Can our civilization survive it's own stupidity?

Originally posted by RevRSleeker
Dirty rotten bikers, never would I count myself with that brigade 😉

Lol, me thinks you have a rather large GPZ or a Ninja or some classic Norton in your garage, actually, they were awesome, real friendly, rather interestingly they had a kind of mother figure, a rather large lady who kept them in order and who fed everyone, our friend played them tunes on his guitar and they sang and rejoiced all night.

Originally posted by sonhouse
I see the climate going to hell in a handbasket, it already has caused low lying villages to be abandoned to rising sea levels, and our way of life seems tied to relentless consumption and we are already using up 50% of the planet's resources. How long can we keep this up? With the world's population inching to 10 billion, even more resources will be needed ...[text shortened]... e are headed for a breaking point. Maybe even before the 2100 date touted by the climate guys.

The die is cast. The only question is "How many will survive?".

Originally posted by rwingett
And we can never get off that roller coaster. Our consumerist economy requires perpetual growth to keep that house of cards from collapsing. It can only be sustained for so long, and the cracks in the foundation are becoming harder and harder to ignore. I'm afraid short term priorities will continue to take precedence until the very last.

That is the really frightening aspect of the thing, in Europe there has been a major effort at alternative forms of energy, in Scotland lots of wind farms, yet in what is a kind of second industrial revolution in the east, for example China, they have sixteen out of twenty of the most polluted cities on earth. When the consumer goes to the checkout, do you think he cares that its made in china? Perhaps if he is more concerned about quality, Is he even interested that it has sixteen out of twenty of the most polluted cities on the planet, or is he concerned with the bottom line?

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
Lol, me thinks you have a rather large GPZ or a Ninja or some classic Norton in your garage, actually, they were awesome, real friendly, rather interestingly they had a kind of mother figure, a rather large lady who kept them in order and who fed everyone, our friend played them tunes on his guitar and they sang and rejoiced all night.

Well, I wish I could say but another incidence of modern bollox practice, namely the insurance folk, tell me that I can't disclose publicly of my inherited '1953 once fastest production bike in the world' cough cough lol..it's all to do with the apparent ease that folk can track down all manner of 'stuff' on the internet and come and rob you...a likely tale if you ask me but said too much already 😛 I also have a 1970 Honda 750 four, the 'purists' hate it but I LOVE IT !!
In my youth, I've been to Stonehenge, the old festival...KNOW exactly what you're talking of 😛

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
That is the really frightening aspect of the thing, in Europe there has been a major effort at alternative forms of energy, in Scotland lots of wind farms, yet in what is a kind of second industrial revolution in the east, for example China, they have sixteen out of twenty of the most polluted cities on earth. When the consumer goes to the checkout, ...[text shortened]... ut of twenty of the most polluted cities on the planet, or is he concerned with the bottom line?

Ask the western fat cats that make a pound for every penny they 'invest' in China..ask the scrap markets that sell literally everything to the Chinese state and then it makes its way back here, 'recycled,' for less than they paid for it...
Not really a fan of wind farms, potentially they want to spoil my splendid view down here in the S.West 😉

Originally posted by RevRSleeker
Well, I wish I could say but another incidence of modern bollox practice, namely the insurance folk, tell me that I can't disclose publicly of my inherited '1953 once fastest production bike in the world' cough cough lol..it's all to do with the apparent ease that folk can track down all manner of 'stuff' on the internet and come and rob you...a likely t th, I've been to Stonehenge, the old festival...KNOW exactly what you're talking of 😛

wow, my grandfather had a BSA Bantam? i think it was called, i found the plate when i was digging worms in my fathers back garden. I had a 250 super dream when i was fifteen, remember them? could hardly lift the thing at that age, of course it was not legal but i swapped it with a farmer, Andy Bell, for a ZX spectrum. Coolies were all the rage at the time RD350s, killing machines they were, too light and too fast, possibly two strokes if my memory serves me. My Biking days ended when a taxi driver did a U-turn on me and i smacked his bonnet and landed the other side of the road, on the pavement. Honda seven fifty four i only heard tell of in legend!

Originally posted by RevRSleeker
Ask the western fat cats that make a pound for every penny they 'invest' in China..ask the scrap markets that sell literally everything to the Chinese state and then it makes its way back here, 'recycled,' for less than they paid for it...
Not really a fan of wind farms, potentially they want to spoil my splendid view down here in the S.West 😉

yes, people object to the farms because they are not very aesthetically pleasing, but they have a kind of gracefulness to them.

Although i don't know enough about it, I thought that China had all its dosh invested in the west?

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
wow, my grandfather had a BSA Bantam? i think it was called, i found the plate when i was digging worms in my fathers back garden. I had a 250 super dream when i was fifteen, remember them? could hardly lift the thing at that age, of course it was not legal but i swapped it with a farmer, Andy Bell, for a ZX spectrum. Coolies were all the rage at ...[text shortened]... other side of the road, on the pavement. Honda seven fifty four i only heard tell of in legend!

I had a Spectrum PLUS but I wouldn't have swapped it for anything...bet it's still in my attic 😉 I'd love to get hold of a decent 350LC, they're all pretty shafted the old two strokes now, I had one when I was 18..my father hated me for it, a purist indeed !
Had a knock or two myself, nothing putting me out of action though, 'ISH...only to the point of now being a 'fair weather biker'...that and the fact that the 'good' folk of xxx insurance have had the temerity to limit on the miles 🙁

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
yes, people object to the farms because they are not very aesthetically pleasing, but they have a kind of gracefulness to them.

Although i don't know enough about it, I thought that China had all its dosh invested in the west?

GRACEFUL, depends upon what else surrounds you lol...they've planted a massive affair miles out to sea near here but talk of 'inshore' jobby has had the tourist bosses up in arms...
I'm afraid we need one of the economic brains around here to answer your last comment 😉

Originally posted by caissad4
The die is cast. The only question is "How many will survive?".

I think one scenario is space, try to make colonies on Mars or something, the moon, Phobos(seems to be a big dirty ice ball), you can be sure they would not be based on this insane consumeristic economy but bare essentials. This would take massive finances but would be a safety net so we don't lose the whole ball game and make humans extinct.

The sad part is we of this generation will probably squeeze by for the next 40 or 50 years so the really bad part will come for our children and grandchildren and greatgrandchildren. They will be collectively cursing our flagrant ways as they collect dung chips for the family fire.