riot504

You can continue researching to ensure everyone lives as long as possible or let nature naturally take its course.

Best way to fight climate change, eliminate all vaccines. The human population will plummet thus ensuring we have reduced the amount of waste. Human remains can help bring nutrients back to the soil. Other species will be able to repopulate naturally.

This won't happen, because we want to live forever or that very least certain technological elites are trying to make that happen. We want to have all the latest technology regardless of the transportation costs (shipping containers). Be able to eat that latest restaurant. I could go on.

Climate change is real. How much is man-made? I don't know and I don't really care. On a personal level I attempt to keep my carbon footprint low, though I drive to work and eat meat daily - I bought half a cow and whole pig and store them in a deep freezer. At the same time I have had the same flip-phone for 3 years, and the prior to that I didn't have one. Have one TV in my house and a record player.

Reduce your consumption to your needs and a few wants, rib-eye steaks. Earth will prosper long after we are gone.

Italian food is simple in general. Purchase the best ingredients, allowing the flavors to emerge. A general rule, if a dish has more than 6 ingredients it probably isn't Italian, and if it has more than 10 ingredients it certainly isn't Italian.

70 years ago no one viewed cigarettes in the negative.

I don't get the shot and never will.

Under your logic all those who eat fast food for lunch everyday and don't exercise should have to pay extra for medical insurance for not taking care of themselves.

I live in a small town 30k population. Good teachers and doctors. Living in a city doesn't automatically indicate there are goods schools or doctors. You have greater choice, but that is all.

Having lived in small communities all my life, I would say they are cheaper as far less is required. Water, power and communication I am uncertain, though internet appears better in certain smaller communities. You need far less law enforcement as crime is typically lower. Mail might cost more, but that is factored into shipping costs.

Smaller towns when done correctly can be more self-sufficient. Within an hour and half driving radius (minimum) from where I live, it is entirely farm land. I believe 90% of the food my family eats comes from these farms and is cheaper. I purchased half a cow recently from a local rancher - 295 lbs of grass fed beef for $1400 total, butcher fees included. Also purchased a whole pig from a local farmer ~250 lbs for $750, butcher fees included. From the same farmer I purchased 8 chickens a month from them at $12 - 15 per chicken from May - September, not cheaper but worth the money. We can get produce, raw milk, cheese and eggs from all the farmers here as well.

It takes money up front, planning and a deep freezer but we are supporting the local economy, reducing transportation costs and have locally sources food. If we didn't purchase our meat from the farmers I would hunt, but there isn't a need to do both as a family of four can only eat so much in a year.

These are some of the benefits when you downsize to small communities you can know your consumption patterns easier. We haven't been able to do this for everything but this year we have finally figured out the food issue. We still purchase spices, tea and coffee which at the store but those were the first items traded at a global scale if memory serves me correctly.

One would think there is enough land in the US to do this, but it would take a major cultural shift in eating patterns and the way we operate - feasible in theory but probably not reality.

How many services do you need? Schools, hospitals, housing, grocery stores and clothing. The outdoors then becomes your entertainment.

Are you serious with those questions?

I grew up on island in Alaska. Completed my last two years of high school in a small farming community in North Carolina. Joined the military and after ten years separated from southern Turkey, yet, somehow I was able to land a job as a data scientist.

I joined the military due to a lack of academic discipline though I still was accepted to the state schools in North Carolina, just choose otherwise. I have friends who did the same, though one did attend Chapel Hill on academic scholarship he received while graduating in Alaska. I have another friend who is now an anesthesiologist who graduated from University of Washington's medical school.

A few remote workers will do wonders for rural America in the short and long term. Saying you need to live in a major city to be successful is hogwash.

True and I agree, but you can't have political power without wealth. It is a catch-22 in my opinion, which came first the chicken or the egg type scenario.

I was in the military with a secret clearance (standard I believe) and you are correct it is very mundane, nothing exciting. There were a few times I had to cover documents when people would come in and couldn't talk about certain projects, but it was nothing exciting. I believe intelligence is worthy at the aggregated level, not at the individual level most of us experience.

I misinterpreted the statement then. Naturalized citizens are different, I thought it was in reference to those who come here for a job, then require a security clearance. That would create conflict in my opinion.

That is from the State Department. There are an array of different clearances.

http://www.dss.mil/psmo-i/ps_faqs.html#5

5. Are non-U.S. citizens eligible for a personnel security clearance? No. However, under rare circumstances, a non-U.S. citizen may be issued a Limited Access Authorization for access to classified information. Specific criteria and limitations are provided in the NISPOM. You may also contact your IS Rep for additional information.

Why would the US give a Top Secret clearance to an immigrant?

edit - You can't immigrate to a country then expect to receive a Top Secret clearance regardless if it is the US or any other country. I don't suspect Russia will give me a clearance if I were to immigrate and find employment at a tech company. There would be a major national security incident waiting to happen.

I have thought about that often. The conclusion I have reached is this Earth's way of keeping the population of a species at a natural state - droughts, plagues etc... At first this appears harsh based on our preconceived notions of humanity. Many people will die due the environmental conditions in which they live - regardless of pollution levels.

Earth does not have a bias towards one species, such as political/economic policies will have. Mother Nature's laws determine the strongest/fittest will survive, but our current system puts wealth that leads to power as the strongest.

Switching to a system which does not value materials, money and power over others but focuses strictly living off the land such as the African Tribe will result in a drastically different social construct than we see today.

Why do we even need to get into any transportation system, why not work remotely 90% of the time?

Mentioned it above but I live in the northern Idaho region. We've grown our wolf population for awhile. Now we are at the point of having too many wolves that we are opening hunting to them.

I do forget the NE is dense living around the northern Idaho region.

It appears a simple solution of allowing hunting to occur would solve the problem. Why is hunting restricted?

True, but the vast majority of small companies (~24 for Snapchat) don't make people multi-millionaires by providing so little to society.

Speaking with my colleague who is Chinese, he states it is the family that supports one another. A couple gets married and the parents pay for the house and furniture, with everyone living together. While the parents pay for the children to go to school. I don't know if it is the best model, but model is micro to say the least.

Snapchat is valuable from a monetary perspective, but actual real value is little to none. No one is going in 10 years will say Snapchat changed our lives or progressed society's knowledge. People will look back wondering why it made a handful people beyond wealthy.

Anything sold is sold for the sake of convenience. Most of the problems we seeing being advertised today are marketed as solving real problems, when in fact its being sold a convenience. Spending 10 minutes boiling a few eggs, then putting them into a container isn't really that difficult, time consuming or inconvenient we've just been sold that it is thus the market for nutritional bars.

Want to know what will improve teen health, going back to not having to worry what every other teen thinks about you. I remember when my parents attempted to give me a cell-phone at 17. I politely said no thank you, I don't want you being able to contact me at anytime. I want to be in the moment. I didn't take photos or update anything in real-time, I didn't update people after the fact either, we just lived in the moment then moved on. Mind you this was 18 - 20 years ago.

I have not heard of him, but I will certainly check him out. I will also looking into Sleepy Hollow. Thank you for the recommendations.

I am unsure exactly your meaning regarding the stratification of Western culture, though I assume its in reference to inequality. If this is the case then I agree. However, I don't believe it stems from Western culture but from a culture of consumerism. Capitalism often receives the blame though I believe it is our lack of discipline as a society. Out consistent drive of want - material items, money and power. Religion, be it Catholicism, Protestant, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism etc..., teaches to lead a far simpler life; Buddhism strives to be content; minimalist.

Does capitalism thrive if everyone in society reduces their wants, focusing more on their needs and being content with their current belongings? I would think so, though it would look much different with current economic measurements needing drastic revisions.

Is religious belief required to move society in this direction? Not necessarily. Though deep, open philosophical and theological discussion is required. Agnostics, atheists and religious individuals need to be able to discuss matters, find similarities in their beliefs - how they guide their lives.

Since the millennium we have all become aware of our differences, but not our similarities. Division consistently drives our lives which will increase the stratification of Western culture. A main area being reduced is Western Civilization history and thought. It would be hard to argue the United States was founded on ideas outside Western civilization which goes back to Greek and Roman thought, but this is now seen as a negative.

In the end we need to have open discussions, be aware of our history, both the positive and negative aspects and understand the negatives that happened in the US have happened all around the world and still occurring. In the end I believe spiritual discussion and reformation is required to reset society will maintaining freedom of religion being of the utmost importance.

Thank you for that. I do have one of the Father's of the Church volumes and one of the book stores has a few other volumes.

I'm most interested right now in The City of God due to the context/thesis being relevant today. As a teenager I switched to Buddhism (20 or so years ago) but have gained new interest in my Catholic upbringing as I was finding it hard to relate to Buddhism and its history. Culturally it was different from my own and I always had a feeling of being an outsider/imposter.

Most of HN and others who are in educated professions appear to dismiss religion though I've come to find it as a guiding principal and cultural history - Western Civilization is built on Christianity, Catholcism for a larger portion.

Currently in the US we are losing our sense cultural understanding, in my opinion, and wish for the government to set laws and regulations on everything. The freedoms set forth in the first amendment give us the freedom to guide our lives as we see fit, religion filling the moral and spiritual need in our lives. The libertarian in me agrees with the freedom but to ensure others are given the same freedom as long we do no harm to others - nor should we judge or force our beliefs onto others.

Now I understand that certain groups haven't experienced the same freedoms as others but is that religions fault? I would say no, and offer the perspective of culture. Simple cultural norms bring us together. I live in the PNW and have a beard, I know if I were to back to New Orleans where I'm from a beard would be viewed differently causing issues with employment. This is a simple and harmless is example that isn't a non-issue compared to others.

Overall I'm excited to begin the journey with the open mind of an adult.

Sorry for tangent and possible incoherent ramble - on my tablet.

Over the summer I built a set Catholic theological writings by scouring used book stores that I plan diligently going through over the next couple of years. I say years because I also have St. Aquinas' Summa Theologica (complete) in there as well. I am really interested in seeing the path I take going through these as adult.

I was there a year prior in the fall of 07. I rarely smoked, at most 1 - 3 a day and usually just when controlling - sometimes I didn't cause I hate the after smell.

Glad you were able to quit! Aside from health, the money certainly adds up.