The term “alternative energy” has been around for a long time, and surely the words “solar panels” and “wind turbines” no longer sound futuristic, but the fact of the matter is that emerging energy technologies are coming out everyday, and sometimes with a strange twist.
Here are four of the oddest and most extraordinary alternative energies to date. From kites to entire islands, the future of replacing fossil fuels is getting creative.
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“Excessive supply of money and deliberate inflation is of course another form of taxation. Resort to deficit spending or manipulation of inflation is one way in which weak democracies or authoritarian governments, lacking the legitimation which would be needed to increase taxes and bring revenue in line with expenditure, try to avoid facing the problem.”
From an article by Giacomo Luciani in the 1988 Arab Studies Quarterly (Vol. 10 #4), which I’m reading for a class on Middle Eastern Politics and Society.
Of course, the author is talking about weak Middle Eastern democracies – but the same logic should apply here too. So what do you think: is our government’s recent printing of money all over the place making us a weak democracy?
Crap. I sure hope not.
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Say what you want about Angelina Jolie but her efforts as a humanitarian are impressive and inspiring. Her heart is big and luckily so is her reach. She is able to impact the lives of so many people because of her wealth, stardom and love for others. Her humanitarian work first started when she was on the set of her movie “Tomb Raider” in Cambodia. She was exposed to the harsh conditions the people of Cambodia lived and worked in. She has visited countless countries since, helping refugees with donations and her ability to raise awareness about particular issues facing the people of any given area. The greatness of Jolie’s character is in the way she helps. Often we see do-good celebrities donate millions of dollars to all types of non-profit and philanthropic organizations. With donations, there is a sense that “I” am helping “them”. I mean don’t get me wrong, donations are pivotal and the only way we can truly impact the less fortunate but giving money without really getting a hands-on experience of whom your helping and what your money is doing really separates the donator from the donee. Jolie donates but she meets with the people she helps. She sits down with them, tries to understand their pain. She seems to get it, in a way others have not. We are one people and “their” problems are our problems. When they suffer, we suffer, when they prosper, we prosper.
“We cannot close ourselves off to information and ignore the fact that millions of people are out there suffering. I honestly want to help. I don’t believe I feel differently from other people. I think we all want justice and equality, a chance for a life with meaning. All of us would like to believe that if we were in a bad situation someone would help us.” -Angelina Jolie
Save the world by volunteering and learning about the problems WE face.
-Zain STW…Blog
In this Youtube video Cameron Diaz interviews Americans who seem to have a few concerns about the environment.
In the video she drives around the country in her hybrid asking people questions about the land and water around them. The video is meant to inspire people to get up and do something, sort of what this blog is trying to do. We need more celebrities like Diaz to start advocating for the earth because whether you like it or not famous people have the biggest influence on us common folk and especially us young common folk.
I don’t know if it’s the fact that Diaz went out of her way to make a video advocating us to save the earth or that she reminds me of my middle school crush but she is intriguing and so is the video. The video is not filled with facts or polar bears swimming away from small masses of ice. It’s simple, it’s about people, normal people who want to make a difference but don’t really know how.
Diaz is a Time Magazine Hero of the Environment
So I just learned about this awesome new iphone app that allows you to positively effect the lives of women, youth and refugees in Kenya. Crowdflower is a company that pays pools of workers to do tasks that a computer can’t. Tasks such as removing spam from a company blog. These workers are located in Kenya and for them to get paid for their work, Crowdflower requires a third-party to validate the tasks of these workers. This is where iphone users come in. Give work app users can quickly verify that the task the worker has done is correct. The app asks you questions like “compare two shopping results and determine which is best.” You would then see which result is best and submit. Every time you validate the task of the worker from Kenya he or she gets paid. 1 validation = 1 point and 1 point can buy the worker vegetables. 500 points can by them a cell phone data plan. So if you have an iphone, get the give work app. Its a simple and awesome way to help out and save the world.
Read the full article Here
-Zain STW…Blog
Horse Racing —
Wealthy men buy horses to race so that thousands can bet on who has the fastest horse. Horses forced to run as fast as they can by a jockey lashing its behind till the horse has reached its maximum speed. A dangerous speed in which the horse can lose control of its body, fall and ultimately break its leg. But a horse with a broken leg is no good. So it’s only proper that we shoot the horse in the head and buy another horse, a stronger horse with stronger legs.
But it’s their destiny, horses enjoy winning races and being on top. Really? is this the argument for allowing people to buy, race and ultimately shoot horses in the head. I am the first one to admit that a horse’s quality of life is severely diminished if it has a bum leg and putting it down may be the best option but humans bring the bum legs upon the horses. Am I missing something here? Again– you buy a horse, race the horse, the horse breaks its leg- then you shoot the horse. Maybe it’s not as simple as I’m making it out to be but someone please tell me where I have gone wrong because I seek to understand the justification humanity has for this sport.
Tradition- We’ve always done it ergo its right to do it. Japanese whalers have always murdered 23,000 dolphins and whales a year ergo its justified… its right. C’mon we’ve always been killing seals to make fur… it’s a human tradition. We’ve always used other people as slaves therefore… o wait. STOP clinging to your traditional practices and look at every instance, examine the facts, examine the suffering of other beings- than make your decision. No sport that leads to the shooting of defenseless animals makes sense in my mind. It may not be the purpose of why horse racing exists but the death of its participants is undoubtedly a repeated outcome of the sport.
Some advice: Explain, educate and advocate. No one is going to stop horse racing, seal clubbing, whaling or genocide, for that matter, just because you wrote an article… but it’s a start. You can always talk about the issues that disturb you the most with your friends and family members. You can blog about it, facebook about it and tweet about it. I guarantee others will read and say “You no what? It is wrong that there are still 27 million slaves in the world today.” Start a facebook group – facebook is where young people get most of their facts, I kid you not. Its important to let other people know what is going on because someone with more resources than yourself may be able to impact an issue in a more effective way.
Just because something has always been done is not justification enough to continue the practice. Don’t be afraid to speak out on an issue that disturbs you because it may have never been an issue that humanity cared about until you said something. Don’t let innocent people and animals suffer and die because of our traditions.
Video on Horse Killings
STW article on Seal Clubbing
STW article on Dolphin Slaughter
-Zain STW…Blog
The reuse of syringes: a practice all too common in under-funded clinics. The practice kills 1.3 million people each year. Marc Koska clues us in to this devastating global problem and shares his solution: a low-cost syringe that can’t be used twice.
Here’s super-hip video on the National Popular Vote which would change the Electoral College system. Check out my detailed post below.
I’m very excited about something. Friends always say “What’s the deal with the electoral college?” And I’m like “Yeah, it’s crazy, someone should change it.” Well someone IS changing it! The National Popular Vote movement (wiki) wants to get all 50 states to pass a law in their legislature which would assign actual votes instead of using the electoral college. Cool thing is, states possessing 23% of the required electoral votes have passed it already. I think that’s rad!
Here’s what their web site says:
“Under the U.S. Constitution, the states have exclusive and plenary (complete) power to allocate their electoral votes, and may change their state laws concerning the awarding of their electoral votes at any time. Under the National Popular Vote bill, all of the state’s electoral votes would be awarded to the presidential candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The bill would take effect only when enacted, in identical form, by states possessing a majority of the electoral votes—that is, enough electoral votes to elect a President (270 of 538).”
Benefits: Well, we would (finally!) erode the absurd 2-party system. Also, it would solve the problem of a candidate who wins the popular vote still losing the election – this has happened 7 times in this country (remember 2000?).
Check out the progress on the movement in your state!
There’s criticism, of course. Here’s a good scholarly study critical of the movement. Really, though, the criticism amounts to pointing out how hard it will be to accomplish this (which isn’t really criticism of the movement itself), as well as pointing out numerous “what if” problems that result from changing the status quo. Well OF COURSE problems will arise. It’s DIFFERENT. And DIFFERENT ISN’T BAD! A third concern is that such a movement, when not done through the constitutional amendment process, violates state’s rights (10th amendment). Now I am a man concerned with centralized power, and I see no problem here. The states themselves will be voting this measure in, so it requires their consent. And it doesn’t rob states of any meaningful power, considering the ENORMOUS BENEFITS.
This is a chance for us to actually change our country for the better! I’m down!
But don’t just take my word that this is a good thing. There’s tons of blogs, youtube videos, articles, and studies on this issue. Check ’em out!
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Save The World...blog 