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ralfy

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Everything posted by ralfy

  1. The bad news is that other sources of energy have low returns or quantity. Given that, the global population will be forced to lower energy and material resource use.
  2. Limits to Growth is very informative, especially in light of this recent study: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/sep/02/limits-to-growth-was-right-new-research-shows-were-nearing-collapse
  3. There are some websites related to this. For example, http://modestlyyours.com/wendy_shalit/ Interestingly enough, the last web log post in the first link is about swimwear.
  4. Some believe that high oil and food prices (in turn driven by peak oil) are contributing to social unrest in Egypt, Turkey, Brazil, etc., and can be seen in protests and economic crisis in Europe and in the Arab Spring. The same problems are contributing to economic problems for the U.S., China, and others, and increasing aggression by police and military forces.
  5. Sorry for bumping this thread, but I can't see any recent one, the crisis continues, and this may be connected to home schooling and other forms of localization. There has been no recovery, and if we look at the global economy, the situation may have gotten worse. That's because the main cause of the crisis may be a combination of peak oil, economic instability due to increasing debt and financial risk-taking, and environmental damage coupled with global warming. According to the IEA, conventional oil production peaked back in 2005 while consumption increased for the rest of the world, leading to oil prices tripling, and with that high food prices. Companies used non-conventional oil (i.e., more expensive energy- and material-wise to process, and in several cases, leads to more pollution) while others are now focusing on renewable energy (which has lower energy returns and still requires oil for manufacturing components). High food and oil prices led to weakened economies, contributing to the 2008 financial crash, and with that, more economic crisis in many parts of the world, from Europe to Asia. The effects of global warming did not help, leading to everything from property damage due to floods in Australia, Pakistan, and parts of Europe, to crop destruction due to heat waves and droughts in the U.S. and Russia, etc., contributing to high food prices. Meanwhile, what scientists reported in the past would take place many decades from now are taking place, including significant levels of sea ice melting, methane hydrate release, and so on, together with reports of millions of bees dying, etc. Meanwhile, the same banks and financiers, flush with free money from governments, are now engaged in the same financial risks, which explains the volatility of various financial and commodity markets. At the same time, food and oil prices remain high and unemployment remains a problem for many countries. Some social scientists and economists argue that high prices coupled with austerity measures are contributing to riots and social unrest in Europe and the Middle East, as new reports of surveillance and increasing aggression by police and military forces take place in the U.S. and elsewhere, including saber-rattling in the Middle East and in Asia. With that, economists like Peter Schiff believe that another crash will take place.
  6. Probably TV and movie versions of the plays, if not local productions, as the works are meant to be seen.
  7. Community pool, so that it can be used for aquaculture as food prices rise. Meanwhile, backyards can be used for growing food.
  8. I'm reminded of http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=clnozSXyF4k More here: "You’d Be Surprised How Much CGI Goes Into Your Favorite Shows" http://www.geekscape.net/youd-be-surprised-how-much-cgi-goes-into-your-favorite-shows I realize that CGI today is used to keep costs down and to deal with problems such as equipment and buildings not available, but generally I prefer less CGI, as that shows the craft of the director and others making the film or show.
  9. It's helpful for supplementary device, e.g., if you need to search for particular sections of text, or if you need it for travel. In any case, one uses it not as a replacement for books as e-readers don't last.
  10. Avoid them as much as possible, especially given an on-going economic crisis which will likely be permanent.
  11. Several students should not be going to college in the first place. Also, writing is not supposed to be taught in college.
  12. Again, college is not supposed to be used as a requirement for professional work that does not involve formal research or board examinations. Examples of work that does not require college include acting, business management, computer programming, professional sports, and so on. However, if research is an important component, such as analysis of a whole industry in a country or field work, a study of dozens of theater groups in the country, development of a programming language, or medical studies involving sports performance, then a college degree will be important. Also, foundation or basic math subjects are not supposed to be part of college degree programs. If any, they are pre-requisites or part of general education in secondary school. For different types of work there should be different types of schools or training centers. Examples include banking schools, computer programming training centers, sports clinics, theater groups, conservatories, and so on. Any awards or recognition should also vary: usually degrees for research-based work, diplomas or certification for others, etc. A very good educational system will also provide modular approaches and flexibility, such that what is learned for certification can be credited in a degree program, etc. With that, a college degree should not be watered down or used as some catch-all requirement for any type of profession. Finally, one article reveals that only around 7 pct of people worldwide have college degrees. (Also, as a side note, more than 60 pct of human beings earn only around two dollars a day.) Given that, the idea that college is superfluous or not necessary should be considered.
  13. A college degree is meant for research-based work or what leads to a board exam. Thus, one says "no" to college if the type of work one wants does not need either of these requirements.
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