Hi Nate,

I have some time so I will answer your questions.

1) I have a small amount of gold just as a kind of "insurance". I've heard that after the war in Europe it was helpful to have some. I started out with it to trade it, but then once I had it- it seemed just wrong to sell it. We have some stockpiles of food and water in event of a hurricane but I haven't taken the step yet of stockpiling for a sustained shortage of basic goods. I don't know what I am waiting for, it just seems like abandoning all hope to take that step.

2) This is playing out now by opening new areas to oil drilling. IMO areas not being drilled now should be held in reserve for future generations. And for anyone with children it is easy to care about the long term. Granted that 100 years is several generations, but do we really want to be remembered by our descendents for our greed?

3) I just read an article the other day where they cut the calories of Rhesus monkeys by a third and showed that the health benefits were phenomenal. So yes, I certainly think that cutting back is a viable strategy. We have installed better insulation and solar water heat in our house and I drive a small 4-cylinder car that is certified as an ULEV. I think this is actually the better strategy because this sets an example that others might be willing to follow. There is so much waste in everything right now, how much improvement would there be in our situation if everyone became more frugal? We could at least buy some time.

4) What you are going to have in this discussion are those who think you have to go it alone and those like me who think survivable is not feasible without a community effort. I think preparation should consist of learning how to be a leader, or at least how to gain some amount of influence. Those of us who have knowledge of the problems facing us should have knowledge of possible solutions and the capability to influence people around us if we want to make a difference.