10 Reasons You Should Have Hope for the Future *Link

 I'm certain that I have some sense of hope yet I can not identify it. I have my "now" and my now ushers in my "next", there is no more.

EcoWatch

3 Reasons Why America is About to End

 *I like this author's blunt title but realizing if this comes true in my lifetime, I still don't care. To a polymath opportunist, this is no more than another challenge to overcome. I live for new challenges and bore very easily once I overcome obstacles.

All empires fall. The American one is already well into its terminal phase.

America has its flaws. Countless books examine them, but they often conclude their grim analyses with a chapter on “how to make things better.” Rarely is the feasibility of these proposed solutions considered.

What if the flaws in our principal institutions, from Capitol Hill to the National Security apparatus to the Federal Reserve, are unfixable? What if they exacerbate one another, resulting in an unsolvable nightmare? Is the reality that America has already begun its irreversible decline, after only 250 years, staring us in the face?

All empires fall, after all. It’s just a matter of time before America goes the way of Rome.

In 2014, a study partly funded by NASA warned that global industrial civilization could implode in the near future.

The fall of the Roman Empire, and the equally (if not more) advanced Han, Mauryan, and Gupta Empires, as well as so many advanced Mesopotamian Empires, are all testimony to the fact that advanced, sophisticated, complex, and creative civilizations can be both fragile and impermanent.

Excess resource extraction and unequal wealth distribution were crucial to every civilizational collapse of the past 5,000 years. Privileged elites rapaciously exploited the environment and labor while shielding themselves from the consequences. The lives of commoners ultimately descended into chaos, creating a destructive vacuum that obliterated the foundational pillars of society.

Excess resource extraction. Unequal wealth distribution. Are these not the problems currently plaguing America, and for which there are few proposed solutions? Expecting our notoriously venal politicians or our overworked, heavily distracted citizenry to resolve these issues is absurd. Identity politics, among other things, has stifled our ability to unite and address imminent dangers.

In 2008, Thomas Fingar, former Chairman of the National Intelligence Council, stated that US global leadership will “rapidly deteriorate in political, economic, and arguably cultural arenas.” NIC’s Global Trends 2030 says that in the coming decades the US will be mired in internal crises as a result of low economic growth. Despite the cheery optimism of America’s politicians, the Intelligence community seems certain that ticking debt-bombs and social instability will mightily diminish America’s global standing.

Morris Berman’s trilogy on the American Empire and William Ophuls’ Immoderate Greatness: Why Civilizations Fail offer astute analyses on why America’s problems are irreparable and reminiscent of past empires. I’ll briefly explain why America is “down for the count” for those unwilling to read the books.

1) The era of U.S. Dollar hegemony is coming to an end

In 1944, the Allied Powers constructed the post-war monetary order at the Bretton Woods Conference in New Hampshire. Because America had cemented itself as the world’s preeminent superpower, it was agreed that the U.S Dollar would officially be the global reserve currency (it had unofficially held this status since 1925). The bulk of international transactions would now be conducted in U.S. Dollars. The world’s central banks would also hold massive quantities of USD. As of today, the U.S. Dollar constitutes 60% of global reserves and 80% of global payments.

According to Global Trends 2030:

Historically, US dominance has been buttressed by the dollar’s role as the global reserve currency. The fall of the dollar as the global reserve currency…would be one of the sharpest indications of a loss of US global economic position, equivalent to the sterling’s demise as the world’s currency, contributing to the end of the British Empire in the post-World War II period.

Simply put, the current monetary system allows America to pay for goods and services with printed dollars. If other countries printed giant sums of their money to buy imports, their currency’s value would crash on the foreign exchange market. Because the USD’s reserve currency status creates an unlimited demand for dollars, America has been merrily churning the printing presses to bolster its military and buy foreign goods.

All of the “Made in _______” goods being sold at American retailers, as well as American made products using imported materials, should be 2–5x more expensive than they are now. The US runs trade deficits with virtually every country in the world. Other countries give us goods and we give them printed money. That the U.S has spent the past century debasing its currency is obvious; the prices of everyday goods are more expensive than in the 1950’s by several orders of magnitude.

The US Dollar is not the world’s first reserve currency, nor will it be the last.

Complete Article

2018 Homelessness Statistics

Later this month, The San Francisco Chronicle will lead an effort to flood the Bay Area with stories and news reports on the city’s homelessness crisis. Working with local television, print, and online news outlets, this coordinated effort will create a wave of coverage about this pressing issue, hopefully forcing the public and area politicians to put some major energy and resources into finding real, lasting solutions.

Are you a homeless services organization? Our free Homeless Services eBook is full of expert advice that comes from years of helping human services organizations.

Please visit.

For many cities, solving homelessness is an ongoing challenge. So, what does homelessness look like in 2016? The following statistics are alarming:

1. 564,708 people in the U.S. are homeless. According to a recent report, over half a million people were living on the streets, in cars, in homeless shelters, or in subsidized transitional housing during a one-night national survey last January. Of that number, 206,286 were people in families, 358,422 were individuals, and a quarter of the entire group were children.
2. 83,170 individuals, or 15% of the homeless population, are considered “chronically homeless.” Chronic homelessness is defined as an individual who has a disability and has experienced homelessness for a year or longer, or and individual who has a disability and has experienced at least four episodes of homelessness in the last three years (must be a cumulative of 12 months). Families with at least one adult member who meets that description are also considered chronically homeless.As the National Alliance to End Homelessness explains, “While people experiencing chronic homelessness make up a small number of the overall homeless population, they are among the most vulnerable. They tend to have high rates of behavioral health problems, including severe mental illness and substance use disorders; conditions that may be exacerbated by physical illness, injury, or trauma.”

3. 47,725, or about 8% of the homeless population, are veterans. This represents a 35% decrease since 2009. Homeless veterans have served in several different conflicts from WWII to the recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Washington, D.C., has the highest rate of veteran homelessness in the nation (145.8 homeless veterans per 10,000). 45% of homeless veterans are black or Hispanic. While less than 10% of homeless veterans are women, that number is rising.
4. 1.4 million veterans are at risk of homelessness. This may be due to poverty, overcrowding in government housing, and lack of support networks. Research indicates that those who served in the late Vietnam and post-Vietnam era are at greatest risk of homelessness. War-related disabilities or disorders often contribute to veteran homelessness, including physical disabilities, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury, depression and anxiety, and addiction.
5. 550,000 unaccompanied, single youth and young adults under the age of 24 experience a homelessness episode of longer than one week. Approximately 380,000 of that total are under the age of 18. Accurately counting homeless children and youth is particularly difficult. The National Alliance to End Homelessness explains, “Homeless youth are less likely to spend time in the same places as homeless people who are in an older age range. They are often less willing to disclose that they’re experiencing homelessness or may not even identify as homeless. They also may work harder to try to blend in with peers who aren’t homeless.”
6. 110,000 LGBTQ youth in the U.S. are homeless. This is one of the most vulnerable homeless populations. A substantial number of young people who identify as LGBTQ say that they live in a community that is not accepting of LGBTQ people. In fact, LGBTQ youths make up 20% of runaway kids across the country. Family rejection, abuse, and neglect are major reasons LGBTQ youth end up on the streets. Additionally, homeless LGBTQ youth are substantially more likely than heterosexual homeless youth to be victims of sexual assault and abuse. LGBTQ homeless youth are twice as likely to commit suicide compared to heterosexual homeless youth.
7. Fifty percent of the homeless population is over the age of 50. These individuals often face additional health and safety risks associated with age. They are more prone to injuries from falls, and may suffer from cognitive impairment, vision or hearing loss, major depression, and chronic conditions like diabetes and arthritis.
8. 830,120 year-round beds are available in a range of housing projects. About half of those beds are dedicated to people currently experiencing homelessness. This includes
   • Emergency Shelters that provide temporary or nightly shelter beds to people experiencing homelessness.
   • Transitional Housing that provides homeless people with up to 24 months of housing and supportive services.
   • Safe Havens that provide temporary shelter and services to hard-to-serve individuals.

The other half of these beds are targeted at recently homeless populations. Rapid Rehousing provides short-term and medium-term rental assistance, housing relocation, and stabilization services to formerly homeless people experiencing homelessness. Permanent Supportive Housing provides long-term housing with supportive services for formerly homeless people with disabilities. Other Permanent Housing provides housing with or without services, but does not require people to have a disability.

As shocking as these statistics are, there are so many great organizations working tirelessly to end homelessness in the U.S. and around the world. Get inspired by their work and success, continue reading some of the Social Solutions case studies that feature clients who work with the homeless population!

One day I may write another book

 I was an overweight child until I was about 16, believe it or not. Over the years I learned how to eat just about anything that I wanted and not gain weight
I have often thought about writing such a guide but the book would only be a couple pages long and it seems 99% of the people want a lotion, potion or a pill.
 Let me tell you, I eat all day every day, G'night

This isn't work, I get paid to enjoy myself

 Remind me to start labeling what these dishes are.

 

My Semi Autonomous Defense Systems

 I have received numerous emails about installations but sadly I'm in the states but I will be back overseas soon enough where I'll pick up where I left off. (I have researched and searched again to implement all the newest technology, I don't watch TV) *And these pics are Not it!

 How does it work? Shrink a Mobile Command Center down to less than 30 pounds, teach two drones to pull a trigger and stand back.

Do you wish to have a successful blog or website

 From what I can ascertain my visitors wish to view things from a different perspective, they also wish to learn life and tech techniques that create a stronger sense of being.
 I supplied the avenue yet I owe it to hungry minds for all the rest.
*Now if I could get them to afford one of my services LOL

***I'll answer your question here:
 Blogs don't really generate much cash flow unless they're associated with a viable and tangible product. My real source of income comes from my associated website > Niko's Toy Box

        Thanks

Talking about fake or exaggerated news

 I'm sitting at an American airport watching the news on hurricane Florence, chuckles. In several shots I see dry ground all around the reporters but where do they stand? In the water LOL
 Now... Is this for my benefit to get a better feel of what's transpiring or simply to make a more dramatic impact? And where reporters couldn't stand in the water, let's create some digital imagery to create a scenario where viewers can go "OMG"
 You may have a cool, level headed approach to life yet it seems "the powers that be" don't want you there.

The most accurate hurricane updates

NOAA

I'm missing my puppy and my rig