Malthus was proved wrong by the continually increasing ability of technological advances in food production and efficiency to provide for the world's population. With the end of the oil era - and the end of all those petrochemicals that make food production so cheap - don't you think Malthus might end up being sort of right in the end?
I mean, I think it can't be repeated enough that Western standards of living rely fundamentally on inequality with the rest of the world. As justice grows, Western incomes and access to resources will shrink.
― Tracer Hand, Friday, 4 July 2008 11:52 (sixteen years ago) link
In the end maybe, but even with today's technology we can dramatically increase efficiency even if we don't increase production of anything.
Your second paragraph is OTM.
― Ed, Friday, 4 July 2008 11:59 (sixteen years ago) link
I mean, I think it can't be repeated enough that Western standards of living rely fundamentally on inequality with the rest of the world.
Yes with regards to resources. But this is verging on the development as zero-sum game fallacy.
― lukas, Friday, 4 July 2008 13:35 (sixteen years ago) link
Not so sure of that. It is entirely possible to achieve a better standard of living, right around the world, using less resources.
― Ed, Friday, 4 July 2008 13:36 (sixteen years ago) link
I don't know if that's really going to happen.
-- Tracer Hand, Friday, July 4, 2008 11:48 AM (7 hours ago) Bookmark Link
Right. I, and I assume Aimless, were being sarcastic.
― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Friday, 4 July 2008 19:16 (sixteen years ago) link
hey guess what just news cycle the fact that it now costs $160 to fill up a GMC Yukon did not stop the financial sector from being in a fuck ton of trouble
what's the trickle-down from lehman and bear stearns getting killed? how long can merrill lynch and fannie/freddie drag out putting their losses on the books?
― El Tomboto, Tuesday, 8 July 2008 05:35 (sixteen years ago) link
-- BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Friday, July 4, 2008 7:16 PM (4 days ago) Bookmark Link
I don't think Aimless was being sarcastic. I hope he wasn't. I on the other hand was.
― Ned Trifle II, Tuesday, 8 July 2008 07:44 (sixteen years ago) link
hello all. just thought i'd stop by to share the bizarre info that we were up considerably in June from last year, and are WAY up so far from last year's July as well.
i think this may just be proof that A) idiots are actually spending those stupid rebate checks and B) musicians are by and large, idiots. so don't get your hopes up.
― BLACK BEYONCE, Tuesday, 8 July 2008 08:07 (sixteen years ago) link
I was just thinking about Malthus the other day, and how he probably never would have guessed that as affluence increases, the birth rate decreases AND consumption increases by an degree that more than makes up for it.
― Hurting 2, Tuesday, 8 July 2008 13:32 (sixteen years ago) link
A lot of the 19th century economists (or at least the first half of the century or so) never really got to grips with Humanity's ability to manufacture demand.
― Ed, Tuesday, 8 July 2008 13:41 (sixteen years ago) link
Well, that's still good news, BB.
PS You don't need proof that musicians are by and large stupid. Next you'll try to prove to me that there cannot be more than everything.
― Fluffy Bear Hearts Rainbows, Tuesday, 8 July 2008 13:57 (sixteen years ago) link
I wonder when Obama will get around to this topic -- once all the faith-based groups are funded?
― Dr Morbius, Tuesday, 8 July 2008 14:07 (sixteen years ago) link
They're doing even more funding of that right now!
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 8 July 2008 14:12 (sixteen years ago) link
obama on economy and bankruptcy today:
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1820883,00.html
― akm, Tuesday, 8 July 2008 14:15 (sixteen years ago) link
WE GONNA DIE
― Eisbaer, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 19:50 (sixteen years ago) link
Now what.
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 19:51 (sixteen years ago) link
(the dow, the nasdaq, and the s&p 500 all dropped more than 2% today)
― Eisbaer, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 20:00 (sixteen years ago) link
Boohoo.
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 20:11 (sixteen years ago) link
maybe I'll just stop the 401k nonsense and party hard.
― Dr Morbius, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 20:13 (sixteen years ago) link
TAKE THE HIT
― Tracer Hand, Wednesday, 9 July 2008 21:26 (sixteen years ago) link
-- Ned Raggett, Wednesday, July 9, 2008 4:11 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Link
i'm glad that you read this thread, ned, because this story about cheap jones beach concert tix may amuse you.
:-)
― Eisbaer, Thursday, 10 July 2008 15:55 (sixteen years ago) link
and if not that story, then my shitty linking abilitiesmight ;_;
The only reason to be concerned with one-day stock gains/losses is if you're about to buy something or about to sell something.
― Hurting 2, Thursday, 10 July 2008 17:46 (sixteen years ago) link
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to be bailed out by taxpayers?
― scott seward, Friday, 11 July 2008 02:24 (sixteen years ago) link
me
― Maria :D, Friday, 11 July 2008 02:24 (sixteen years ago) link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHNpSDSbjTg
"Oh my God."
― El Tomboto, Friday, 11 July 2008 03:24 (sixteen years ago) link
are you putting out a buy?
― Maria :D, Friday, 11 July 2008 03:27 (sixteen years ago) link
"I- I- I- I- I- I-"
― El Tomboto, Friday, 11 July 2008 03:29 (sixteen years ago) link
the OFHEO dude who said they were "adequately capitalized" had better fucking pray he's right or I'm about to have to change this thread title to something more emphatic
― El Tomboto, Friday, 11 July 2008 03:31 (sixteen years ago) link
Holy mackeral, Freddie and Fannie both down 40% to open trading today.
― brownie, Friday, 11 July 2008 14:02 (sixteen years ago) link
Chart at the top of the page at this moment = yikes
― Tracer Hand, Friday, 11 July 2008 14:58 (sixteen years ago) link
my Dad just called me pissed off about this >:0
― bnw, Friday, 11 July 2008 15:17 (sixteen years ago) link
Did he demand that you flood the market with cheap cotton futures?
― Tracer Hand, Friday, 11 July 2008 15:24 (sixteen years ago) link
so it's ok today to say ... WE GONNA DIE?!?
― Eisbaer, Friday, 11 July 2008 15:53 (sixteen years ago) link
seriously ... this statement of principles on how to solve this current financial mess is why i heart calculated risk as much as i do.
― Eisbaer, Friday, 11 July 2008 16:13 (sixteen years ago) link
holy shit I knew they were in trouble but didn't know it was that bad
wau
― HI DERE, Friday, 11 July 2008 16:35 (sixteen years ago) link
xp:http://general.south-derbys.gov.uk/revenue/focusonfraudawareness/pics/10.gif
― VeronaInTheClub, Friday, 11 July 2008 16:36 (sixteen years ago) link
"We noted that the world economy is in good condition and growth is more evenly distributed across regions. ... We anticipate a smooth adjustment of global imbalances which should take place in the context of sustained and robust economic growth."
- G8 Summit communiqué, June 8, 2007, Heiligendamm
― Tracer Hand, Friday, 11 July 2008 16:37 (sixteen years ago) link
from the same document:
"While noting the positive contribution (sic) of hedge funds to financial-market stability, we also want to minimise systemic risks by increasing transparency and market discipline on the part of all parties involved."
― Tracer Hand, Friday, 11 July 2008 16:38 (sixteen years ago) link
http://www.mokummarketing.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/head-in-sand-2.JPG
― bnw, Friday, 11 July 2008 16:43 (sixteen years ago) link
-- Tracer Hand, Friday, 11 July 2008 17:37 (8 minutes ago) Bookmark Link
-- Tracer Hand, Friday, 11 July 2008 17:38 (7 minutes ago) Bookmark Link http://gispro.files.wordpress.com/2007/06/bullshit.jpg
― VeronaInTheClub, Friday, 11 July 2008 16:48 (sixteen years ago) link
yeah, that "CHRIST! Did a cow shit in here?" quote from kentucky fried movie is a pretty good summary of the economy today.
― Eisbaer, Friday, 11 July 2008 16:51 (sixteen years ago) link
I love how the graph is mincing around just above 11000, like it's ready to jump in but is afraid the water might be a little too cold
― Tracer Hand, Friday, 11 July 2008 16:53 (sixteen years ago) link
http://www.davemanuel.com/images/dead_cat_bounce.jpg
― Eisbaer, Friday, 11 July 2008 16:54 (sixteen years ago) link
Phil Gramm 'expert' lolz
― Dr Morbius, Friday, 11 July 2008 17:02 (sixteen years ago) link
this seems like a good time to post modok with a moustache http://s89230137.onlinehome.us/BBC/blogfiles/MODOK_moustache.gif
― El Tomboto, Friday, 11 July 2008 17:19 (sixteen years ago) link
I thought that when the tech bubble burst the Big Dow would find its support at around 8000. Little knew I then, apparently. Still, it wouldn't shock me if it gets there now, over this housing bubble.
― Aimless, Friday, 11 July 2008 17:42 (sixteen years ago) link
One thing that puzzles me about the current crisis - it seems sort of common sense to me that any little thing can push an already teetering mortgage over the brink - a rise in gas and food prices, a layoff, etc., and it seems like those little things are on the rise. Do *analysts* consider that simple fact when they evaluate the mortgage and mortgage securities businesses? Like are their projections based on the assumption that things will follow their current trend instead of getting worse? And if so, is that why we keep getting *more bad news* surprises?
― Hurting 2, Friday, 11 July 2008 18:01 (sixteen years ago) link
yeah, i'm really an amateur about economics, but i'm kind of surprised that the fannie mae/freddie mac bombshell happened now and not sometime months ago. why is this?
― goole, Friday, 11 July 2008 18:03 (sixteen years ago) link
Short-sellers piling in, maybe?
― o. nate, Friday, 11 July 2008 18:29 (sixteen years ago) link