March 28, 200917 yr haha right now I'm having a nice seqouia tree bonfire on the icecap. :cool4: No kidding! I'm hunting bald eagles with seqouia tree SEEDS! What a coincidence!
March 28, 200917 yr An alternative celebration of "Human Achievement Hour" is being promoted by the libertarian think tank the Competitive Enterprise Institute to celebrate the advancement of human prosperity. Participants in this celebration are asked to "celebrate the achievements of humanity such as eating dinner, seeing a film, driving around, keeping the heat on in your home ". The Ayn Rand Institute wrote, "Participants spend an enjoyable sixty minutes in the dark, safe in the knowledge that the life-saving benefits of industrial civilization are just a light switch away... Forget one measly hour with just the lights off. How about Earth Month... Try spending a month shivering in the dark without heating, electricity, refrigeration; without power plants or generators; without any of the labor-saving, time-saving, and therefore life-saving products that industrial energy makes possible." http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fpcomment/archive/2009/03/23/this-earth-hour-leave-the-lights-on.aspx HOORAY FOR HUMAN ACHIEVEMENT HOUR Hah, well they make a good point. I think the more noble thing to do is to figure out ways to create sustainable energy sources that are cheaper than coal/oil. Objectivists like Ayn Rand would agree that there is value in a healthy environment, but they argue that value is secondary to human comfort and choice. Which is generally true. At some point we'll make the switch, when alt energy is cheaper.
March 28, 200917 yr Hah, well they make a good point. I think the more noble thing to do is to figure out ways to create sustainable energy sources that are cheaper than coal/oil. Objectivists like Ayn Rand would agree that there is value in a healthy environment, but they argue that value is secondary to human comfort and choice. Which is generally true. At some point we'll make the switch, when alt energy is cheaper. Agreed, but what people need to realize is that the only reason we need alt energy is because oil will run out eventually, not because it's destroying the environment.
March 28, 200917 yr It is sort of. But that is the main thing -- relying on a resource clustered in one of the most backward parts of the world is sorta bad...
March 28, 200917 yr It is sort of. But that is the main thing -- relying on a resource clustered in one of the most backward parts of the world is sorta bad... There's as much oil here in America as there is in the Middle East. True story. Unless, of course, you're calling the US the most backward place in the world. :p
March 28, 200917 yr Agreed, but what people need to realize is that the only reason we need alt energy is because oil will run out eventually, not because it's destroying the environment. Well the byproduct of burning oil is CO2, but what most people aren't aware of is that there is a CO2 cycle just like the water cycle. When higher concentrations of CO2 enter the atmosphere, it is absorbed by rocks in the ground. Some of it is absorbed in the ocean (like the CO2 in your soda). Think about a Pepsi. Whenever it gets hot, it goes flat faster. That's a reaction to the temperature, not the atmosphere. The ocean is the same way - when it gets hot, the ocean releases CO2 and scientists measure this in the atmosphere and say, "Oh, CO2 must be what's causing the increased temperature!" Correlation doesn't equal causation.
March 28, 200917 yr We could possible have more oil reserves than all of the Middle East and the Gulf of Mexico. Looks like we could only POSSIBLE have that. :P:P
March 28, 200917 yr I'm heading out for a bit, but I'd love to continue this conversation with you later Noonsun. Peace :D
March 28, 200917 yr My friend brought it up the other day that we "went to war over oil." She seemed really surprised, so I asked her why and she said "But the government lied to us!" I said we needed oil and would fight and die for it and she looked really disappointed and surprised. It was weird.
March 28, 200917 yr Well dying for anything other than yourself (and those you love) is irrational. Nobody would actually die for oil. And the idea that the US government is in search of "stability" in the Middle East is a farce. What is more stable than a dictatorship? Not democracy, that's for sure.
March 28, 200917 yr I mean we would waste our soldier's lives on oil. ie collectively the country would die for oil. And the idea that the US government is in search of "stability" in the Middle East is a farce. What is more stable than a dictatorship? Not democracy, that's for sure. They're in search for a stable AMERICAN dictatorship. :lol:
March 28, 200917 yr Right, so being a soldier is irrational. The idea that you would "die for your country" is absurd on its face. What is your country? The government? Or is it your family? When you really probe to find out why people join the military it usually boils down to their need for a job or nationalism. Saddam was exporting oil to us before we invaded. It's not like we needed to run Iraq to get good deals on his oil. OPEC has far less sway on oil prices today than it used to. Anyway yeah, the only reason America invaded Iraq was to put some military bases there.
March 28, 200917 yr Marisa's birthday is coming up soon! ;) WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance:
March 28, 200917 yr But Marisa, baseball is back! edit: YAY for birthdays!!! Mine's not for a while, though *sigh*
March 28, 200917 yr But Marisa, baseball is back! edit: YAY for birthdays!!! Mine's not for a while, though *sigh* OPENING DAY ISN'T FOR ANOTHER 8 DAYS!!!!!!!!!! :uhoh::uhoh:!! I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN WAIT THAT LONG! :bigcry::bigcry::bigcry:
March 28, 200917 yr OPENING DAY ISN'T FOR ANOTHER 8 DAYS!!!!!!!!!! :uhoh::uhoh:!! I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN WAIT THAT LONG! :bigcry::bigcry::bigcry: When the truth is... I miss you :P Speaking of which, did you see R42's new blog? I really hope they bring back some old songs for my concerts *coughHOLYSHITEVERYTHING'SNOTLOSTPLEASEcough*
March 28, 200917 yr Pssssssssssssssst. Zoeeee Psssst. :whistle: http://www.coldplaying.com/forum/showthread.php?t=55975 edit: dammit i messed that up trying to edit it, and now i can't remember the original way i had it! shit! wait i think i got it now :P:lol::thinking:
March 28, 200917 yr Right, so being a soldier is irrational. The idea that you would "die for your country" is absurd on its face. What is your country? The government? Or is it your family? When you really probe to find out why people join the military it usually boils down to their need for a job or nationalism. Saddam was exporting oil to us before we invaded. It's not like we needed to run Iraq to get good deals on his oil. OPEC has far less sway on oil prices today than it used to. Anyway yeah, the only reason America invaded Iraq was to put some military bases there. Soldiers become soldiers to go to college without having to pay through the nose for it. Everyone I know who's joining the army cites this is as a reason; also people consider the military experience to be valuable -- both the parents and the kids do.
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