It's Time to...Pray for Lower Gas Prices!!

Oh, you just can't make this stuff up...according to this group, many people are "overlooking the power of prayer when it comes to resolving this energy crisis." Well then, why not have a nationwide prayer meeting to bring those gosh darn gas prices down? Guess it ranks right up there with the "magic" of ethanol to save all of us from our energy sins. These are probably the same people who believe in praying for their professional football/baseball/hockey team to win. When it comes to peak oil, it isn't the geology, it's the psychology that will insure the fate of human folk. A massive amount of denial (i.e., we're still in the "river"stage) is going to have to be wrung out of the citizens of the Empire, and it's only just starting. Is there a politician willing to tell the truth to the people of the nation? Chaos finds it highly doubtful.

We Must Do Something About These Evil Oil Companies!!

The level of discourse in this country, as Chaos has observed previously, has reached new lows in obtuseness. "You can't fix stupid," said a recent downhome wit, and it is true. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the recent reaction (on the part of the public and the corresponding politicians) to high oil prices. For those hoping that events will shock the citizens of the Empire out of their slumber, the resulting debate is profoundly depressing. Chaos is not about to stupefy you with further examples; instead, we have a ray of hope. The editors of The Oil Drum have responded with one of the finest statements of our current energy situation one could ever hope for. Chaos implores, no, begs you to read this. It is the blade with which you may slice through all the bovine excrement which passes for a national conversation in this benighted nation.

Filling Your Tank With Freedom: The SUV Driver

Since oil prices have skyrocketed to new highs recently, and political pandering by mendacious politicians has also reached a new "peak," Chaos came across this rather amusing Q&A the other day, courtesy of The Oil Drum. Enjoy!

A Buffett of Sound Financial Advice

Perhaps the finest stock picker and financial wizard in the land is a modest, unassuming elderly fellow from Omaha, Nebraska. Chaos is speaking, of course, of Warren Buffett, the "Oracle of Omaha." His longterm record with the company he owns, BerkshireHathaway, is far and away superior than any that come to mind. Buffett is a value investor, buying companies that are fundamentally sound, undervalued, and holding them for decades. The antithesis of most financial advisors today, his every utterance is scrutinized with the same attention one usually finds lavished on the chairman of the Federal Reserve. Where that gentleman is paid to obscure, however, Buffett delights in plain speaking. This extended windup is to introduce Chaos' faithful readers to Buffett's annual report, wherein he recaps the previous year's results and offers a few cogent insights. Here it is: those not actually holding the shares (at $19,000 per share, Chaos didn't think anyone here had some...) may want to scroll down to around page 17 to get Buffett's take on the US current account deficit. Think it's a coincidence Buffett has invested in euros and a large amount of silver? Chaos believes that the US dollar will soon be exposed to entropy; overseas investments are strongly recommended.

Another Reason Why Oil Prices Won't Decline

As the leader of the fastest growing economy on the planet visits the Empire, it might be worth a look to consider just how much oil China needs to sustain its riotous growth. Here's a nice chart that gives anyone alert to the problem the shivers. You read it here first: global competition for oil will be a new experience for the Empire and its fuelish citizens, who consider the right to pilot outlandishly appointed land yachts a constitutional birthright. Here's an investment to back it up: the first exchange traded fund based on the price of oil opened this week. (BTW, the analysis in the article linked is flawed: oil is "coming off a peak?" Don't think so.)

The Music Begins to Slow Down: Better Grab a Chair

It seems that oil prices have finally risen to the point where they are having effects on prices...yes, the dreaded "inflation" is now kicking in. Wholesale prices rose in March at an annualized rate of 6%. This is not the outcome desired by the economic tinkerers at the Federal Reserve, who will undoubtedly choose to continue raising interest rates. Those prepared souls who have defensively invested in commodities such as energy, metals, currencies, and inflation-protected bonds are well-positioned to thrive in these choppy waters, while those who think that the bankrupt Empire can continue to party indefinitely will begin to feel the pain as things start to unwind. Too young to remember the painful "stagflation" of the 70s? The beauty of the internet is that you can now read about it.

Flyer You Can Print and Take Home

Contributed by a member of crudeawkening.org, here's a nice printable summary of why "the world as you know it is about to end." On the day that the Nemesis of the Empire announced its uranium-enrichment capability, Chaos is feeling a bit, well, doomerish. Perhaps it is being surrounded by gargantuan gas hogs to and from the angst-inducing exurbs, or the groaning of the planet as it struggles to support too many humans, each of whom dreams of spewing more and more carbon into the atmosphere so that they may possess the latest fake goods for their fake lifestyles, but the cliff seems ever closer. One suggestion: check out Jay Hanson's site for a bracing shot of reality.

Yep, Texas Billionaires "Get" Peak Oil Too

This item came out quite a while ago (December 2005 issue of Fortune) but it's still worth reading. For those who don't "know" Senor Rainwater, he was instrumental in amassing the $50 billion Bass family fortune, along with helping the current Emperor purchase a sports team in Fort Worth, Texas a few years ago (the "Texas Rangers," Chaos thinks). Simply put, the man has made his fortune by being able to divine future trends and take advantage of them, and now he's scared stiff of peak oil. If you think subscribers to this "theory" are just rogue scientists, internet crackpots, and minor sentient forces of nature like Chaos, you are sadly mistaken.

Too Funny Videos, Courtesy of GM

Watch these fast, before they are yanked by the clueless ad agency that thought up this campaign. Seems that anyone can make their own Chevy Tahoe commercial, using tools and clips from this site. As you might imagine, some very creative people over at Gristmill have made some very funny commercials, although perhaps not in the spirit GM would like. Try this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, and this. After you've finished laughing, kindly reflect upon how great is the divide between those who have taken the "red pill" and awakened to the reality of resource depletion and those who remain clueless (hint: Chaos is not speaking of the ad agency...).