Occupy__________ Movement

[watershield]

So, has the Occupy Wall Street spun off to a community near you?
How do you feel about it?
Is it going anywhere or having any sort of affect?

[WulfcwenStar]

We have had protesters outside St. Paul's Cathedral as it would have caused too much disruption at The Exchange itself.
Now they want it moved on as it is causing problems where it is.

www.guardian.co.uk/news/blog/2011/oct/28/occupy-london-live-st-pauls-protests

Personally I dont see how it will make a difference all it seems to have done is cause problems. //yes it gets into the media and probably make more people aware but as to changing things! it would be nice if it did but I doubt it somehow

[watershield]

I was just looking at the rate of unemployment in the UK. Recently the numbers went from about 119,000 to over 2,000,000.
That's an unbelievable jump!
The drain of employment insurance is not sustainable and funds will run out in no time. The government can only provide a limited amount of support to the unemployed and I think it's already over extended.

This morning I understand that Greece no longer plans to put the bailout to a vote, rather will be rejecting the offer and leaving the EU zone.
They will have no choice but to default on their loans, impacting governments and business around the world.

The ripple effect has a potential of plunging us into a world wide depression worse than what was seen in the 30's.
Are you prepared for it?
What would you do if half the work force was suddenly unemployed with no benefits to help?
What would you do if you could buy food as the stores had closed?
Couldn't heat your home or turn on an electric light?
Winter is upon us and it's starting to long to be very bleak!

[WulfcwenStar]

Bleak is certainly the word.
It may sound daft but Soup kitchens would return and probably a form of the Victorian Workhouse.
Scrooge said something when he was asked to make a charitable donation.' Are there no prisons, no workhouses?'. Being told some would rather die Scrooge said 'Let them die and decrease the surplus population'
I am sure that is exactlty what the Government would like. Less benefits, pensions and NHS to pay for.


I always said one currency in Europe was a bad idea. One falls all fall, its like dominoes push one and they all topple over.

Crime is on the increase to the point that the Police will have a national none emergency number here in the UK it will be 101. The routeing will be based on the same system as 999 calls which links a caller’s dialling code to the police force that covers that geographic area. It starts November 14th.

Household fuel prices have increased alarmingly.
Food prices are frightening £70 is now the norm for two people. Thats about $112 .

Benefits are being cut as the Government are trying to get those who have been on long term Incapacity benefit back to work. These are people who can no longer work due to health problems and have been told by Medical Specialists they cannot work. Now they are be assessed and told they can work, this means they go onto Unemployment benefit, get re-trained and then have to find a job within 1 year or the benefits stop. That is the plan, but with so many out of work and cut backs happening every day people who are fit cannot find jobs so how will someone who has been out of work for 10 years+ get work?

Only time will tell what will happen until then we keep muddling on.

[watershield]

It has been said many times that the current population of the world has grow beyond the ability of society to maintain it.
If you look back in history, this has happened many times, always resulting in a major war that "thins" the herd. And, while the population is reduced, technological advances are made which, in the past, have allowed for the ability to support a larger population.

The recent wars however failed to reduce population or produce advancements in our ability to feed and care for the masses. But it did weaken the economic stability of many nations bringing us to the brink of collapse. As you say, one little nudge and the domino's will start to fall and as nations seek food and other needed resources, a major war will be inevitable.

I just hope that, as the super powers fail, some one remember to destroy the launch codes and disable all the missile's out there.

[cunimalaeficus]

The UK Govt have been running a bit of a scam regarding Unemployment Benefits. A significant proportion of all 'Jobseekers Allowance" gets spent on Tobacco, Alcohol, and Fuel, all of which are taxed at a rate that wouldn't be tolerated anywhere else. So a lot of the money goes straight back into government coffers. Of course, this results in a larger rate of petty crime, but even this results in a return for the economy, providing jobs in the Security industry, and research and development into technology designed to combat this.

[thatguy]

I think, it might just come down to us, all us people, to start taking care of those around us, and to find solutions ourselves for problems like: lack of food, heat, electrical energy, recreation, education etc.

I don't want to be totally pessimistic, but a significant percentage of effort exerted by our leaders is focussed on large companies and the interests of those in charge of many resources. I'm not saying that certain individuals don't wield their wealth or power responsibly (that is, realising they have a greater responsibility, because for whatever reason, they find themselves in possession of more control of the material world than their neighbours), I'm saying there are those who aren't being totally responsible, and it may be possible it's not entirely of their own doing; it's hard to tell what leads a person to their current way of being.

All that being said, what we do have is the following:

- access to large amounts of high quality knowledge (many top schools offer their course materials and even lectures free for anyone who'd use them) in *all* fields from the humanities and arts through engineering of all types to abstract mathematics
- a tool by which people can share ideas, skills, tips and knowledge with everyone else, at very little cost and at high speed
- a world *full* of clever, kind hearted, creative and motivated people who care
- an increasing ability for an individual or small group to duplicate and utilise almost any technology, practically from the ground up, from their homes; this ranges from woodworking to the machining of steel, to custom digital circuits (wiki CPLD or FPGA for some examples), agriculture, music production, video production, publishing of prose. To top that off, there are small net-based communities popping up everywhere which can teach almost anyone how to do anything from grassroots.

Given all this, should the world fall into financial darkness, I think and hope that we'll be able to take care of each other. Personally I dread the madness that would come with war. We all require tolerance and compromise to get along with each other, but it's a small price to pay given the alternative.

One thing is for sure, myself totally included, we all have to stop being so afraid of so many things, it's hurting us all.

[hecate8]

The local occupy group fell apart after one faction race baited and called the police on the other faction.