# The Crash Course - By Chris Martenson



## CanOz (31 August 2008)

I just got up to date on Chris's courses. I had seen one before that WayneL had posted links to.

This should be recommended reading for anyone with a brain. 

Curious for opinions.

Cheers,


CanOz

The Crash Course...will you take it?

http://www.chrismartenson.com/crashcourse


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## CanOz (1 September 2008)

Well so far Dhukka is the only one to have read The Crash Course.

Any others to add today?

Cheers,

CanOz


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## Paladin (1 September 2008)

I'll give it a squiz!


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## solomon (1 September 2008)

CanOz said:


> Well so far Dhukka is the only one to have read The Crash Course.
> 
> Any others to add today?
> 
> ...




I went through the whole thing today. Not only did I learn a few things, but now I'm flat out confused as to how i should have my hard earned invested. I'm not a short term trader, and whatever the old rules were, well they are changing?


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## Happy (3 September 2008)

Quite terrifying, the world can be compared to Titanic which hit the iceberg already, but nice music (to our ears) still plays and not many realise that whole world is on the steep decline of our energy hockey stick.


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## CAB SAV (3 September 2008)

solomon said:


> I went through the whole thing today. Not only did I learn a few things, but now I'm flat out confused as to how i should have my hard earned invested. I'm not a short term trader, and whatever the old rules were, well they are changing?




Next time I'm in Perth I'm going to the mint to buy some gold and then maybe be able to buy a beer.


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## prawn_86 (4 September 2008)

Just going through this now. Hopefully get a couple done per day and be finished next week.


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## Adam A (4 September 2008)

Fantastic read and presentation 

Thank you for bringing it to my attention

Recommend all people to have a quick flick thru,their are 17 chapters in total but most only take 5 to 12 minutes each

The explanation of what actually is a trillion nearly blew my mind


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## prawn_86 (4 September 2008)

Im up to Ch 5 and so far it seems to be mainly stuff i was already aware of, however this is a bit more of an academic style presentation.

Still seems to be along the same lines/trying to get the same msg across as docos like:

Zeitgiest
Money Masters
Esoteric Agenda


Problem is, until enough people are aware, nothing will motivate governments to change. And with declining education standards and increased 'mainstream' media saturation (IE blankly staring at TV), then will a critical mass ever be achieved?

Not much one or a small group of people can do....


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## Adam A (4 September 2008)

Agree 

unfortunately  governments only seem to react after the event,they will have to do something soon as the s---- seems to be soon to hit the fan


The us is plugging financial leaks and more and more seem to be appearing!

I think your right about the dumbing down of the general public

We seem to be more and more a culture of celebrity

I think ill head to the library this w/end and get some books on the great depression and end of empires (just in case)


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## Greg71 (4 September 2008)

Adam A said:


> Fantastic read and presentation
> 
> Thank you for bringing it to my attention
> 
> ...




On the Kim Reilly intro. DVD I have, he explains how much a billion is in terms of time.

Apparently it would take 2700 years to spend a *billion* dollars at $1000 a day.


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## PhoenixXx (26 September 2008)

Is the website still accessible? As it prompted me to enter username & pass.
I have had no problem so far.


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## awg (26 September 2008)

my prediction for chapter 20.

everyone go and live on communal collectives

gather your scythes and donkeys

get the woodlot going

i need to get out my 30 yr old " Earth Garden" and survival books


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## zolow (26 September 2008)

PhoenixXx said:


> Is the website still accessible? As it prompted me to enter username & pass.
> I have had no problem so far.




I also just tried... It is requesting a password and userneme


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## moXJO (26 September 2008)

My password and username(unpaid membership) are not working so must be a glich


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## awg (26 September 2008)

the dude probably wants u to pony up for "the answers" in the upcoming chapter 20.

i have seen worse money making schemes!

was a very informative series i will agree.

did leave me feeling a bit depressed at first view

i must be too cynical


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## Pronto (26 September 2008)

moXJO said:


> My password and username(unpaid membership) are not working so must be a glich




You can access the Crash Course at 

http://development.theendofmoney.com/crashcourse


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## Happy (26 September 2008)

He must be changing something in his site.


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## Glen48 (27 September 2008)

its working again??????
tune in and listen


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## frenzel (27 October 2008)

He's just recently released the chapter 20 "What should I do?" video.  No he doesn't want cash to view it, but the last bit in the video was a donation grab.

http://www.chrismartenson.com/crash-course/chapter-20-what-should-i-do

Don't expect to get the magic bullet answer, although reading between the lines, he does makes it clear where his focus is.  

If anyone hasn't gone through the course, it's definitely recommended.


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## derty (27 October 2008)

Just finished watching this over the weekend - really opened my eyes to quite a few things and has got me more than bit scared. Recommended viewing.

When you look at his logic and the data trends coupled with the bailout action currently taking place - it seems like there is only one way this can all end. Nasty. 

Interesting to see how inflation and GDP are measured in the US and how they are under and over-stated respectfully. Does the Aussie govt use the same trickery to arrive at their respective figures?


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## Happy (27 October 2008)

derty said:


> Interesting to see how inflation and GDP are measured in the US and how they are under and over-stated respectfully. Does the Aussie govt use the same trickery to arrive at their respective figures?





While ago there was article about Australian calculations, that mentioned money saved on rent by owners living in their own homes, as addition to other income, lifting household total income.

What implication would that have? 
Possibly because it is tax-free it reduced the % that is taken out as tax.


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## kitehigh (27 October 2008)

I've got no doubt the Australian Govt understates our inflation as well.

I listened to the whole course last night, and most of it I already understood but was good to get a few different ideas on some topics.
Does make you wonder where is the best place is to try and preserve your hard earned capital.  I would love to have enough capital to buy a big farm outright, but unfortunately due to a divorce and a stupid investment decision I am no longer in position to make this possible in the next 2 years.  Might pick up some Physical Gold as a hedge against high inflation.  

A good hunting rifles might come in handy also,, as we have plenty of feral animals that make good eating in tough times..

The explosion in human population seems unsustainable, I am sure glad I am not living in India or china.


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## wallyt99 (28 October 2008)

I watched the crash course last night.

The logic seems sound, except for one area....  Martenson focuses on the problems of exponential growth, yet does not mention the possibility that renewable energy sources will also grow exponentially. In fact, it is highly possible that the 'hockey stick' of renewable energy will be diametric to the crash of oil supply.

Also, most popular opinions see the world population peaking at 9 Billion in 2050. The birth rate in developed countries is slowing (for example, in Australia we have negative growth without immigration), and developing countries will either a, struggle to feed their populations (natural selection) or b, see a slowing birth rate.

The biggest problem I see, is whether the collapse (more likely correction) of debt based money will result in either Inflation (BAD) or Defaults (good).


At the moment, these constant bailouts are just spreading the debt load over us all, contributing to inflation.  The people who were responsible for generating bad debt are the ones who need to suffer, not the following generations.

Unfortunately, because of the large amount of $US held in foreign reserves, other countries see it as prudent for them to support a measure which will prevent the absolute collapse of the US dollar, albeit if it means devaluing all currencies in the process.

That said, for how many generations will the world have to pay for the excesses of the USA?


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## mayk (28 October 2008)

wallyt99 said:


> I watched the crash course last night.
> 
> The logic seems sound, except for one area....  Martenson focuses on the problems of exponential growth, yet does not mention the possibility that renewable energy sources will also grow exponentially. In fact, it is highly possible that the 'hockey stick' of renewable energy will be diametric to the crash of oil supply.
> 
> Also, most popular opinions see the world population peaking at 9 Billion in 2050. The birth rate in developed countries is slowing (for example, in Australia we have negative growth without immigration), and developing countries will either a, struggle to feed their populations (natural selection) or b, see a slowing birth rate.




This part is much batter covered in this lecture, I posted on growth thread.

Here is another documentary, perhaps one of the teachers of Chris Martenson?

Dr. Albert A. Bartlett's presentation on "Arithmetic, Population, and Energy."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-QA2rkpBSY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pb3JI8F9LQQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFyOw9IgtjY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQd-VGYX3-E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-X6EpvWWu8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3y7UlHdhAU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyseLQVpJEI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoiiVnQadwE


The point is growth based system on a finite planet has a fundamental flaw, it cannot go on forever.


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## derty (28 October 2008)

I think nanotechnology will provide the next great leap forward as far as energy goes. It has the potential to supercharge the renewable energy route and I am sure there are discoveries in the science that will revolutionise the world as we know it and usher in the next great human age. They have already made inroads with the ability to produce extremely cheap and efficient solar tech and carbon nanotubes have the ability to transmit electricity at virtually zero resistance over huge distances.

The question is how long before the science can step up to the plate? And how much pain will we go through before it does?


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## wallyt99 (28 October 2008)

mayk said:


> This part is much batter covered in this lecture, I posted on growth thread.
> 
> Here is another documentary, perhaps one of the teachers of Chris Martenson?
> 
> ...




I have not time to watch this, (exam tomorrow) however, Martenson's equation that growth is not equal to prosperity is also flawed, it implies that growth cannot be linked with prosperity, however improved efficiency yields both growth and prosperity.  

For example, if it used to take 100 litres of water, 100 kilowatts of energy and 100 square metres to grow 100 bananas - and improvements mean the same energy, land and water can be used to grow 500 bananas, or half the land, to grow twice as many bananas this provides both growth and prosperity. 

I think that one of Mathesons problems is he equates falsified (paper money) GDP growth, with real growth in productivity.  He talks about false growth in GDP, yet does not factor this into his growth versus productivity calculations.


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## mayk (28 October 2008)

wallyt99 said:


> I have not time to watch this, (exam tomorrow) however, Martenson's equation that growth is not equal to prosperity is also flawed, it implies that growth cannot be linked with prosperity, however improved efficiency yields both growth and prosperity.
> 
> For example, if it used to take 100 litres of water, 100 kilowatts of energy and 100 square metres to grow 100 bananas - and improvements mean the same energy, land and water can be used to grow 500 bananas, or half the land, to grow twice as many bananas this provides both growth and prosperity.
> 
> ...




I agree that improvements in technology, which have improved growth/production, lead to prosperity. I think the main point he is trying to convey is that unhindered growth is not sustainable, hence this prosperity is also short lived.


P.S. Best of luck with exams


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## MR. (29 October 2008)

Have watched all 20 now.  

Must say it finishes in a typical (perhaps American), transparent,  way.  Requesting we all send him money. .....   Went straight from 8/10  to a  6/10 for me.

Chris has spent most his savings putting this presentation together and 4 years of his time.  Come on!   We already knew most of this.  How the Reserve Bank prints the money and how it was once pegged to gold was an education to me.  But his conclusion is obvious, put any saved money in several banks and buy some gold.

Of course Australia is different.  Our Reserve does not have these debts.  Our debt “The Australian debts” are held by consumers (not government) and who holds these debts?  Banks.... and the risk "their depositors"  (However, the Australian government now guarantees the banks)  Had to follow other parts of the world in their lead, had little choice....

Government bonds still have priority over banks for me.  Always have.  And that's free information......    

Leveraged investors, investing in leveraged companies, selling to leveraged consumers....  ummmm

I guess if one waits long enough one will always be right. Where did most of "our" debt originate?   Property.   Either direct or from its equity.


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## basilio (8 September 2020)

Thought this analysis from Chris Martenson was worth a  reboot.
Exceptionally well researched  economic analysis of where we are going.
It's regularly updated


*The Crash Course*
The *Crash Course* has provided millions of viewers with the context for the massive changes now underway, as economic growth as we’ve known it is ending due to depleting resources.

But it also offers real hope. Those individuals who take informed action today, while we still have time, can lower their exposure to these coming trends — and even discover a better way of life in the process. We’ll show you how.
https://www.peakprosperity.com/crashcourse/


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## frugal.rock (8 September 2020)

CAB SAV said:


> Next time I'm in Perth I'm going to the mint to buy some gold and then maybe be able to buy a beer.



Shame I only just read this now instead of 8 years ago.... otherwise I might have done just this in June 2018 when in Perth.
Can't wait to get back there....

Thanks for the revival link, Bas.


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