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I once read 'the art of the long view' written by a planner who worked at shell.

The US government asked him to look at what could happen to america, he predicted ' local armies, built on a black economy', when they read his report they cancelled his funding claiming he was deranged.. this in 1975... the book was written in 1991.
Shape of things to come...

The once-thriving Motor City boasted the highest median income and home ownership rate in the country. It is now a dismal place where crime and squalor is rife

The Michigan Theatre, now converted to a 3-level car park. GM showcases its latest models alongside its heritage collection of vehicles from its more glorious past


Just picked the book up from my book shelf, the last chapter is 3 sceanarios for 2005! - My xmas reading sorted

Meanwhile, a million miles away from those pesky unions, high taxes and environmentalists...

http://info.detnews.com/video/index.cfm?id=1189

IanG wrote:The Michigan Theatre, now converted to a 3-level car park. GM showcases its latest models alongside its heritage collection of vehicles from its more glorious past

At least they reused an existing building, rather than waste resources demolishing it and building a new car park!

skeptik wrote:Meanwhile, a million miles away from those pesky unions, high taxes and environmentalists...

http://info.detnews.com/video/index.cfm?id=1189

Thinks: "So what?" A modern dinosaur.

Ironies in video: "built among the remnants of the rainforest" and the size of the narrator.

Sad. Desperately sad.

Imagine next-but-one century's tourists coming to look at the ruins in the jungle, in the same way that people now go to Maya or Cambodian lost cities...

RenewableCandy wrote:Imagine next-but-one century's tourists coming to look at the ruins in the jungle, in the same way that people now go to Maya or Cambodian lost cities...

I expect the ruins will mostly be under water...

RenewableCandy wrote:Imagine next-but-one century's tourists coming to look at the ruins in the jungle, in the same way that people now go to Maya or Cambodian lost cities...

I imagine that the 'ruins' of the local Sainsburys may be somewhat less attractive or enduring as those ancient lost cities.

[quote="IanG"]

RGR wrote:

IanG wrote:I once read 'the art of the long view' written by a planner who worked at shell.

The US government asked him to look at what could happen to america, he predicted ' local armies, built on a black economy', when they read his report they cancelled his funding claiming he was deranged.. this in 1975... the book was written in 1991.[

So...I seem to have missed the local armies and black economy the last time I was in Motor City?

Sounds like whoever canceled his funding was right?

Yeah, you really are a troll .....

My brother does a lot of work for GM and Ford and goes out to Detroit and LA a couple of times a year for motor shows. He says that Detroit is about the bleakest place you can find in the developed world.

He just got back from Los Angeles about a month ago where they had a big motor fair which he said was deserted except for the employees running the installations. A warning was issued at the start of the fair that foreign employees should avoid congregating in groups and not advertise the fact that they were not American as there was concerns at the level of hostile sentiment being directed at non-Americans working for the three failing auto giants. Scary stuff.

leroy wrote:My brother does a lot of work for GM and Ford and goes out to Detroit and LA a couple of times a year for motor shows. He says that Detroit is about the bleakest place you can find in the developed world.

Isn't there a bit of a film where some uberbaddy says to his guards (about a captive who won't talk) "Take him to Detroit!" and the poor guy starts screaming and grovelling for mercy?..

IanG wrote:

RGR wrote:

IanG wrote:I once read 'the art of the long view' written by a planner who worked at shell.

The US government asked him to look at what could happen to america, he predicted ' local armies, built on a black economy', when they read his report they cancelled his funding claiming he was deranged.. this in 1975... the book was written in 1991.[

So...I seem to have missed the local armies and black economy the last time I was in Motor City?

Sounds like whoever canceled his funding was right?

Yeah, you really are a troll .....

I think he's got a point on this one. Besides that's some Troll to make nearly 1000 posts???

Only thing that still gets me is RGR's signature Oil never reached Peak Oil in those years claimed, but I posted about that ages ago

[quote="IanG"]

[quote="J. R. Ewing"]

RGR wrote:

J. R. Ewing wrote:
Only thing that still gets me is RGR's signature Oil never reached Peak Oil in those years claimed, but I posted about that ages ago

It certainly was peak oil, for years and years sometimes, after those peaks. And the world didn't end then either.

Please stop accusing us of saying the world is going to end when it clearly isn't. You really are the archetypal strawman aren't you.

Mr Ewing's point is very simple, the previous peaks weren't actually peaks at all since production picked back up in each case as history proves, although I think you are again exaggerating as a peak only really occurred in 1973 and that was for political reasons. The other 'peaks' to which you refer were just observations by a few concerned individuals. Mind you, in 1973, 1980 and 1990, the effect on the US and global economy of higher oil prices led to recession or are you going to ignore this part? Now the same thing has happened again which proves that oil is a very significant factor to us all and if the IEA and others are correct and you are wrong then we'll face a very tough time indeed.

Perhaps you'd care to show us the list of global experts who were discussing peak oil on the world stage in '29. '41, '48, '57, '73, '80 and '90.