Well Rehctub the return of the local walk to shopping centre is I
believe on its way back. As they say it won't happen tomorrow, I hope,
but it will happen.
We are facing an era of "Localisation" of everything.
As fuel costs rise an increasing number of people will do without a
vehicle and the local farmers market will become more common.

If the shortage of fuel first happens with every country getting its
share it will all happen in an orderly manner.
However if it is a matter of the US, Europe and China scrambling for
all they need we could dip out altogether.

If that happens recent figures I have seen suggest that we import
80% of our petrol and diesel, we would be in big trouble as that
could happen very suddenly. The figure I had always assumed was that
we had a little more than 50% of our own supply. It may be that the
grade of the crude oil is not suitable.

Whatever, the nature of retailing will either change gradually or
suddenly and probably nothing in between.
Not much help for the small retailer with this weeks bills but I think
he can at least bank on change happening.

How Fuel-efficient Is the Pentagon?
Military’s Oil Addiction
http://www.envirosagainstwar.org/know/read.php?itemid=593

A B-52 bomber gulps down 86 barrels per hour.
F-4 Phantom fighter/bombers devour 40 barrels per hour.

At peak thrust, F-15 fighters burn 25 gallons per minute.

An F-16 jet on a training mission
ignites more fuel in a single hour
than the average car owner consumes in two years.

To reach supersonic speeds,..a pilot
turns on the plane’s afterburners which can triple a jet’s speed
....*and increase fuel consumption twenty times.

but heck its macarbe
http://desertpeace.wordpress.com/2011/05/15/al-nakba-remembering-the-land-that-never-was-photo-essay-video/

or may be
http://saladin-avoiceinthewilderness.blogspot.com/2011/05/holding-world-hostage.html

Denying the Nakba—

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/05/2011515649440342.html
forgetting our role in it
http://blog.alexanderhiggins.com/2011/03/30/cesium-fallout-fukushima-rivals-chernobyl-12442/
and ignoring its political implications

is denying our own identity.
http://desertpeace.wordpress.com/2011/05/15/a-jewish-view-of-the-nakbaa-jew-reflects-on-the-nakba/

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2011/May-15/Israel-Palestinian-violence-erupts-on-three-borders.ashx
Banning remembrance of the Nakba
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/terrorism-security/2011/0515/Palestinian-nakba-protests-turn-deadly.-Israel-sees-Iran-s-fingerprints.
only reminds the world that Israel uses law
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/2011/May-15/Israeli-Army-kills-4-protesters-along-Lebanon-border.ashx
to re-write history for their own benefit,
with stooges..willing to deal in terror
http://desertpeace.wordpress.com/2011/05/15/the-new-egypt-continues-to-stand-with-israel/

http://desertpeace.wordpress.com/2011/05/15/63-years-later-israel-remains-the-only-democratic-dictatorhip-in-the-middle-east/

and they have been doing it for over 60 years now.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1387290/Libya-NATO-step-bombing-campaign-prevent-stalemate.html
http://upsidedownworld.org/main/argentina-archives-32/26-the-imf-and-usury-crime-without-punishment-71105
http://blog.alexanderhiggins.com/2011/05/15/radiation-experiments-black-people-left-holes-heads-warning-graphic-video-22774/

http://www.antiwar.com/blog/2011/05/14/a-supine-submission-to-wrong-and-injustice/

http://revolutionarypolitics.tv/video/viewVideo.php?video_id=14957&title=college-education-is-the-largest-scam-in-u-s--history

http://whatreallyhappened.com/IMAGES/Ahmadinejadmeetswithrabbis/index.html

http://dailybail.com/home/college-conspiracy-california-prison-academy-is-better-than.html

http://blog.alexanderhiggins.com/2011/05/15/congress-vote-declaration-world-war-3-endless-war-borders-clear-enemies-22785/

*I for one am somewhat opposed to online shopping, simply because it costs jobs*

But it also creates jobs, Rehctub. Having someting expensive
as it is, just because it creates jobs, is no better then Beasley's
job creation schemes and is not much good for productivity.
Only through productivity, does a nation's people land up being
better off in real terms.

All those companies doing online, can hire cheap industrial real
estate paying very low rents, compared to high prices Westfield
space. They still employ workers, so do logistics companies etc.
IT workers are required, more jobs.

Besides, we already have a shortage of workets in plenty of industries, so this will free up some labour for other sectors,
no need for more migrants in some of these occupations.

Yabby is basically right.
The main objection to internet shopping is the buying of goods made
overseas and not making work in Australia.
That will change with localisation, but may take some years.

I would be interested to know if furniture manufacturing has returned
to Australia as it has in the US. However I think labour costs are
lower in the US than Australia.

I personally am seriously disturbed that we are cutting defence funding (including retaining demonstrably dangerous troop-carrying helicopters - the UH-60 has killed almost as many Australian Defence Personnel as the War in Afghanistan 21-23, although 3 were killed in a UH-60 in Afghanistan, making it 21:20). Yet the MRH-90 (http://www.ausaero.com.au/Aircraft/Military/Helicopters/MRH90/) has been put on hold again.

To grind salt into that wound, the Budget gives about $100M to Pakistan to be used against our forces.

We are also giving aid to China and Indonesia who spend much more on defence equipment than we do.
Frankly it is not only counter productive but unecessary.
If they can spend those sort of monies then they don't need our aid.