tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705462730914460094.post1821081105787132298..comments2024-03-28T11:43:23.896+00:00Comments on All Dishevelled Wandering Stars: Wealth comes from not spending, but savingThe Old Man is backhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06299949591915788184noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705462730914460094.post-91426153933654694182014-08-27T14:22:16.531+01:002014-08-27T14:22:16.531+01:00Once again you ignore the part of what I said that...Once again you ignore the part of what I said that doesn't fit with your ideas. I find in general that you apply a more critical standard to others and to material you don't want to explore than to your own opinions. You may be convinced you are right, but your discussions are not discussions, since your opinions seem to come from a closed circle. You can do better. Try to consider whether 200 years of science and almost all the top expertise is in agreement about the basic physics, and take a look at the various evaluations of the material you hold so close that you won't look past it to see if you might have got the wrong end of things. Science in our world has more integrity than almost any other field. Consider the possibility that there might be something there for you.<br /><br />But in fact, this article is about our relationship to our things, and the way quantity has taken over and is rubbishing our planet with great speed. It's not that we want to go to a more primitive state, just that sharing in a sustainable way requires pulling back from a standard promoted by a busy marketing entity that has taken on a life of its own.<br /><br />I extracted from the ocean article to make a point about how people have come to accept a busy, two-dimensional world. Marketing is indeed a big part of that.Susan Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16935228911713362040noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705462730914460094.post-57730701022569273372014-08-27T12:53:11.649+01:002014-08-27T12:53:11.649+01:00So which new energy forms are you researching? I a...So which new energy forms are you researching? I ask because I have a friend working on biofuels research. Fernando Leanmehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16085680730729620836noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705462730914460094.post-16629745907596859462014-08-27T12:49:24.732+01:002014-08-27T12:49:24.732+01:00That problem isn´t really caused by marketing, it´...That problem isn´t really caused by marketing, it´s caused by the low cost of creating and then disposing of garbage in the ocean. My analysis shows "the economic system" used in say the USA is just fine. It only needs tweaks to have costs allocated. Fernando Leanmehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16085680730729620836noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705462730914460094.post-74913377403846585492014-08-27T04:54:10.740+01:002014-08-27T04:54:10.740+01:00I'm going to bypass the above and bloviate mor...I'm going to bypass the above and bloviate more on topic, though with my own bias. I recently wrote the following (edited slightly) in response to an article about plastic garbage in the ocean, reported here http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/26/opinion/choking-the-oceans-with-plastic.html<br />(NYTimes limits free access to 10 articles per month.) While ocean plastic waste is one of many observations that contribute to my growing concern about the way we heedlessly ignore the consequences of wasteful consumption, I am trying to absorb all the time, and reflect on news as it accumulates and changes, and have come to understand that it's not as simple as either rejecting concerns about overusing our planet with a growing population, or imagining a return to a "simpler" time (which was dam' difficult, I'm addicted to hot and cold running water, switches that turn on lights, modern medicine, and a good few other mod cons. <br />--<br />Over the years, we have ceded autonomy to marketers. With every "free" option or "convenient" new product we encourage advertisers to set the terms of the minutes and days or our lives. Our whole model for living is based on consumption, and with all-pervasive media we are ceding our minds to exploitation of our planetary home.<br /><br /> "in the end, the real challenge is to combat an economic model that thrives on wasteful products and packaging" is part of the truth, but this is just one aspect of a bigger problem. We separate the way we live from the hard reality that we live on a finite planet. This kind of pollution is terrible, but so are all the others. It doesn't matter which problem is worse, what matters is that we, the family of humankind, have abdicated the freedom to know and to think in favor of things and entertainment. <br /><br />We use our atmosphere, our land, and our water as a dump, and have a habit of apathy about the evidence of the shame of waste while accepting instruction about how to live in ways that are increasingly two-dimensional and passive. This is not freedom, it is slavery. <br /><br />I don't think most of us meant any harm by it, but we have let marketing become the engine that drives the machinery of living without noticing that our integrity and vitality are taking body blows. Time is not on our side any more. The life of the mind provides wealth beyond imagining, unlike the things we've been persuaded we want.Susan Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16935228911713362040noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705462730914460094.post-71265859439570030922014-08-26T20:49:56.670+01:002014-08-26T20:49:56.670+01:00Yes, the USA is involved all around the world, but...Yes, the USA is involved all around the world, but this is not the same as claiming it is responsible for the events or the causes. Recently, it has engaged in an interventionist policy, which makes it active in several theatres.<br /><br />I live in the UK. I did not experience Kosovo or the connected war directly, but I had an acquaintance who was in the front line as a UN observer, and may have had other roles, too. I saw the bruises from the pistol whipping.<br /><br />I can confidently say that, though I try to make sense of what is happening in the World, I have absolutely no idea about the true motivations of governments which engage in wars; such matters can be very complicated. If I had the time and interest I would spend some months studying the matters and try to understand the factors. At no time would I rely on the Media to tell me the truth about what is happening or the reasons behind it. Sometimes, some output might be correct or accurate, but my default assumption is always 'what are the facts, what is the angle?'<br />I know politics is a passion for you, so forgive me if I don't take the bait - it is just too much for me at this time. I am studying Maths, Economics, Climate Science as well as working as a consultant and researching new energy.The Old Man is backhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06299949591915788184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705462730914460094.post-9599214284358433292014-08-26T19:43:18.195+01:002014-08-26T19:43:18.195+01:00Fergus, the wars I´m concerned about are mostly ca...Fergus, the wars I´m concerned about are mostly carried out, or triggered and aided by big powers, the USA being the main culprit at this time. If you want to get into that maybe you should explain where you live, and whether you are familiar with say the Kosovo incident in 1999. If you think you are, tell me what you think about it, and it´s likely I will be able to open your eyes about that particular incident because I had an intelligence job at the time, and I could resource information most people can´t see. Fernando Leanmehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16085680730729620836noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705462730914460094.post-41222391438445791462014-08-26T12:37:23.534+01:002014-08-26T12:37:23.534+01:00It is very important to take different discussions...It is very important to take different discussions in context. If we want to make progress on Climate policy, for example, one can either focus on a specific or particular case, or look more broadly at things to make sense of why some things are important to address, and how some decisions might have unexpected consequences.<br />Risks to present and future vulnerable populations are at the core of calls for mitigation and adaptation policies (without specifying what these will be). But is is reasonably clear that the human elements of risk - war, poor governance, corruption, absence of Law, inequity, poverty and repression, these are more important right now than climate in terms of the immediate impact they have on people. There is some evidence that climate changes are already acting as harm multipliers, and this is likely to be more obvious and more damaging in the future.<br />Like you, I have deep worries about the wars, persecutions and fights ongoing around the world. Where I worry is that the means to conduct these wars is supported via the global arms trade. This is an under-reported issue; in real terms, if the weapons aren't available, there is arguably a better prospect of security. This runs contrary to the argument we normally see, that proper defence of society is only possible through an active military. This is a matter which needs deep thought, not possible at a superficial level.<br />I get worried when I read that close to 50% of the USA Federal Budget is spent on their military capability. I get worried when I read that there are an estimated 150 million AK47s circulating around the African continent, and perhaps 250 millions small arms circulating in private hands in the USA, for example.<br />For security reasons which may be quite legitimate, governments are reluctant to reveal too much detail about defence spending because it is potentially sensitive. This means that the trail of supply, distribution and manufacture is very hard to determine, which in turn means that there are few controls over governments selling weapons and weapon systems to anyone they want to.<br />Defence and arms manufacture are huge industries with much less oversight and weaker controls than any other industry. The employment of millions of people are dependent on them around the world. Much important innovation and technical development occurs in response to needs in defence.<br />We have tried (and largely failed) to regulate and gain oversight over global banking practices. We have tried (with some success) to make transnational corporates more accountable for their supply chains. I believe we have reached a point where we need to increase pressure to make the Global small arms trade more visible and accountable.The Old Man is backhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06299949591915788184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705462730914460094.post-64591182541626536722014-08-26T12:09:34.297+01:002014-08-26T12:09:34.297+01:00The population issue is very important, but seems ...The population issue is very important, but seems to get glossed over. It's also important to note there's a huge amount of resources wasted in mindless wars. However, this is a topic which seems to be unfashionable. Fernando Leanmehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16085680730729620836noreply@blogger.com