Will food shortages reach the United States because of hostility in between Russia and Ukraine?My mother is saying she is hearing in contemporary youtube tv channel stations that it will not reach the United States. We are ill prepared for a food shortage

[believeinHim]

On 4/14/2022 at 3:37 PM, Josheb said:

All new technologies are expensive when new. (remember personal computers? DVD players? Flat screen tvs?). The costs decrease as production rises. The Volt gave way to the Bolt for good reason, and in the due course of time the Bolt will give way to something better by Chevy. 

 

And we don't really have much choice. I am an old-school muscle-car kinda guy. Big cars with big blocks that pass everything but gas stations and Motorolas . But I have driven a couple of electric cars, including a Tesla, and I have to reluctantly confess they were impressive. Folks are going to buy them. Why? First and foremost because they can. Luddites like me are going to fade away. 

 

Or race past those guys in our double four-barrel hot rods on our way between gas stations .

What exactly do you mean by, "remember " ....................... ?These things have not and are still here. Thank the Good Lord. Pun intended. 

Edited April 18, 2022 by believeinHim

[other one]

The cost of fertilizer will go up.  We do grow a lot of food, but we import a good part of the ingredients of fertilizer.  We may not run too low on food, but it will cost more.

Fertilizer and the cost of fuel for farming has to drive the costs up.  I might add that it is more the actions of our present administration that is running these costs up more (much more) than the war in Ukraine.

[believeinHim]

3 hours ago, Josheb said:

FYI, I am not inclined to engage any poster who oy veys everything I post. Neither am I inclined to do so with any poster denying factual history. In 1981 a personal computer cost about $2,000 (about$.5k in modern equivalent dollars) and had the computing capacity of my shoelace.

Ummmmmmm, We have never had a desktop computer that cost that much money. Ever. Also, the only smartphone I know of does cost that much money. Where are you buying your laptops, desktops and smart phones ? 

 

3 hours ago, Josheb said:

 

My current cell phone cost a tenth of that and is exponentially more powerful than the IBM 5150 . Thank God . 

I remember. 

Thank God . 

I don't suppose America could take on the Ubuntu phone. THAT, Would be worth it. ...................... 

3 hours ago, Josheb said:

 

Edited April 18, 2022 by believeinHim

[believeinHim]

3 hours ago, Josheb said:

FYI, I am not inclined to engage any poster who oy veys everything I post. Neither am I inclined to do so with any poster denying factual history. In 1981 a personal computer cost about $2,000 (about$.5k in modern equivalent dollars) and had the computing capacity of my shoelace. My current cell phone cost a tenth of that and is exponentially more powerful than the IBM 5150 . Thank God . 

I remember. 

Thank God . 

 

Western businesses, especially American business, is amazingly resilient and adaptive and the profit motive is handicapped only by God and limits on open markets (they are gradually less open). "Shortages" become a means of opportunity. American enterprise will adapt wherever government permits. It is human history. 

Where are you buying your laptops, desktops and smartphones ? We have never had a desktop, nor laptop that cost that much money. And whatever the government, "permits,",.............. ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 

And what does, $.5k mean ? 500 thousand cents ? 

Edited April 18, 2022 by believeinHim

[believeinHim]

3 hours ago, Josheb said:

FYI, I am not inclined to engage any poster who oy veys everything I post. Neither am I inclined to do so with any poster denying factual history. In 1981 a personal computer cost about $2,000 (about$.5k in modern equivalent dollars) and had the computing capacity of my shoelace. My current cell phone cost a tenth of that and is exponentially more powerful than the IBM 5150 . Thank God . 

I remember. 

Thank God . 

 

Western businesses, especially American business, is amazingly resilient and adaptive and the profit motive is handicapped only by God and limits on open markets (they are gradually less open). "Shortages" become a means of opportunity. American enterprise will adapt wherever government permits. It is human history. 

And, " What, does, "$.5k mean ? .500 thousand cents ? 

[believeinHim]

On 4/14/2022 at 3:23 PM, Starise said:

EVs (electric vehicles) are being aggressively promoted here in the US. A new Chevy Bolt gets 253 miles on a charge which costs about $4.00 US if you charge it at home at 8 cents a kwh. You can't fill up a gasoline car for that. There were about 7 fires in Chevy bolts. GM stopped production and offered to replace all old batteries under warranty for Chevy Bolt owners. This is a boon for an owner who has a two or three year old Bolt because it's like getting a new car. EV battery capacity with current technology drops to 70% after 5 years. Production of the Chevy Bolt has resumed.

The interest in EVs here is still not extraordinary compared to Gasoline vehicles. One of the main reasons for that is poor resale value if you keep it longer than 3-5 years as compared to resale value on a gasoline car. The idea to lease instead of buy an EV was said to be a viable option because you get to drive it while it's at the peak and offload it when the batteries start to decline. I don't see any wisdom in this. Isn't some resale value better than NO resale value?  After 10 years an electric car is still a good city car at 50% battery capacity. Not such a good daily long distance commute car. At 33-35,000 and up new electric EVs aren't cheap either.

EV batteries do get hot and makers suggest keeping them away from heat ( hot parking lots in the summer) as much as possible. New EV tech has better ways to cool the batteries. This isn't a safety issue. The heat can lessen the battery's ability to hold the charge.

Hybrid cars are another option, but hybrid cars also loose a lot of resale value, so in many cases the money you saved at the pump could have been made up for in resale of a gasoline car. The Toyota Prius seems to be holding value pretty well because you can replace those batteries reasonably. Unlike the Tesla, where you need their service, a handy person who knows what they are doing can obtain a battery and put it in themselves.

EV batteries are in the neighborhood of 15K right now. Who wants to have one of those replaced?

It should not be getting this difficult to figure out how in which to get out and about, and even to run errands like getting food. It really should not.

[believeinHim]

On 4/15/2022 at 8:48 AM, Still Alive said:

Yep. I've said for the last few decades that if cars were invented "now", they would never allow the average person to drive them. FWIW, I DO think the driver's license skill test should be a LOT tougher. Watch those crash videos some time. Some of them are just a person making a mistake, but many are people that should never, in their lifetime, be given a driver's license. They just don't have the spatial reasoning capability to control a 3,000 lb vehicle out in public. 

I think the goal is to get us into electric, and then regulate the neck out of it to the point that fewer and fewer can afford to drive and are stuck with public transportation or bicycles - even in rural areas. 

And don't even get me started on the climate change farce. 

Climate ? Change ? Ya, don't say ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 

[Still Alive]

On 4/19/2022 at 10:57 AM, believeinHim said:

Climate ? Change ? Ya, don't say ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 

Yeah. It's been known to happen. 

[Starise]

On 4/19/2022 at 10:54 AM, believeinHim said:

It should not be getting this difficult to figure out how in which to get out and about, and even to run errands like getting food. It really should not.

Sorry I had just recently been studying EVs and I tend to overthink things.

People in the city can simply ride a bike of walk if they are close to supplies.

Where are you from? Where are you living now and why is it so bad there?

I don't believe you indicated if you are in Ukraine now.

[believeinHim]

On 4/20/2022 at 8:31 AM, Starise said:

Sorry I had just recently been studying EVs and I tend to overthink things.

People in the city can simply ride a bike of walk if they are close to supplies.

Where are you from? Where are you living now and why is it so bad there?

I don't believe you indicated if you are in Ukraine now.

No, I am not in Ukraine, But when I eat healthy i have a hard time maintaining weight. I also have a hard time eating. I also have a hard time cooking for myself. If I walk too much, my muscles get super sore and I've already lost 50 lbs over the past 6 months. I lost 30 lbs of them over 3 months. I have a really hard time maintaining weight, ESPECIALLY since I don't drive now. When I drove I was able to drive to get food. I literally have to cook everything from home now, All home cooked meals and all home cooked everything. It's healthier for you, if you eat at home but it does makes you lose weight. I am so tired from medications every day I have a hard time cooking for myself. Add that on with walking, {briskly}, and wanting to run, {fastly}, And I am having a hard time NOT losing even more weight. I was 194 ~ 196 for a long time when I was driving. I have dropped to 140~ish, 150ish, and will probably lose more. That's what eating at home does. I was thinking of trying to study and look up nutrionists advice so I can get more calories in me during the day, and more combinations of food. I am concerned with how much weight i lost over 3 months because of thrush. That's how badly out of hand my eating had gotten, And now that it has gotten better I am having the opposite effect. I am also on very heavily sedating medications and the weight matters for how much of a dose you need. I dot not, am not even aware of the dosing I quite need right now. Yes, I walk to the grocery store. I can't do it every day. I weigh 145~ish and have a 118 lb frame. I have been 125 for most of my younger life, And am currently getting back down to that. I don't eat very much, honestly. Blessings........................

Edited April 21, 2022 by believeinHim