Sup Guys,
Hopefully this social/economic/governmental shmorgasbord of a topic is something that the breakfast club approves of.
Thinking of what I wanted to write for my first blog post was a task for me, but I finally came to terms with a subject about which I feel very strongly for. Namely oil. Namely, the WORLD's (not just the U.S) dependence on it and what we can do to curb it.
First off, I was like to preface this with some facts and background:
-Canada is the largest supplier of oil to the U.S. Period. In the top ten suppliers of oil, there are only three middle eastern countries, Saudi Arabia being third in line. (The reason I bring this fact in is to negate the belief that the Middle East perpetuates every oil price spike in the world. It simply isn't true)
-The rising demand for oil in rapidly expanding countries like China are spiking oil's prices.
-We have around 50 years left of PROVEN oil reserves (give or take on the estimate, this what I have heard in class).
-Oil use perpetuates the world's changing climate
Biodiesel alternatives to oil:
Ethanol made from corn
Ethanol made from soybeans
Algae. This magical little autotroph gobbles up sunlight and through photosynthesis produces oil. With some technological ingenuity, humans can harvest this oil as an EXTREMELY efficient and viable alternative to petroleum based oil. Algae can produce somewhere in the area of 1500X more gallons of bio-diesel per acre than corn can.
Why should we choose to invest in algae? Problems associated with petroleum based products like weather change are going to continue. Not to mention the fact that we're going to run out of it in our lifetime. To put it simply, we need to make moves. Big ones. And I think the government should step in and create (albeit artificial) demand for algae. If the U.S pinoeers this kind of research and establishes a modest supply at a competitive price, this could be the next energy boom that the world needs. Only once the playing field is level and there are some viable substitutes for oil can we begin to move away from it.
Here's some insightful info on algae and oil from some Poly students (Hell yea)
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Monday, June 6, 2011
Guns, Oil, And The West
Gentlemen,
Poppin' the Cherry, whatup!
So I have been thinking lately about the uprisings across the Middle East and Northern Africa.
The Facts:
The Way I See It:
Guns: These seemingly peaceful protests are being crushed by domestic authorities using live ammo. These countries have been building up their military arsenals for years (probably in the name of defending themselves against Israel ) and now they can squash any "peasants" who defy them. These dictators/monarchs are like trapped animals, they are faced with being exiled or killed if they lose control.
Oil: Oil is a depleting resource, I don't know the exact figure but I imagine that a great deal of oil revenue goes to the monarchs (or dictators) who control the countries. As I see it, once oil is depleted in this region, they will have nothing but sand. If these countries continue on the path that they are on (with the monarchs/dictators claiming the proceeds as personal wealth) these countries will be fucked, having nothing to keep their economies afloat once oil is depleted. Logically, what makes sense is investing the revenue from oil in education (specifically STEM). They need to be at the forefront of innovation or working towards it before time (Oil) runs out.
The West: What can we do?! It's a slippery slope, if we set a precedent that the "West" will liberate any people from oppressive rule, we would be fucked. If we stand on the sidelines and watch, we will be witness to mass murder (and what does that make us?).
Summary:
If protests don't receive external support they will likely fail. Domestic authorities will use brutal suppressive tactics until calm is achieved.
There are three main questions within this post that I think would be interesting to discuss (definitely don't limit it to these):
Poppin' the Cherry, whatup!
So I have been thinking lately about the uprisings across the Middle East and Northern Africa.
The Facts:
- So far the countries that have been successful are Egypt and Tunisia.
- Libya is the only country with NATO assistance.
- Other countries with populist movements: Syria, Bahrain, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Morocco, and Jordan.
The Way I See It:
Guns: These seemingly peaceful protests are being crushed by domestic authorities using live ammo. These countries have been building up their military arsenals for years (probably in the name of defending themselves against Israel ) and now they can squash any "peasants" who defy them. These dictators/monarchs are like trapped animals, they are faced with being exiled or killed if they lose control.
Oil: Oil is a depleting resource, I don't know the exact figure but I imagine that a great deal of oil revenue goes to the monarchs (or dictators) who control the countries. As I see it, once oil is depleted in this region, they will have nothing but sand. If these countries continue on the path that they are on (with the monarchs/dictators claiming the proceeds as personal wealth) these countries will be fucked, having nothing to keep their economies afloat once oil is depleted. Logically, what makes sense is investing the revenue from oil in education (specifically STEM). They need to be at the forefront of innovation or working towards it before time (Oil) runs out.
The West: What can we do?! It's a slippery slope, if we set a precedent that the "West" will liberate any people from oppressive rule, we would be fucked. If we stand on the sidelines and watch, we will be witness to mass murder (and what does that make us?).
Summary:
If protests don't receive external support they will likely fail. Domestic authorities will use brutal suppressive tactics until calm is achieved.
There are three main questions within this post that I think would be interesting to discuss (definitely don't limit it to these):
- GUNS: Is it possible for these people to liberate themselves without "western" assistance?
- OIL: Is the future for this region as bleak as I perceive it?
- THE WEST: What should the "West" do?
The Purpose
What's up gentlemen,
Kyle and I created this blog with the intention of it serving as a thinktank and discussion board for a select few young and interesting people that are worth talking with. That's not to imply that everyone else is not worth our time, but...
The point would be that each of us has the permission to log on and post any idea, article, or topic for debate related to economics, finance, or politics, preferably of the controversial variety. My hope is that many of these posts will spark some intelligent, heated debates via the comments section. Posts should be relatively intellectual in nature, and while this whole blog is sure to be full of jokes and BS, don't be a douche and make your first post about Representative Weiner's weiner. I think if we can get this going and everyone participates actively--that is, contributes at least one post a week, and comments at least once on each post--it will end up being an engaging and interesting way to stay in touch with each other and the world.
If you have any suggestions whatsoever on improving this idea, post them. If you think this is a dumbass idea that you are not interested in, post that too. If you have any other intelligent, interesting people that you think would be into this kind of thing and would add something to this blog, make it a post with a little about the person, and we'll vote them in (2/3rds passes). I think that somewhere between 6 and 12 people would be adequate (we currently have 4 or 5, so a few more right away would be good).
This is what our friend Kyle posted as his facebook status around the time I suggested we start this blog: "It's too bad that everyone who has a solution for everything is at home commenting on the internet".
Kyle and I created this blog with the intention of it serving as a thinktank and discussion board for a select few young and interesting people that are worth talking with. That's not to imply that everyone else is not worth our time, but...
The point would be that each of us has the permission to log on and post any idea, article, or topic for debate related to economics, finance, or politics, preferably of the controversial variety. My hope is that many of these posts will spark some intelligent, heated debates via the comments section. Posts should be relatively intellectual in nature, and while this whole blog is sure to be full of jokes and BS, don't be a douche and make your first post about Representative Weiner's weiner. I think if we can get this going and everyone participates actively--that is, contributes at least one post a week, and comments at least once on each post--it will end up being an engaging and interesting way to stay in touch with each other and the world.
If you have any suggestions whatsoever on improving this idea, post them. If you think this is a dumbass idea that you are not interested in, post that too. If you have any other intelligent, interesting people that you think would be into this kind of thing and would add something to this blog, make it a post with a little about the person, and we'll vote them in (2/3rds passes). I think that somewhere between 6 and 12 people would be adequate (we currently have 4 or 5, so a few more right away would be good).
This is what our friend Kyle posted as his facebook status around the time I suggested we start this blog: "It's too bad that everyone who has a solution for everything is at home commenting on the internet".
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