Who needs food anyway? We’ve always got pretzels.
The Drought Goes From Bad To Catastrophic
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 08/01/2014 21:00 -0400
As we previously commented, when scientists start using phrases such as “the worst drought” and “as bad as you can imagine” to describe what is going on in the western half of the country, you know that things are bad. However, in recent weeks the dreadful situation in California has gone from bad to catastrophic as the U.S. Drought Monitor reported that more than half of the state is now in experiencing ‘exceptional’ drought, the most severe category available. And most of the state – 81% – currently has one of the two most intense levels of drought.
h/t @TimOBrien
While California’s problems are particularly severe, that state is not alone in experiencing significant drought right now. There are wide swaths of moderate to severe drought stretching from Oregon to Texas, with problems impacting numerous states west of the Mississippi River.
Some of the most severe droughts outside of California are impacting large pockets in Oklahoma, Texas and, particularly, Nevada, where more than half of the state is currently experiencing one of the two most intense drought conditions:
* * *
Most people just assume that this drought will be temporary, but experts tell us that there have been “megadroughts” throughout history in the western half of the United States that have lasted for more than 100 years.
If we have entered one of those eras, it is going to fundamentally change life in America.
And the frightening thing is that much of the rest of the world is dealing with water scarcity issues right now as well. In fact, North America is actually in better shape than much of Africa and Asia. For much more on this, please see my previous article entitled “25 Shocking Facts About The Earth’s Dwindling Water Resources“.
Without plenty of fresh water, modern civilization is not possible.
And right now, the western United States and much of the rest of the world is starting to come to grips with the fact that we could be facing some very serious water shortages in the years ahead.
” If services break down, I can just trot over to the lake, which is close to my place, and pull a couple of gallons out to treat with my Berkey.”
I think the same way but the waste disposal systems….sewers….are going to go down with the water supply. Modern sewage and waste systems require a large amount of water to function. As a matter of fact, I’ve been reading reports for years now about how these low flow toilets cause problems because the systems were built with 3-5 gallons per flush in mind. People will not have the knowledge of how they work or the good sense to stop using their toilets and drains.*** Besides the sanitation problems that will create in apartments, condos and in cities in general, those waste backups will eventually find their way to the local rivers and lakes due to rainfall etc. On top of that the shell shocked people, zombies by now, will likely be shitting and pissing in said rivers and lakes.
***A good prep to have if you intend to tough it out in a city is what plumbers call “donkey dicks”. They are long rubber bladders that you push down the drain lines and inflate with air. You would need one for each drain in your house (2″) and one for each toilet (4″) to prevent the lines from backing up into your home plus a bicycle pump to inflate them. You’ll also need the knowledge and tools to access the lines to install them. This might not help much if neighbors above and on your floor don’t have them.
This is a really good read about the California drought situation:
A modern-day Dust Bowl
As a drought unfolds slowly and devastatingly, California farmers feel desperate and abandoned
Thousands of acres of citrus and nut trees — legacy crops that normally would be expected to live years if not decades — are drying up or are dead already. Fields that would normally be dark green and flourishing with plants sprouting tomatoes, broccoli, carrots, strawberries, melons or the countless other varieties of fruits and vegetables grown in the region are nothing but barren plots of earth.
The scene repeats itself again and again from south of Bakersfield heading up north toward Modesto, as an estimated 500,000 acres (about 10 percent of the farmland) have gone unplanted this season — left empty by drought-stricken farmers who didn’t have enough water to sustain a crop this year. The setting is eerily reminiscent of the ravaged land depicted in some of Lange’s most iconic images of Texas and Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl era.
…
Stevenson, who is 54, has spent his entire life on the farm, learning the trade from his father and his grandfather before him. He hopes to pass on the farm to his daughter and nephew, who have been learning the family business so they can carry forward the legacy. But there are days when Stevenson wonders what the future will hold.
He has never seen his land so dry. The pond where he swam as a kid is empty, and the pasture, where he also raises cattle, has so little grass you can see the cracked earth below. All last winter, Stevenson knew things were going to be bad, and the thought of the hard decisions he knew he would have to make in order for the farm to survive kept him up at night, even as he held out hope that maybe it might rain and there could be some reprieve.
But there was no miracle, and according to Stevenson, he’s experienced some of the darkest days of his life trying to keep the farm going. It wasn’t just the gut-wrenching decision to sacrifice his trees, a devastating economic loss that will take years to recover from. The “worst day” so far, he says, was when he had to lay off four of his full-time workers — 40 percent of his regular staff. Some were men who had been with the farm for more than 30 years, people he’d grown up working with and was as close to as family. And the situation is only growing more dire. While he’ll make it through this season, Stevenson’s not sure about the next — which is a scenario facing many farmers in the Central Valley.
“If this goes on longer, you are talking about unimaginable economic devastation, farms going out of business, people losing their jobs, and a blight on the land that could take years to repair,” Stevenson said. “But sometimes you feel like no one cares. You drive through neighborhoods and see people watering their lawns, and you see that extra water running down into the gutter… When you are someone that knows pretty much down to the gallon how much you need to keep your crop alive, you wonder how some people can have their heads so deep in the sand.”
Much more at the full story: http://news.yahoo.com/california-drought-dust-bowl-040440797.html
My how I LOVE this place, I_S, “donkey dicks,” I had no idea I needed such things. And I’m going to call my plumber and find out if/where he has bought them.
@Thinker, sad stuff. Sadly, most ‘murkins are so divorced from reality when it comes to food on the plate that they can’t see the forest through the trees.
“Hey, I just went to Wally World and they have tons of avocados, there can’t be a real problem!”
Yet.
I still wonder, and will always continue to since our government refuses to monitor it, if Fukishima is causing this. Funny how the drought started the same year. Coincidence?
Once upon a time we were a nation of self-sustaining communities that only relied on others for specific needs.
Now we are a “global” community, that literally cannot wipe our own asses without inputs from Asia.
I’m sure it will work out fine. Just fine. Nothing to see here, move along.
Good stuff here … learned much from all.
Really enjoyed the friendly shit-fest between I_S and SSS.
I, da Judge, rule that I_S wins …. he provided much more real data. (BTW …easy decision as I have yet to see SSS actually win any argument here.)
We started gardening this year. Just a small group of pots really, but tomatoes, peppers and herbs all summer.
This fall I’m building a couple of large planter boxes. Corn, tomatoes, green beans….you name it.
Produce is going to sky rocket over this winter.
Luckily the government can keep CPI down by claiming that lawn trimmings qualify as a vegetable so there really isn’t any increase in food prices at all.
TE, The Fukishima accident most likely caused many bad things, but I have to doubt that the drought in CA is one of them.
The fact is that the past 100 years in CA have been anomalously wet, and that extreme drought is more likely the normal order of things there. Trouble is that we have only been tracking things like the weather and seismic activity for about 150 years at the outside, and really have had very little idea of what constitute normalcy. However, meteorological archaeologists are beginning to piece together a record going back to medieval times, and they believe that CA was in extreme drought throughout most of the medieval era.
Experts also believe that the past 200 years or so has been an abnormally quiescent period for seismic activity along the Pacific Rim “ring of fire”, and that we can expect increasing activity in years ahead.
It’s just that never before were there 40 million humans stuffed into the area, who are completely dependent upon energy-and-resource-gobbling systems and technologies. It will happen in fragile ecologies like those of most of California, or South Florida, first, but ultimately, a population of us two-legged, planet-gobbling super-prime predators will overwhelm even the most resilient and best-endowed climates in the world.
@Chicago, all great points indeed.
I still wonder. Do we actually have ANY scientific data that “proves” radiation does not effect water production? I cannot believe that the radioactive isotopes and cells have no attraction, or effect, on water droplets in clouds. Logically, rationally, scientifically, that does not make sense.
Bu, our government 100% decided to help Japan (and the “US” corporations, like GE, that is ass deep in this disaster), cover up our radiation levels on land, on sea, and in our food.
When I know that such insanity is real (the USDA quit testing Asian fish for radiation a month after Fukishima), I have to question how many more realities are being hidden from us?
So, once again, it looks like a conflagration of mishaps and “outside” contingencies, have the potential to devastate us all.
Nah, it’s global warming. After all, our 150 years of data proves exactly what the weather was like 2 million years ago. Or 6000 for that matter.
The First of Thermodynamics states matter cannot be created or destroyed. We still have the matter as when the earth was a big ball of something circling the Sun (except for insignificant particles lost to outer space or meteorites gained.) This matter is in the form of elements as cataloged in The Periodic Chart of the Elements. Elements can be changed to other elements through nuclear fission/fusion but no matter has been created or destroyed.
One of the radio active materials from the Japanese disaster is radio active Cesium (Cs) which is directly below Potassium (K) in the Periodic Chart. Cs mimics K and enters the food chain as K. K combine with Cs is very toxic. K is one of the essential elements for plant growth. Form your own conclusions being aware of how Governments lie.
TE, donkey dicks are used primarily in new construction to pressure test drain lines for leaks during the plumbing inspection. I have no idea what the real name is for them actually. A good plumbing supply house would have them but I doubt that Home Depot would.
Stucky said:
“Really enjoyed the friendly shit-fest between I_S and SSS.
I, da Judge, rule that I_S wins …. he provided much more real data. (BTW …easy decision as I have yet to see SSS actually win any argument here.) ”
Thanks Stucky. That mangy dog couldn’t bear to come back here and post again. He just had to slink away with his tail tucked between his legs as the post dropped from the list. He’s worse than a liberal when it comes to twisting the discussion when he’s losing! Ooo look, Squirrel!
I_S
I picture sweet little petite TE going into a hardware store and meeting a studly looking clerk, and then she asks …. “Yeah, ummm, I’d like a donkey dick, please.” …… and I burst out laughing just thinking about it.
LOL! I’d just ask for a 2″ inflatable drain bladder but she’d definitely make an impression asking for a donkey dick!
I believe they’re also known as “long ball pneumatic test plugs.” I leave it to you to figure out how “donkey dick” came out of that.
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” I leave it to you to figure out how “donkey dick” came out of that. ” ——– Thinker
Well … there IS a resemblance.
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Negro clerk at Ace Hardware: — “Hello, ma’am. How may I help you?”
TE: — “I need a long fat black thingee to push down my drain line.”
Negro clerk at Ace Hardware: — ” I’m your man, ma’am.”
SSS will not be pleased with that picture!
Thinker, I’d have never guessed that was the name of them. I might have got the last three words but mot long ball.
Now you all have me laughing. And it reminds me of the time I was in 3rd grade and we were learning about plants that produce nuts.
My teacher would hold up a nut, and the class would try and answer it.
We knew peanuts, walnuts, pistachios (dyed red, of course). I, being a conessiur of the mixed, in shell, nuts with my father, even knew the two different names for hazelnuts (filbert, extra credit, such a suck up).
Then my teacher holds up a thick-shelled, dark brown, crescent shaped nut. The room goes silent. NOBODY knew what it was – or so I thought.
I, being a completely clueless and guileless 9 year old, raise my hand and start “ooh oohing.”
The teach says, “yes Teresa, tell the class what this nut is,”
And out of my mouth, without a thought, pops, “Brazil Nut!”
Or, that is how is happens in my perfect world. Instead, what happened was I blurted out the only name that I had EVER heard for those nuts. Yep, I said it, “it’s a n*gg*r toe!”
The look on the teacher’s face was priceless. The look on my dad’s, when he was called into the school to pick me up and “have a talk with me,” was even better.
Needless to say, from that day forward, the nuts were referred to with their proper name.
Thanks for reminding me of that story! Yeah, I won’t be using the slang for that. Well, I will use it with my plumber, he’ll crack the hell up when I know it!
OMG, pornography at the petting zoo. How ya gonna ‘splain THAT to the kids.
“Yep, I said it, “it’s a n*gg*r toe!” ——- TE
Wow. Haven’t heard that term in ages.
That’s how my ex-mother-in law referred to them ALWAYS. This, from a die hard ultra fundy Christian who never in her life touched alcohol, tobacco, or never ever swore …. for she was so fucking holy. But, “Nick, would you like some Nigger Toes?” … no problem!
Funny story, TE.
We called them that, too. I think I was 22 before I heard the correct name.
Roy,
I wonder if we got it right, about how the heavy elements came to be.
See this and let me know what you think.
These guys were predicting that comets are not dirty snowballs but hard, rocky bodies.
Recent probes have proved them correct.
Maybe their hypothesis that ELECTRICITY and not gravity is the prime driver of the cosmos has merit.
So maybe, in some way, TE’s suspicions have validity.
More from the ThunderboltsProject.
Point being, enlightened ideas about climate change points to the sun as being the culprit going through a normal cycle.
OR, the sun itself is being influenced by external forces. These forces, if proved to exist, invalidate the nuclear model of the sun.
But this discussion reminds me of the Sahara Rainforest. All that’s left these days is the Nile River Delta.
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