Woody O'Brien: Does Japan disaster migration= a bottom for US real estate?

[9Cbreeze]

As a scientist let me say: Yes, it is true nature put limits on populations. We call it "carrying capacity". Humans can/have artificially increased their populations by the use of fossil fuels. Think of what would happen if we stopped using fossil fuels tomorrow, especially in agriculture. Additionally, you may have noticed in the footage of the Tsunami agriculture fields being wiped out. The salt water will "pollute" these fields for years and I can't begin to address radiation here.

[marcabela]

@9Cbreeze,

As a human I reply - please do let "nature" put its "own" limits... let us avoid "playing Mao" by picking a number and arguing about it. Also, you talk as if "fossil fuels" is the only thing we can use. What if we stopped bombing all the people in the middle east and instead invested our time and energy building floating houses running on nothing but solar energy? With water recycling devices? What if cars used air as fuel? Stop imposing your intellectual laziness on the future.

[marcabela]

I live in Tokyo... two corrections, if I may. First, "social liberalism" (i.e. economical) in Vietnam has been limited for decades, per capita GDP was always in the bottom of most lists (1,000$ / year or less - now it has raised to probably 2,500$ or something). Second, the "radiation" in Tokyo is measured in "nano-sieverts". The math will quickly show you that this is still way below what you get from the potassium-40 inside a banana. Millions? I doubt it. Hundreds? Max.

[jimbobubbadj]

Infinite growth on a finite planet is impossible. Sooner or later the planet will be forced to break away from the present economic growth paradigm. With peak oil at hand, now is a good time to start. The planet is in a phase of over shoot. Oil has enabled this to occur. Once the oil production plateau ends and production goes into decline, the growth paradigm will end. Not only that but population will be reduced as well.

[marcabela]

@jimbobubbadj,

Resources aren't limited - our minds are. Since the very first day man came up with fire a million years ago men with limited imaginations have argued that this is it, we're at the very extreme of what we can use. Open your mind, free your spirit, let kids invent new things, find ways to allow people to live in floating buildings powered by nothing but the sun, a water recycling device in each house, fully recyclable plastic. Free your mind.

[jimbobubbadj]

@marcabela Wishing for something doesn't make it so. Pragmatism is what works for me.

[marcabela]

@jimbobubbadj,

Fair well then, take the microphone and explain to all the old people that starting tomorrow it's stairs for everyone, tell all the sick and handicapped that no more wheel chairs for them, tell the moms you'll punish them if they have more than x kids, write your book, and we will make sure to find room for it in 200 years from now between Mao's work and Pol Pot's memoirs. Your make the assumption that your pragmatism (read: intellectual laziness) works for everyone. Way to go.

[jimbobubbadj]

@marcabela Nature sets the limits not I.

[marcabela]

@jimbobubbadj,

Fair well, then, let me go in the direction of your reflection - where did nature set the limit a million years ago when men discovered fire?

If you don't naturally see the difference between "discovering fire" and "flying airplanes" - my argument can't help.

Anyway, I'll leave you with all the pleasure of contacting the poor and disabled "well, sorry, I'm on my break, no, couldn't think of something new, couldn't come up with something better, see: nature sets the limits not I".

[jimbobubbadj]

@marcabela Wood is limited. Trees and plants only grow so fast. If civilization goes over to wood to replace oil, the forests will disappear in no time.

[marcabela]

@jimbobubbadj,

You seem to insist on limiting your imagination only to what you already know. Every few decades the planet is faced with a big challenge. Some just give up throw their hands in the air and say this disease is just too much for us to handle we've run out of resources nothing we can do let the old die this is god's will - and others insist there must be a vaccine, a way out we haven't thought of yet, just a bit more research, more thinking. We've both already picked our group...

[jimbobubbadj]

@marcabela There are solutions to problems but we disagree on what they are. Insistence on growth is dooming the planet. You are a growth person, I'm am not. We have to put in place solutions that are available to us now not the assumption that some technological wonder device will come alone and save us all. I'm nowhere close to being in the "God will save us camp". Nothing that I said puts me even remotely close to being in that camp. I thought that you were possibly in that camp.

[marcabela]

@jimbobubbadj,

I'm not "insisting" on growth - I'm just saying let's stick with "we hope all get to live long" and "let's pursue our research to find better ways to manage our environment" and "let's study everything again and assume we haven't found anything yet" - let bad news come from mother nature . All I'm saying is that it's preposterous to have "an opinion" on how many resources we have or what is the right number of people to have on this planet. I mean, how arrogant do we get, really.

[unameitltd]

YES...I know we gotta get that mic fixed or replaced...I was just in a world of hurry to get this thesis out early this am.

[unameitltd]

Got an additional piece of into after I posted this video....and now YES...WILL NOW DECLARE TODAY 3-17-11 IS THE BOTTOM OF THE US REAL ESTATE MARKET

MARK YOUR CALANDERS...WOODY OBRIEN HAS CALLED THE BOTTOM...ASSUMING ONLY AT LEAST 250K PEOPLE FROM JAPAN MOVE TO THE US BUT NOT MORE THAN 25 MILLION.

[bigdad06]

Yes my wife and I were talking about this topic last night. Especially since the U.S. is raiding their strategic oil reserves as we speak.