Quote from: K-Dog on Jan 10, 2026, 08:26 PMPeak oil is still very much a real thing but existential issues dominate.

Late stage capitalism, where money makes kings the way horses and iron used to.  And the prosperity of the social middle collapses on a return to a new middle age.

Your picture imagery was interesting. So in your "collapse" scenario, how far along are we, and when is the expected arrival at your imagery? Because everything burning to the ground seems more like the absolute end of things, as opposed to late stage capitalism....which could have begun turn of the century with the neocon resurgence. And in the quarter century since it began (presuming turn of the century and age of the NeoCons is a good start)....everything burning to ground (other than the usual natural disasters which cause such things) doesn't appear to be what is going on.

As far as the prosperity of the social middle class....how you doing K-Dog? You out on a street corner with a cup? Me neither. And as you have insisted that folks like you and I are in the middle, it seems like a fair question as to how we are faring this late stage capitalism world.

For some reason, those holding out cups and offering to wash my car window for a pittance don't seem to know much English. Seems like the social middle as you and I sit in is doing okay compared to the NON social middle some of us can find on street corners. 

Which begs the question....Rome had beggars and poor as well, and collapsed mightily at the end of the day. Which is why the picture was cool, even if late stage capitalism ain't quite represented by it yet.