissuade us from seeking to optimize our entropic
relationship with the universe in pursuit of a longer path. Too many things
could happen along the way"
The Many Faces of Denial
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