Topic for Final Paper

Thesis:

Global Warming may not be the main threat to humanity as we know it and humans may or may not be the cause. The main threat that is one hundred percent human-caused is the largely unacknowledged modern world’s wasteful activities that are not only harming the environment, but life on earth for animals and humans alike.

This paper will serve the purpose of debunking mainstream Global Warming zealots, and presenting the real issues we should be focusing on.

I will be presenting a slightly controversial view of Global Warming. I never really bought into it initially, because I didn't have enough information, so I didn't have an opinion yay or nay... however, after looking into certain things, my view is coming to a focus point: there are too many fallacies being presented, that any truth within is being obscured and pushed to the side. Environmentalism has become a religion that millions have bought into. Most have no idea what it is they stand for, just like in mainstream Christianity. The majority have the best intentions in the world and really want to help. I just wish their efforts and donations were aimed at something that could actually make a difference to living people suffering in the world instead of being misplaced.

Concerning the science of GloWarm, I have personally spoken to an Astro-Biologist, who quite frankly, has forgotten more about the different elements that make up this world than I will ever hope to know. He doesn't take something at face value because someone said it is so - he researches a topic to death, and then makes an informed decision. He understands the initial research done that was the forerunner of the GloWarm issue, and he has contacts around the world who are constantly sharing research back and forth. He was the first person who presented a logical, non-biased look at this issue. He loves facts, and he had hard research to back up his claims. (I'm currently in contact with him to try and get some of those statistics... he's a prof, so he's also really busy with his own research and classes. Thank heavens I'm "in" with his wife so she keeps reminding him.)

Through my own research I found that there are quite a few studies, and quite a few scientists from different fields who have conducted studies that also differ from Al Gore's religion of GloWarm. One set of scientists, for instance says that while they don't dispute the fact that the earth is warming, they don't believe humans have anything to do with the temperature rise, nor do they think that a rise in temperature would be so terrible in certain cases. They however, in antipode to the GloWarm enthusiasts, don't claim to have all the answers. Al Gore, (not a scientist), and environmental activists, (many of whom are also not trained scientists), have emphatically stated that the debate is over concerning the issues pertaining to the causes of GloWarm, and what needs to be done to fix it. This is simply not true, and many scientists refuse to be bulldozed by politicians and activists.

As seen in this class, humans are causing many problems to the environment, and we will eventually run out of oil, so changes need to be made. If they can be environmentally friendly, all the better. I believe we should protect the world we live in, and its inhabitants. The people in India, China and other developing countries are being directly affected by things humans are doing. I feel that the whole GloWarm debate is taking away from the real issues facing the citizens of the world. People in Africa are starving - yet crazy environmentalists decided that they needed thousand dollar solar panels so they could have 'clean energy'.... they can't afford FOOD... what are they going to do with electricity they can't use? To me, this is a real world example of the larger issues that are being shoved to the side so that GloWarm proponents can get their name in the paper.

For some reason I wasn't able to login to Ebsco from my computer, and I haven't been into the library recently, so my sources so far are online sources... At this stage, if I use more than 3 of these sources in my paper, it will be as a springboard to other more traditional resources, or to provide examples about what the general public is saying.

The first group contains slightly more credible sites:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRaeEIN5Sh8&feature=related
http://scienceandpublicpolicy.org/sppi_originals/fallacies_about_global_warming.html
http://www.patsullivan.com/blog/2006/02/fallacy_of_glob.html
http://www.tysknews.com/Depts/Environment/debunking.htm
http://mclean.ch/climate/docs/SPPI_AGW_fallacies.pdf
http://wmbriggs.com/blog/2008/01/21/prominent-philosopher-commits-global-warming-fallacy/

The second group, if I use any of these at all, will be to show examples from the general public... in all honesty, if I use anything from these, I will be surprised. I always research a lot more sites/sources than I need, then whittle it down from a long list to the pertinent quotable ones.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/33680/global_warming_or_solar_warming.html?cat=58
http://www.i2i.org/main/author.php?author_id=84
http://www.rushonline.com/visitors/globalwarming.htm
http://www.robill.com/GlobalWarmingDVDFrameset.htm
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/290441/an_inconvenient_fallacy_why_scientists.html?cat=58

Made to Break Chapter 2

The main theme for Chapter 2 was the inception of planned obsolescence in the automobile industry, which then moved into everyday life for the average American. Like any student who has gone through the biased and rather pathetically presented history classes of high school, I have heard of Henry Ford and his Model T. I also knew about the company General Motors, but in a modern sense, I had no idea that it has been around since the beginning. I also was never aware of the war that occurred between Alfred Sloan, (a new character to me), and Henry Ford. The fact that all of it was so well planned and orchestrated is amazing and alarming, poor Ford never knew what was coming. While the idea of planned obsolescence bothers me, at the same time, I’m a digital technology major, and digital technology is something that can change hourly in certain cases. I also like the idea of all the changes that were made at the time. The electric starter and the air cooled engine are amazing advances in technology that made it possible for women to drive as well, something I appreciate greatly. The world was changing, and as much as I admire Henry Ford, it was inevitable that we moved past the Model T to cars that would suit the needs of the changing economy.

The idea of the pride and shame of advertising was presented very well, and I have been aware of it all my life, as have most people, I just never brought it down to the basic level, pride and shame. It makes perfect sense, and what modern child on the playground or in the lunch room hasn’t experienced both feelings in regards to the latest prepackaged food in the cafeteria, clothing item, or school supplies. The idea of product addiction is rampant from the earliest ages of awareness to either the deathbed, the maturity of understanding, or past the age of caring.

The book set a very good foundation for the beginning of planned obsolescence. When referenced to the video clips we watched in class it is interesting and scary to see what planned obsolescence has become. I wonder what Alfred Sloan, despite not having the moral scruples of Henry Ford, would think if he had a chance to see what had become of America after his ideas went nation wide. I wonder if he would feel any guilt or remorse.

Probably not, but you never know, maybe later in life on his deathbed, he might have felt some twinge or regret.

Chapter 36 Review

Chapter 36 is the last chapter in the book before the Epilogue which brings us right up to the years between 1984 and 1989, predominantly.

At the beginning of the chapter, the year is 1984 and gas prices are fluctuating rather dramatically. The common phrase heard at this time is "How low can it go?" The Prize indicates that "oil power" was the main issue in the political arena, and that this was when everything was being established. High or low gas prices would favor certain countries, and allow them to emerge as leaders in global politics and economy.

Countries such as Saudi Arabia, Libya, Mexico, the Soviet Union and others, as big oil exporters, would stand to benefit from high prices. Oil-importing countries without their own oil resources, like Germany and Japan, were already established economic powers at this time, but they would stand to benefit immensely from low prices. The USA at this point, is the country the world once again is watching as they are still the world's largest consumer of oil, yet they were the second largest producers. Whichever side the US decided to support, then that side was virtually guaranteed "victory".

OPEC was trying to control pricing but outside sources continued to grow. As an organization their quote system was not working particularly well. Efforts to regulate the different members, and dissuade them from doing deals behind the scenes and selling more than their quota, were not extremely effective. OPEC was struggling to find secure footing in the industry, and had lost quite a bit of ground. West Texas Intermediate drove prices to a high in Nov. 1985 of $31.75. A week and a half later, at the end of 1985, Saudi Arabia brought together the other OPEC leaders, and increased production. Prices dropped dramatically from the high of $31.75 to $10 a barrel, and Gulf oil cargoes sold for as little as $6. This is referred to as the Third Oil Shock. Contrary to the previous two, the price of oil decreased as dramatically and quickly as it had spiked in 1973-’74 and ’79-’81.

In 1986, George Bush, then the Vice-President under the Reagan Administration, a long time oil man at this point, traveled to Saudi Arabia to discuss the low prices. He made a public announcement that the low prices were affecting US security. With the Cold War still in effect, and the Iran-Iraq war still raging, Saudi Arabia was very concerned with US security. They looked to the US as a protectorate and stabilizer in the world. The low prices were also starting to take a serious toll on the countries within OPEC. It was decided that a change had to happen; however, no one new how to set prices since there was no control system in place.

Alirio Parra, a Venezuelan OPEC veteran began to do research, and started to devise a way in which oil prices could be regulated, and standardized. He determined that the first step was to reduce production. Then, through his research, he also decided that $18 a barrel was just about right. Anything below that and things wouldn’t work properly. $18 a barrel became his magic number. When oil was predicted to call to around $5 a barrel, $18 looked quite enticing. So, Parra spent May 1986 in Kuwait with OPEC leaders, trying to persuade them that the old $20 a barrel had done more harm than good, for them, and that the $18 was perfect. After many discussions, and meetings, in Dec. 1986, the price of oil stabilized, and was to stay at or around $18 a barrel for the next several years.

The chapter ends with the year 1989 and talks about the end of the Iran/Iraq war, the end of the Cold War, the end of the Reagan Administration, and the beginning of the Bush administration. Earlier in the book, it mentioned that when George Bush was elected president, he said, “’I put it this way. They got a President of the United States that came out of the oil and gas industry that knows it and knows it well.’”