This evening, I came across an excellent essay online (which, thankfully, assuaged a little of the existential terror I have been feeling of late.) When faced with the prospect of peak oil and the inevitable economic collapse, the mantra "Omigod, omigod, what am I going to do?" eddies, electrically, around my brain. This article by Dmitry Orlov, holds aloft the demise of the Soviet communist system as a comparison model for the upcoming US/global depression. Through his experience and insight, we get a sense of what the barrenness will look like, actually feel like : the dispossessed - loitering, like crows; the babushkas selling moonshine; yes, even the alpha-types who, as if from nowhere, form private security companies, foisting barely-negotiable "protection...."

Anyway, check it out if you can.

http://www.nukku.net/no/orlov.html