Do you think that moving away from fossil fuels will be an economic disaster?
Was it an economic disaster when we stopped using horses as the main means of transportation?Was it an economic disaster when coal edged out the water wheel? (Okay, that's kind of debatable in hindsight but it did accelerate the Industrial Revolution.)Twenty-five percent of the world's electricity is already produced by renewable resources -- mostly hydropower right now, but the amount produced by wind, solar, geothermal and tidal generators is increasing by about 10% per year. Several countries that 50% or more of their power from renewables and none of them are hurting economically from it.Electric transport is increasingly popular and increasingly affordable as the cost of developing fossil fuels rises, especially if the cost of damage is added in. An offshore oil spill costs billions in clean up and lost revenue for fishing and tourism. Coal smoke particles have been killing people for 200 years.Germany is replacing its entire postal fleet with electric vehicles. It's a cost saver because electric motors don't break down as much.Developing countries are jumping directly from animal dung fires to wind and solar power, because that makes sense to them. Why use hand-me-down western technology when you can keep it natural?Even major fossil fuel companies are making investments in renewable resources and renaming themselves "energy" companies.So the only people still claiming that renewables are terrible are the fossil fuel investors who don't want to invest in change and they're going to find themselves facing the wrong way while the rest of the world has moved far past them.
What are some survival foods that last forever?
Here Are 9 Foods That Last Forever:1. HoneyPure honey is as durable as it is delicious. It keeps safe indefinitely. It may change it's colour or crystallize over time, but that won't make it unsafe... 2. SaltWhether it is the basic salt on your table or the nore luxurious, kosher or sea salt, salt is a flavour enchancer that never spoils or stales.3. CornstarchNo sauce, gravy and pudding will have its slow, lazy consistency without Cornstarch , It will almost keep indefinitely if it is kept dry and frew from Contaminants. 4. RiceAll the white rice varieties like wild, arborio, jasmine and basmati rice, will have a indefinite shelf life. When it is kept free from Contaminants. The only exception is brown rice. Due to its high oil content, it won't nearly keep as long though.5. White VinegarYour marinades, salad dressings, sauces won't be the same without Vinegart, but don't worry, they are meant to last for a long time. 6. Sugar All types of Sugar, White, Brown or Powdered never spoils, because it doesn't support bacterial growth. Though it might easily crystallize and become rock hard.7. Hard Liquor Distilled spirits, like Vodka, Rum, Whiskey, Gin, Tequila don't spoil, even after opening. The taste and arome may fade gradually, but it'll take ages before you notice. 8. Pure Vanilla ExtractMore expensive and highly precious than its imitation counterpart. but since Pure Vanilla Extract keeps forever, so you'll never have to waste a drop. 9. Maple SyrupAn all time favourite, pure maple syrup not only makes your pancakes special, it adds tremenoud flavour to a whole range of food dishes. And the cherry on the top is, what keep it lasting forever!
Hurricane Catarina?
it's called Cyclone Catarina. Cyclone Catarina was an extremely rare South Atlantic tropical cyclone. Catarina hit southeastern Brazil in late March of 2004, and though not the first southern Atlantic tropical cyclone, it was the first positively identified hurricane-strength system in the basin. Formation: Catarina developed off a cold-core stationary upper-level trough became established offshore southern Brazil on March 12, 2004. Whether Catarina was a result of global warming is still debatable. There have been claims of global warming, but none has been solidly proved, as yet. Typically, tropical cyclones do not form in the South Atlantic Ocean, due to strong upper level shear, cool water temperatures, and the lack of a convergence zone of convection. Occasionally though, as seen in 1991 and early 2004, conditions can become slightly more favorable. Formation of another storm in the same region with similar intensity is extremely rare, because at the time, it was the 'strongest ever'. However, there have been other similar but less intense South Atlantic storms like the Angola tropical cyclone of 1991 and another cyclone in the same area in Brazil in mid/late January of 2004. References: http://www.answers.com/topic/south-atlantic-tropical-cyclone http://www.answers.com/hurricane%20catarina http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/G7.html
What do you think can help prevent the next stock market crash?
More easy money. But will it really help?Let's look at the Fed balance sheet chart to understand where the next stock market crash is going to come from.The US federal reserve inflated it's balance sheet by 650% to pull it's economy out of the 2008 recession. Other major global central banks also followed suit to add liquidity to their own markets. And a lot of this money has crossed borders and has also been invested in emerging market businesses.This money, available at really low rates, found its way into the most inefficient of businesses. Many of them in the form of venture capital or private equity in unlisted companies.Easy money has also created an asset valuation bubble within the stock markets as well. It's a simple matter of supply and demand - more cash chasing the same stocks. The Schiller PE ratio chart clearly shows this asset bubble.Current valuations are nearly double that of the all time median (15.70).If the Fed continues its tightening policy, it is bound to push businesses surviving on the margin into bankruptcy.In my opinion, the stock market crash will start with companies trading on extremely high valuations (P/E multiple). In the form of P/E multiple unwinding.The only thing that can prevent the crash (in near time) is if the central banks pump more easy money into the system. That is going to be a kin to providing more dope to someone who is already overdosed.Providing more liquidity will probably push the crash until later but will make the bubble even bigger and cause other issues like hyper inflation. Remember Zimbabwe's Hundred Trillion Dollars note?Hyper inflation will cause the gap between the poor and rich to expand.This gap is already huge in developed markets and any further increase could push economies into civil war.Summary:In my opinion one should not worry about preventing a stock market crash. Actions that do that will eventually have even more disastrous consequences within and outside the stock market.As an investor it is better to have prudent risk management rather than hope that a market crash can be avoided.Hope this helps.PrashanthFounder, Spotalpha.com - Where AI makes investing safer for everyone, everyday.