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Post by zarono on Oct 9, 2019 21:17:44 GMT -5
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Post by kemp on Oct 10, 2019 7:06:02 GMT -5
Tokyo Megacity, population of the greater Tokyo area has a population count of more than 38 million, a greater number of people than the population of all of Australia.
(So... is that strip of green running through the left side of the photo above where all the immigrants will go?)
No one likes traffic jams, long ques, no seats available and general overcrowding, except maybe our governments that need tax payers, and corporates in constant need of consumers. Logistically, any population drop would most likely level off at some point, and a part of the population would always be having kids. The physical size of Japan is only a little larger than that of New Zealand, but compare the population off Japan which is 127 million with New Zealand’s at just under 5 million. The population of Japan is almost twice that of the UK. I don’t think the average person is concerned about the ‘aging population’ or that a growing number of people are opting out of raising families.
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Post by kemp on Oct 10, 2019 7:36:59 GMT -5
"Herbivore man" as I eat a rare rib eye steak...and have three kids...interesting terminology! I find the term strange, they also have some term called ‘celibacy syndrome’ to do with a loss in interest with sexual activity and romantic attachments . Reading this stuff up I was made aware that many in the west are eschewing the traditional roles and concept of a family. Another new trend that has grown has been MGTOW ( Men Going Their Own Way ) movement, basically where many men are rejecting becoming husbands and fathers for various, mostly economic, reasons. There are also subcultures such as the Incel or involuntary celibates’, an online phenomenon with members who define themselves by being unable to find romantic or sexual partners, and who view themselves as being seen as undesirable by the opposite sex, mostly made up of males and running the gamut from mild socially awkward types to angry, resentful, self-loathing individuals with extreme views. There is a whole bunch of stuff out about the new Joker movie ‘promoting incel violence’, but probably just sensationalist stuff to attract people to the flick. I don't know, it's probably the new cool, maybe the ol angst thing recycled. I make no judgements one way or the other about these movements and the choices people make ( except when people make the choice to hurt other people, not cool ), but simply want to highlight certain trends that may ( or may not ) impact modern civilisation and help to contribute to its eventual decay or collapse.
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Post by kemp on Oct 10, 2019 7:51:47 GMT -5
A little Ice Age would do it,and may have been one of the factors involved in the eventual collapse of the Greenland Norse. ‘In 1721, missionary Hans Egede sailed a ship called The Hope from Norway to Greenland, seeking Norse farmers whom Europeans hadn't heard from in 200 years in order to convert them to Protestantism. He explored iceberg-dotted fjords that gave way to gentle valleys, and silver lakes that shimmered below the massive ice cap. But when he asked the Inuit hunters he met about the Norse, they showed him crumbling stone church walls: the only remnants of 500 years of occupation’ The Norse settled Greenland from Iceland during a warm period around 1000 C.E. But even as a chilly era called the Little Ice Age set in, the story goes, they clung to raising livestock and church-building while squandering natural resources like soil and timber. Meanwhile, the seal-hunting, whale-eating Inuit survived in the very same environment. There's no doubt that climate stressed the colony, but the emerging narrative is not of an agricultural society short on food, but a hunting society short on labor and susceptible to catastrophes at sea and social unrest.’ www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/11/why-did-greenland-s-vikings-disappear
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Post by Char-Vell on Oct 10, 2019 8:09:01 GMT -5
"Herbivore man" as I eat a rare rib eye steak...and have three kids...interesting terminology! I find the term strange, they also have some term called ‘celibacy syndrome’ to do with a loss in interest with sexual activity and romantic attachments . Reading this stuff up I was made aware that many in the west are eschewing the traditional roles and concept of a family. Another new trend that has grown has been MGTOW ( Men Going Their Own Way ) movement, basically where many men are rejecting becoming husbands and fathers for various, mostly economic, reasons. There are also subcultures such as the Incel or involuntary celibates’, an online phenomenon with members who define themselves by being unable to find romantic or sexual partners, and who view themselves as being seen as undesirable by the opposite sex, mostly made up of males and running the gamut from mild socially awkward types to angry, resentful, self-loathing individuals with extreme views. There is a whole bunch of stuff out about the new Joker movie ‘promoting incel violence’, but probably just sensationalist stuff to attract people to the flick. I don't know, it's probably the new cool, maybe the ol angst thing recycled. I make no judgements one way or the other about these movements and the choices people make ( except when people make the choice to hurt other people, not cool ), but simply want to highlight certain trends that may ( or may not ) impact modern civilisation and help to contribute to its eventual decay or collapse. I think population density and the increased dependence on technology and social media are having a harmful, alienating effect on the collective psyche of the race.
I am reminded of John B. Calhoun's experiments with mice at NIMH:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_B._Calhoun#Mouse_experiments
"Their male counterparts withdrew completely, never engaging in courtship or fighting and only engaging in tasks that were essential to their health. They ate, drank, slept, and groomed themselves – all solitary pursuits. Sleek, healthy coats and an absence of scars characterized these males. They were dubbed "the beautiful ones." Breeding never resumed and behavior patterns were permanently changed. "
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Post by Char-Vell on Oct 10, 2019 8:10:35 GMT -5
And why is this thread "falling" when we post to it everyday?
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Post by zarono on Oct 10, 2019 21:24:50 GMT -5
And why is this thread "falling" when we post to it everyday? I have no explanation
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Post by zarono on Oct 10, 2019 21:37:32 GMT -5
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Post by kemp on Oct 11, 2019 6:51:57 GMT -5
I think population density and the increased dependence on technology and social media are having a harmful, alienating effect on the collective psyche of the race.
I am reminded of John B. Calhoun's experiments with mice at NIMH:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_B._Calhoun#Mouse_experiments
"Their male counterparts withdrew completely, never engaging in courtship or fighting and only engaging in tasks that were essential to their health. They ate, drank, slept, and groomed themselves – all solitary pursuits. Sleek, healthy coats and an absence of scars characterized these males. They were dubbed "the beautiful ones." Breeding never resumed and behavior patterns were permanently changed. "
Comparisons can easily be made with our own society which is facing a breakdown in complex social behaviours. From your link to Calhoun’s mouse experiments. ‘Among the aberrations in behaviour were the following: expulsion of young before weaning was complete, wounding of young, inability of dominant males to maintain the defense of their territory and females, aggressive behaviour of females, passivity of non-dominant males with increased attacks on each other which were not defended against.’ I haven’t touched upon on feminism all that much, and my personal view is that the women rights movement brought in many positive improvements for women, right to vote and other legal rights previously denied women, such as in career and wage equality. I think where the problem comes from is were feminism in the form of radicalised leftist ideology seeks to undermine certain facets of western civilisation, disrespecting the national and cultural identity of the nation, and attempting to create a climate of division based on gender ideology were gender is praised over merit and ability ( although others might disagree ). Of course, radical ideologies, and that includes the sad proliferation of misogynist online material vilifying all women, are only one component of a whole range of complex issues that are undermining modern civilisation in the developed nations. Like many unworkable movements I believe that the more radical elements will eventually implode, but will probably do some damage before going the way of the dodo.
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Post by kemp on Oct 11, 2019 7:24:48 GMT -5
I have thought about that one, the amount of organisation, planning, maintenance and sheer intelligence to keep our post industrial civilisation going. We assume that there is always someone to pick up the pieces, but if education standards drop, with less emphasis placed on maths, science and physics, and more on 'social awareness programs', what then !?! It also seems that with a drop in attention spans we have also seen a drop in IQ scores.
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Post by kemp on Oct 12, 2019 7:18:06 GMT -5
There have been some reports about a so called potential fuel crisis in the wake of some major disruption, such as a war or some unprecedented large scale natural disaster. Probably of most relevance to Australians since we only have about 28 days worth of fuel and crude oil stored around the country, well short of the 90 day stockpile Australia had agreed to hold as a member of the International Energy Agency. ‘In 2012, a storm caused a system failure at Geelong’s Shell oil refinery which stopped production of 50% of Victoria’s diesel supply. Diesel ran out for two days in north-west Victoria and some farmers were forced to stop harvesting their crops. Two years later there were diesel shortages in Perth at about 100 metropolitan and regional service stations.’ www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/jul/17/australia-urged-to-move-away-from-oil-dependency-or-risk-fuel-supply-crisisFact is that we are an oil dependent country, and that about 90% of Australia’s fuel supply is imported.
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Post by kemp on Oct 12, 2019 7:30:58 GMT -5
Australia’s refining capacity has shrunk considerably in recent years, with just four refineries operating here following a series of closures between 2012 and 2015. I remember last year reading a Herald Sun article about declining fuel reserves and that a conflict in the Middle East or South China Sea could disrupt supply and threaten record low domestic emergency stocks. The former government took it seriously enough to launch a review of the countries fuel reserves. The current Morrison government is negotiating with the Trump administration to buy millions of barrels of oil from America's tightly guarded fuel reserve under an emergency strategy to lower the risk of Australia plunging into an economic and national security crisis. ‘Overall, Australia has just 57 days of net coverage compared with 92 for New Zealand, 280 for Britain and 700 for the United States’. www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/australia-negotiating-with-trump-administration-to-buy-emergency-oil-supplies-20190801-p52cti.htmlThe US is in one of the best positions to ride out price hikes and fuel rationing in the event of a war or disaster, at least in the beginning. It’s probably fitting that the post-apocalyptic world of Mad Max was set in Australia.
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Post by kemp on Oct 14, 2019 8:50:22 GMT -5
I have been using the British/Australian spelling for civilisation, as opposed to the American civilization, an 's' instead of the 'z'. It might be inconsequential, but I thought I would mention it in case someone wondered why I was spelling it that way.
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Post by kemp on Oct 28, 2019 7:43:17 GMT -5
The 50 year anniversary of the Boeing 747, largest commercial Boeing airliner ever produced.
If the A380 was the king of the skies, than the 747 was definitely the Queen of the skies.
Its days as a passenger plane are being numbered though, with plans to convert the remaining 747’s into cargo planes.
Forget about the fantasy world of Star Trek, we are now living in a high tech civilisation. With cost effectiveness and fuel efficiency taking ever increasing paramountcy we can only hope that we don’t end up losing more of the marvels of 20th century engineering.
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Post by kemp on Oct 28, 2019 7:55:58 GMT -5
Fun fact, Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson was also a commercial pilot and has flown a 747-400.
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