Life After the Oil Crash

Deal With Reality or Reality Will Deal With You

















Breaking News: Thursday July 30th, 2009

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Editor's Note: Some Photos from my Trip, Acupressure Program, Possible LATOC Survival Conference/Backpacking Trip

Pics from the trip I took two weeks ago have been posted to Photobucket, for anybody who cares. Ones with me in them are here, here, here, and here. Some great nature shots are here, here, here and here.

Those of you who emailed me about the acupressure and holistic medicine program I'm in, I've archived the program information here.

Also, as some of you no doubt know, ASPO-USA is having it's annual Peak Oil blowout. I'm not a big fan of Peak Oil conferences myself as to me they seem almost oxymoronic. (I suppose a Peak Oil website falls into the same category as flying to conferences given the massive energy and infrastructure sink that is the internet.) But people keep emailing me to say I should sponsor some type of LATOC conference. I thought the idea ridiculous until it occurred to me that instead of organizing a "conference", how about a 4-to-7 day survival type camping trip? Lots of hiking, good doses of hard labor, firemaking, map and compass work, cold-and-hot weather survival, edible plant identification, maybe some animal processing, etc. I'm not qualified (or anywhere near insured enough) to organize such an endeavor myself but I could almost certainly set something up through a company like Adventure Out, based out of Santa Cruz which is not terribly far from my home here in Santa Rosa. (See the recent SF Chronicle article on the company's surge in popularity following the 2008 econo-collapse.)

If this type of thing is of interest to you and you'd be willing to fork over $300-$500 (which is what these things usually cost), send me an email to let me know. I'd need at least 5 and probably something like 10-15 people to sign up when the time comes to make it work out dollars-and-sense wise. If I end up doing this, it would almost certainly be based in Northern California and it would be your responsibility to arrange your own transportation. -Matt

Today's News:

John Michael Greer: Industrial Economy a Giant Bubble Waiting to Pop

NY Times: U.S. Postal Service Continues to Take on Massive Deficits

Economist: Global Shipping Industry Devastated by Fiscal Meltdown

Economist: Bracing for the Collapse in Commercial Real Estate Values

Reuters: Weak Treasury Auctions Raise Worries About US Debt Burden

CNN Money: Economic Crisis Has Shifted Balance of Power to China

CNN Money: Social Security Program is Going to Need a Bailout Also

CNN Money: Overqualified Workers Accepting Menial Jobs, Big Paycuts

Reuters: Unemployment Spreads Distress Through U.S. Home Loans

NY Times: Lenders Refuse to Modify Loans, Rake in Fortunes on Fees

NY Times: Big Banks Paid Billions in Bonuses Amid Financial Meltdown

Wall Street Journal: Banks Enabled Deeper Drowning of Homeowners

Crains New York: Getting Ready for More Foreclosures, Many More

Most Important Articles from Yesterday:

NY Times: More Americans Preemptively Defaulting on Debts to Banks

Market Watch: More than 1,000 Banks May Fail in the Coming Years

Market Watch: Bernanke Admits "This may be worse than the 1930s"

Washington Post: British Economy Plunging at Twice Expected Rate

Seeking Alpha: State and Local Pensions Have Lost Over $1 Trillion

Preparation and Relocalization:

Popular Mechanics: The Top Six Bomb Shelters You Can Buy Right Now

SF Chronicle: Would You Survive a Freezing Night in the Backcountry?

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