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Celebrity Generosity: A Bad Idea?

I was thinking that there are a bunch of rich people out there who could possibly make a difference by giving most of their funds to efficient, useful causes and organizations.

But then I imagined a negative version of the scenario. Negative and perhaps common sense.

Say Angelina Jolie decides to be good to mankind, and give away everything she owns, all her millions of dollars, in an effort to start and spread a campaign under which every rich person does the same.

This isn't just giving money to people who'll waste it. It's the systematic reorganization of monetary funds in a way that will hopefully benefit all of us. The groups that are working to solve problems and producing results will get the most funding.

So Jolie becomes poor, in the hopes that other rich people will help like she did.

But they don't. They don't believe it will work, and in thinking that way, cause her program to fail. She becomes a regular person, and people treat her rudely.

Bleak. I could go into more detail, but I get the feeling that doing so would serve no purpose other than painting a poorer picture of humanity.

Or would it be accurate?

No, I have faith in people. We can work together, it just takes certain circumstances.

Big Oil And Deforestation Make Sense

In a certain frame of mind.

I was wondering about the really rich guys high up in the food chain with million/billion dollar stakes in the Oil industry.

I realized that if you're living in a selfish mindset, then it makes perfect sense to extend the reign of oil and pollution as long as possible.

Similarly, it makes sense to slice and dice the rain forests for whatever profit they're worth.

What about the world? Isn't there the risk of doing damage?

Yes, but someone high up is probably wealthy enough to pay for the creation of their own little world. Pay for irrigation, air conditioning, generators... Who cares about everyone else? Let them go sit in the air conditioned movie theaters.

Like I said, the selfish mindset seems to justify those types of actions.

But what doesn't make sense to me is why all the wealthy people don't become philanthropists. I thought it was a generally consistent part of human nature that once you reach a certain level of success, you can stop worrying about yourself, and start helping others.

For some people, you don't even need to have money to operate that way...

Nuclear Power Is Not Clean

I used to think it was, but it isn't.

Some people still try to argue it is.

Here's why I don't think nuclear power is clean: it produces toxic waste.

There. Simple, right? Sure, we store it away, hide it, save it for a rainy day, but that toxic sludge builds up and builds up. Just like greenhouse gas emissions build up.

Hydrogen fuel cell technology will produce water vapor. That's it. That's truly clean.

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Cars

How fast can we make the conversion? I want one! Well, I want it to be safe. None of the whole, "Oh, the humanity!" issues to worry about. But seriously, are we moving along developmentally at a steady clip? Or could things go faster?

How quickly and efficiently could we set up the new hydrogen fuel cell infrastructure, consisting of hydrogen fuel stations?

Would it be an easy conversion for preexisting gas stations? Or would there be the flashy new hydrogen station opening up across the street and slowly draining the customers out of the oil economy?

I think it would be cool to drive a car that only produces water. I wonder if they would have a collection bin connected to the exhaust pipe, or maybe reroute it back to the radiator?

Sci-Fi Movie Says Global Warming Is Aliens

Ok, I'm not referencing "The Arrival," but that does make sense.

Last night there was a lower-budget sci-fi movie on, and I was able to catch a few minutes of it. A priest having a crisis of faith was approached by devil-looking creatures and given the power to heal. At one point, one of the creatures revealed that he and his race were from a planet far, far away. Their plot was to slowly remove earth's atmosphere, siphoning it off for storage, transportation, and integration with their home world.

So... what if our atmosphere isn't chemically changing. What if it is eroding?

In all seriousness, I don't think that's the case, but the idea did strike me as thought-provoking.

Oil: $108 / Barrel

It's so weird... A few months ago, I heard about a Peak Oil Shortage crisis, a predicted catastrophe that entailed massive blackouts and economic turmoil. But that can't happen, let's get back to our normal practical lives...

Now, our economy is experiencing definite turmoil, and the price of oil is steadily rising. Could the predictions be true? Are we on our way toward disaster?

When things keep going as normal, and you don't hear about a massive program being instated by the government in order to prevent the doomsday scenarios, you think, "Oh, it's no big deal, that's just paranoia. If there was anything to it, the government would be solving the problem, and we'd be a part of that solution. Since they haven't gotten in touch, there's nothing to worry about."

What if the threats are real, and the government doesn't know, or doesn't care? My money's on, "We've tried everything, but Judgment Day is inevitable."

Maybe things just need to get a little worse before major changes are instated. Or maybe the election will change things. Hopefully those things will include attitudes like McCain's, that encompass a belief that the economy is fine.