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5 Black Swans That Could Obliterate America's Future
Townhall.com ^ | February 21, 2012 | John Hawkins

Posted on 02/21/2012 5:11:24 AM PST by Kaslin

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To: James Oscar
Not to put too fine a point on it, but that site seems to be a collection place for serious substance abusers and the marginally insane.

Not that there is anything wrong with that.

81 posted on 02/21/2012 2:23:38 PM PST by Publius6961 (My world was lovely, until it was taken over by parasites.)
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To: MrB
That video is a classic example of "a little knowlege is a dangerous thing." It would be useful to know what the credentials are for the narrator/builder. What is his occupation or level of useful technical education? e.g. physics, chemistry, electroncs, math, etc.

I am aware of what I don't know, and question using an am/fm radio as a test of an EMP cabinet.

At a minimum, I know that a faraday cage needs to be grounded. And the range of frequencies that do damage to solid state electronics must be clearly understood, as well as the probable distance to a likely EMP pulse source.

I would spend my time better learning about the behavior of EMP and its effect on modern electronics first.

The most critical need under catastrophic conditions is portable reliable two-way communications. A healthy receiver, with no working civil transmitters is just another paperweight. I would certainly protect a few sets of those, together with a generous supply of rechargeable batteries in a proven faraday cage.

Not too many people can build a faraday cage to protect a modern automobile. Or to protect the energy grid or the gasoline supply. Even most solar panel chargers rely on "modern" EMP-sensitive electronics.

82 posted on 02/21/2012 2:49:16 PM PST by Publius6961 (My world was lovely, until it was taken over by parasites.)
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To: CodeToad
I don’t think the author understands what a ‘Black Swan’ is. Thery are surprises. Nothing in that list hasn’t been discussed ad nauseum for years.

Although there is no substitute for actually reading the book, the next best thing is to see the author's actual words. From te Kindle Second Edition

What we call here a Black Swan (and capitalize it) is an event with the following three attributes.

First, it is an outlier, as it lies outside the realm of regular expectations, because nothing in the past can convincingly point to its possibility.

Second, it carries an extreme impact (unlike the bird).

Third, in spite of its outlier status, human nature makes us concoct explanations for its occurrence after the fact, making it explainable and predictable.

** The highly expected not happening is also a Black Swan. Note that, by symmetry, the occurrence of a highly improbable event is the equivalent of the nonoccurrence of a highly probable one.*

83 posted on 02/21/2012 3:40:11 PM PST by Publius6961 (My world was lovely, until it was taken over by parasites.)
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To: James Oscar

The true ‘Black Swan’ event that no one seriously believes will happen is the *ZOMBIE APOCOLYPSE*!!!

(cue sinister music)

:-P


84 posted on 02/21/2012 4:29:55 PM PST by gogogodzilla (Live free or die!)
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To: vanilla swirl

Here’s the blurb and way to order “Biflationary Depression” on Amazon’s printer. It is cutting edge. https://www.createspace.com/3683488


85 posted on 02/21/2012 5:38:07 PM PST by FastCoyote (I am intolerant of the intolerable.)
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To: Kaslin
Good find on the article. Thanks for posting, Kaslin.

(Art.) What if the worst happens and we go from 10-12 million illegals in the United States to 25-40 million packed into the southwestern United States in a relatively short period of time? Demographics are destiny.....

The author's behind the curve: we're already there with those numbers, or rather have been. It's like nailing Jell-O to a wall even to guess at a good number, because the Census Bureau, geeing to the nod of the PTB, has been drastically low-balling the number for years.

I would guess that the number of Mexican nationals in -country in illegal status (is there another?) is over 15,000,000 and that immigrated, amnestied, papered (legalized) immigrants, and first-generation "anchor babies" of same drive the total to around 30,000,000.

Recently there has been some recession of these big numbers as Mexicans bail for the old country as jobs dry up in the recession, so "your guess is as good as mine -- and maybe better".

WAG: a couple million "former illegals" with papers and voting rights are probably actually still illegal, slipping by with fraudulent documents and phony claims on citizenship. Not exactly a solid foundation for patriotism in the later generations.

86 posted on 02/21/2012 6:16:16 PM PST by lentulusgracchus
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To: MrB
EMP won’t take out the electrical grid, decommissioning power plants will.

An emerging issue is that generators have purposively made excess (standby) generating capacity go away. It's all about cost control and all that green-eyeshade stuff that minimized the number of boats on the Titanic, for example. It made sense because the Titanic was unsinkable anyway, so how can you defend burdening the shareholders -- of whom J.P. Morgan was the leader -- with a frivolous expenditure? You're going to tell Morgan he has to spend money on excess lifeboat capacity? Good luck with that!

87 posted on 02/21/2012 6:23:02 PM PST by lentulusgracchus
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To: James Oscar
thus my article about Mother Abigail transforming the media by hijacking Free Republic in 2003

What? What happened with that? I don't remember that.

88 posted on 02/21/2012 6:26:50 PM PST by lentulusgracchus
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To: DuncanWaring
the thought of the “Obama’s Stash” woman was also passing through my mind.

Got link? Would like to read more.

89 posted on 02/21/2012 6:32:50 PM PST by lentulusgracchus
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To: wita

The reductions needed to stop the fiscal bleeding would set off huge riots. Pols know this and won’t go there.


90 posted on 02/21/2012 6:39:54 PM PST by ctdonath2 ($1 meals: http://abuckaplate.blogspot.com/)
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To: blam; neverdem; SandRat; sickoflibs; Liz; null and void; Travis McGee

ping


91 posted on 02/21/2012 6:48:49 PM PST by GOPJ (GAS WAS $1.85 per gallon on the day Obama was Inaugurated! - - freeper Gaffer)
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To: SumProVita
(How many people are doing this?)

Well, I am trying. Fasting for two weeks now, how much longer do you need it, 'cuz I'm getting weak?

92 posted on 02/21/2012 6:51:01 PM PST by diogenes ghost
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To: lentulusgracchus

It’s a “listen”, not a “read” ... about 12 seconds in:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTz9iwJqt7Q


93 posted on 02/21/2012 6:55:03 PM PST by DuncanWaring (The Lord uses the good ones; the bad ones use the Lord.)
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To: ctdonath2

That’s why I keep saying “No matter what anyone does, much unpleasantness lies ahead”.


94 posted on 02/21/2012 6:57:02 PM PST by DuncanWaring (The Lord uses the good ones; the bad ones use the Lord.)
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To: HChampagne

Who needs a black swan when you have a black Marxist.


95 posted on 02/21/2012 6:59:47 PM PST by TruthFactor (The Death of Nations: Pornography, Homosexuality, Abortion)
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To: HChampagne

Who needs a black swan when you have a black Marxist.


96 posted on 02/21/2012 6:59:56 PM PST by TruthFactor (The Death of Nations: Pornography, Homosexuality, Abortion)
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To: GOPJ
Can Americans Handle $150 Oil?
97 posted on 02/21/2012 7:23:48 PM PST by blam
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To: James Oscar

Thanks for the link...


98 posted on 02/21/2012 7:27:43 PM PST by GOPJ (GAS WAS $1.85 per gallon on the day Obama was Inaugurated! - - freeper Gaffer)
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To: Go_Raiders
A hundred years ago most of the engineering and technical jobs we have today DID NOT EXIST. Yet there were 'jobs'...

Jobs are people doing favors for each other - 'money' is the way we keep track of those 'favors' - the bookkeeping.

99 posted on 02/21/2012 8:12:55 PM PST by GOPJ (GAS WAS $1.85 per gallon on the day Obama was Inaugurated! - - freeper Gaffer)
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To: Go_Raiders
A hundred years ago most of the engineering and technical jobs we have today DID NOT EXIST. Yet there were jobs...

"Jobs" are people doing favors for each other - 'money' is the way we keep track of those 'favors' - the bookkeeping.

100 posted on 02/21/2012 8:13:48 PM PST by GOPJ (GAS WAS $1.85 per gallon on the day Obama was Inaugurated! - - freeper Gaffer)
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