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Post by glennkoks on Sept 11, 2014 2:19:39 GMT
The point is that cold places can perform economically just fine and there is no evidence that warmth is associated with growth. Personally I prefer a warm temperate climate and if you look around the world the world has seen a flight of both people and economic activity to the sunbelts. One observation I would make is that the commercialization of refrigeration and air conditioning is the driver. We need to realize that a well connected world that cools (or warms) will still feed itself but the farmers will grow different stuff, no need to jump out the windows. The common denominator to all adaption is reliable cost effective energy and it is here that we are weak. Cold places can most certainly perform economically just fine. It's warm temperate climates unprepared for the cold that have the most trouble dealing with it.
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Post by glennkoks on Sept 10, 2014 16:37:42 GMT
A large proportion of the drop was driven by delayed expenditure. The GDP impact of higher food prices due to a fall in production will likely be small but not evenly distributed. Some of the drop was clearly delayed and made up later. Buying a pair of shoes can wait, the consumer is still going to buy the shoes when the weather warms up and it's safe to go back outside. Some of it will not be made up. Restaurant's can't make up a slow night caused by weather. Construction workers can't really make up lost days on the job etc... In short some of the GDP will be made up when it warms up some of it is lost and cannot be made up.
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Post by glennkoks on Sept 10, 2014 2:28:25 GMT
After a few revisions by the number crunchers it seems the U.S. economy shrunk by 2.1 % in the first quarter of the year. This unexpected drop was attributed almost exclusively to the severe winter weather. Just how much more damaging could that have been to the worldwide economy if last years winter was more widespread and effected Europe and Asia? I have yet to a mild winter have a negative effect on GDP.
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Post by glennkoks on Sept 5, 2014 3:20:08 GMT
Cool is relative. We don't do "cool" summers in Southeast Texas. But we are yet to hit 100 degrees this summer in Southeast Texas. So you could say we its been the year without a summer for us:
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 917 PM CDT THU SEP 4 2014 ...NO 100 DEGREE DAYS AT FIRST ORDER CLIMATE SITES SO FAR IN 2014... SO FAR THE YEAR OF 2014 HAS NOT OBSERVED A 100 DEGREE DAY (DEFINED AS THE HIGH TEMPERATURE AT OR ABOVE 100 DEGREES) AT THE FOUR FIRST ORDER CLIMATE SITES OF COLLEGE STATION (KCLL), CITY OF HOUSTON (KIAH), HOUSTON HOBBY (KHOU), AND THE CITY OF GALVESTON (KGLS). HOW NORMAL IS THIS THOUGH? LETS FIRST LOOK AT THE 30 YEAR AVERAGES (1981-2010) TO SEE ON AVERAGE HOW MANY 100 DEGREE DAYS THERE ARE IN A YEAR. AVERAGE NUMBER OF 100
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Post by glennkoks on Aug 20, 2014 2:36:17 GMT
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Post by glennkoks on Aug 18, 2014 6:54:13 GMT
Sigurdur,
I have a healthy amount of distrust for our government. But I think the entire contrail/chemtrail conspiracy theory is nonsense. Contrail has been around far to long. Just look at old photos of the Flying Fortresses, German ME 262 or V2 rockets.
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Post by glennkoks on Aug 18, 2014 6:38:21 GMT
Guys, I don't really share the pessimism. I travel all over this country for work and everywhere I go I see hard working people that pretty much want the same things. Liberal or Conservative, Democrat or Republican most people I run into want a decent quality of life, a good education for their kids and a little nest egg for retirement. The rise of the mega-corporation and the amount of power they now wield is a disturbing trend that is inversely correlated to the health of our middle class. This is clearly illustrated by the gap between the average worker salary and executive compensation. The Citizens vs. United Supreme Court decision has just increased the amount of money available to candidates running for public office exponentially which places even more power in the hands of corporations. The Goldman Sachs and the JP Morgan Chase's of the world give generously to both political parties and one of the main reasons why the Keystone pipeline has met a brick wall is not Obama. It's Berkshire Hathaway and the fact that they are making a fortune hauling oil by tanker car from the Bakken shale. Environmentalists are just a "pawn" in the game. Your comment is optimistic? We have issues and disturbing trends. But we have been through much worse before. Everything were going through now pales in comparison to what our founding fathers went through. Signing the Declaration of Independence was tantamount to signing your own death warrant. Does anyone think we are in darker times or have bigger issues than we did in 1865? We are highly polarized but we are not killing one another and half of our states have not went AWOL. The Great Recession was rough but not many went "hungry" in this nation, the banking system did not collapse and 2007-2009 was cakewalk compared to 1929-1931. Do the conflicts in the Ukraine, Gaza and Syria hold a candle to what Imperial Japan was doing in Manchuria, Italy was doing in Ethiopia or Hitler was doing all over Europe in the 1930's? I'm not making light of our issues. But when you compare them to some of the other periods and events we made it through it's not that bad. Our debt has been worse and political turmoil around the world has been much worse. I see nothing that cannot be fixed. It just takes a leader.
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Post by glennkoks on Aug 17, 2014 14:44:17 GMT
As soon as the indolent poor realize that they can vote money directly from the productive right into their own pockets, they become organized and democracy fails. Democracy worked when most were productive. Maybe not now. Guys, I don't really share the pessimism. I travel all over this country for work and everywhere I go I see hard working people that pretty much want the same things. Liberal or Conservative, Democrat or Republican most people I run into want a decent quality of life, a good education for their kids and a little nest egg for retirement. The rise of the mega-corporation and the amount of power they now wield is a disturbing trend that is inversely correlated to the health of our middle class. This is clearly illustrated by the gap between the average worker salary and executive compensation. The Citizens vs. United Supreme Court decision has just increased the amount of money available to candidates running for public office exponentially which places even more power in the hands of corporations. The Goldman Sachs and the JP Morgan Chase's of the world give generously to both political parties and one of the main reasons why the Keystone pipeline has met a brick wall is not Obama. It's Berkshire Hathaway and the fact that they are making a fortune hauling oil by tanker car from the Bakken shale. Environmentalists are just a "pawn" in the game.
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Post by glennkoks on Aug 13, 2014 3:35:12 GMT
It seems that the answer to "why" is they want to keep the dollar strong vs. the Yuan. But why the facade? Why go through Belgium?
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Post by glennkoks on Aug 13, 2014 3:26:10 GMT
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Post by glennkoks on Aug 6, 2014 1:50:07 GMT
I realize that Southeast Texas does not necessarily indicate a trend globally but it's a little eye opening. ( Click on them to enlarge) Attachments:
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Post by glennkoks on Aug 4, 2014 3:29:05 GMT
To summarize "weirdness" Lightning storms in Alaska, Geese flying south at least a month early two polar vortex fronts in july and now this: Attachments:
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Post by glennkoks on Aug 4, 2014 2:17:40 GMT
I thought this was an interesting post coming from a fishing forum I frequent. It seems "weird weather" is becoming more noticeable and frequent. You have to click on it to enlarge the comment. Perhaps our local Alaska resident can comment? Attachments:
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Post by glennkoks on Aug 1, 2014 15:15:12 GMT
sigurdur,
Multiple sources online simply from using google. However, much has been written and photographed about the "ghost cities" in China from varying worldwide news agencies. I have a close friend who married a Chinese national. He has verified the existence of ghost cities and along with his in-laws have invested in 14 properties.
I'm pretty sure the ghost cities are real but like you I don't fully trust govt. either.
If the stories are even 1/2 true it's the biggest real estate bubble the world has ever seen multiplied by 100...
It simply can't end well.
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Post by glennkoks on Aug 1, 2014 2:42:00 GMT
I can't see what has been called the biggest bubble in the history of the world ending well Attachments:
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