GasBandit
Staff member
FTFY
a Trump vs Clinton United States Presidential Election in 2016
- Thread starter Charlie Don't Surf
- Start date
But I am le tired!
GasBandit
Staff member
Well, then, have a nap. THEN FIRE ZE MEES-ILES!
GasBandit
Staff member
Because nuclear weapons actually function?
More nukes serve no function.Because nuclear weapons actually function?
I thought that many of ours are in such bad shape that they might not.Because nuclear weapons actually function?
GasBandit
Staff member
Oh, there's a pressing function we've been neglecting for years.
Only one way to find out, I guess!
Oh, there's a pressing function we've been neglecting for years.
Sadly, human survival is still more likely here than on most other planets in the solar system. Just barely.
Well, apparently we're blowing that shit up, so yeah!
This video is pretty depressing. And leaves me completely hopeless for the future. I thought maybe there was still a change we could turn things around. Turns out? Nope. We're completely screwed.
I post this in the Trump thread because his plans will just make everything worse and speed things up. If we make it that far.
I post this in the Trump thread because his plans will just make everything worse and speed things up. If we make it that far.
The more I think about this video, the more depressed I'm getting. I mean, what's the point anymore? Why bother trying to may our lives better? Why bother trying to convince others to live their lives better? What's the point of anything if we're just going to be wiped out, anyway?
The video is probably unnecessarily pessimistic. Just like those who still deny human effects on global climate change, there are people on the "other" side who go far beyond what scientists agree upon and present doom scenarios as fact. The global average temperature is rising, we may be in for a rude awakening and there are definitely big animals we're likely to lose. If sea levels start rising, some coastal regions may be royally screwed. The global climate is a really, really big ship, and trying to change its heading isn't a matter of days or weeks, but probably decades. If we all suddenly stopped using any coal or oil whatsoever, you still wouldn't see any change next year (well, the air'd be a lot cleaner and we'd have a serious shortage of plastic). Changing course now and continuing to research new and better ways of capturing CO2 and other greenhouse gasses, trying to reduce our production of CO2 and other greenhouse gasses (and yes, I'm fairly sure in 50 years or so we'll be back to a world where eating meat every day is only for the rich and powerful - at least "organic", real meat from actual animals - if it isn't considered abhorrent/morally wrong by then) is a continuous, long-term project. There are already a whole bunch of large-scale tests underway for recapturing and repurposing CO2 - as a new source of fuel, as a source of food, as a source of manure, as a source of all kinds of crap.
If we continue another 20 years the way we were going in the 90s and 00s, yeah, we're fucked. But there's been huge changes over the past decade or so - Tesla may be the best known of the new generation of scientist-billionaires but he isn't alone. A lot is happening in India, too. And all in all, it may be seaweed and kelp that'll save us all. We'll have to wait and see.
It's easy to be disillusioned and depressed by a video like that - but they're also trying to make it seem worse than it is to push people into action - "if we cut oil use by 10% and everybody plants a couple of trees in their yard we'll probably be OK" isn't the mindset they want to put into people, "we have to stop eating meat, stop using all oil, stop having children, use only wind and solar energy, and everybody needs to start planting trees and live by sunlight" is more like it - because a lot of people won't change their minds over a moderate message.
That said, yes, we're all fucked - if nothing changes. That's why you have to be optimistic about science and hope there'll be ever-more breakthroughs. It's already feasible to make ground meat and such in tanks, it's already possible to make plant-based "plastics" that are as good as the real thing but biodegradable. It's already possible to make an electric car. All of these things face challenges (money, prejudice, energy, power), but they're not the impossible pipe dreams GasBandit might like you to believe.
Most likely, we won't be living in a Star Trek green utopia in 50 years, but we won't be living in Mad Max land either - IF people continue to fight and work to prevent it. In that sense, Trump is a disaster, as he'll set back the USA 10 years, easily. This might even be his most lasting effect, as Europe, India and China take a lead in more"modern" technology (think back to how the Soviet Union is often portrayed in games in contrast to the US - heavy, ugly, huge factories, spewing gulfs of black smoke). Or not. Come back in 10 years and we'll see.
An article on the Carbon Bubble and how Trump's presidency will do everything in their power to stop any progress on stopping/slowing climate change:
Well, that article is pretty much spot on. A few observations, though:
1. It doesn't mention that those big oil companies are already very busy buying themselves into the "replacement" industry. Partly to slow down progress, perhaps, but also to keep their value up. Exxon, Shell, BP - they're very busy buying up "green" energy providers all over Europe.
2. It does focus too much on only this issue. While it's a useful lens to look through, it isn't the end-all-be-all of how or why this cabinet came into being or other actions on the global political stage. it's one of many factors.
3.Carbon Bubble was number 134 and is scheduled for execution. I'm Diamond, baby.
4. In contrast to, for example, the tobacco industry, or even the sugar lobby, everybody (except for 40% of the US population, sigh) knows this. There's wide spread consensus, worldwide, that something must be done. No doubt things aren't going as fast or as easily as they could - but when has anyone ever enjoyed seeing their source of income dry up? It's pretty much a joke these days, but candle makers and lamp oil salesmen really did try to stop electric lighting. Lots of people tried to stop the car from breaking through compared to horse and carriage. And so on. We'll get there, one way or another. Whether or not the USA will still be the unchallenged #1 power in the world by then is another matter.
1. It doesn't mention that those big oil companies are already very busy buying themselves into the "replacement" industry. Partly to slow down progress, perhaps, but also to keep their value up. Exxon, Shell, BP - they're very busy buying up "green" energy providers all over Europe.
2. It does focus too much on only this issue. While it's a useful lens to look through, it isn't the end-all-be-all of how or why this cabinet came into being or other actions on the global political stage. it's one of many factors.
3.Carbon Bubble was number 134 and is scheduled for execution. I'm Diamond, baby.
4. In contrast to, for example, the tobacco industry, or even the sugar lobby, everybody (except for 40% of the US population, sigh) knows this. There's wide spread consensus, worldwide, that something must be done. No doubt things aren't going as fast or as easily as they could - but when has anyone ever enjoyed seeing their source of income dry up? It's pretty much a joke these days, but candle makers and lamp oil salesmen really did try to stop electric lighting. Lots of people tried to stop the car from breaking through compared to horse and carriage. And so on. We'll get there, one way or another. Whether or not the USA will still be the unchallenged #1 power in the world by then is another matter.
Necronic
Staff member
Yeah, that article (the one about the charity) TOTALLY refutes the assertion:
So we just ignore all of the facts and just take whatever we're being told by people who have severe ethical problems. The trump's own charity was found to be self-dealing ffs.[DOUBLEPOST=1482526696,1482526221][/DOUBLEPOST]
So sure, they denied it. Because it doesn't look absolutely like pay for play. Because they denied it.
So we just ignore all of the facts and just take whatever we're being told by people who have severe ethical problems. The trump's own charity was found to be self-dealing ffs.[DOUBLEPOST=1482526696,1482526221][/DOUBLEPOST]
Which isn't a surprise seeing as the Republican Party has written them a blank check for being unaccountable.
And i just got why Trump won.... y'all need more TNG in your lives...
Hmm...
TOS - 1966... the '60... civil rights movement!
TNG - 1987... jazz playing non-inhaler becomes president, USSR falls...
IT ALL MAKES SENSE NOW!!!!
We're getting such mileage out of that movie these days.
In Star Trek continuity, the "USSR" didn't fall until 2293.
--Patrick
I've seen all of TNG, but how often do I get to use my favorite Abraham quote?
Is that the newest retcon? Because i could have sworn i remembered the eugenics watrs being in the 90's and Cochrane (who was after a nuclear war) sometimes during the 21st century.
He means the Klingons.