en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/2448492 Comments by KillinSoc01 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/07/4827/#IDComment142919043 I think it’s safe to say that many of the smaller renewable energy industries could use this money to start creating new technology. No one can argue the fact that renewable energy, no matter how ineffective it is now, is the way of the future. It makes you wonder, with all the control that the oil industry has, can they block these renewable energy companies from making real headway. They are private companies, and therefore look out for themselves first. They have a lot of control over our politicians who are supposed to be doing what’s best for us. When the oil companies’ best interests and the nation’s best interests are in conflict, I think that most politicians will side with the oil companies. That’s pretty upsetting. Thu, 14 Apr 2011 21:18:17 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/07/4827/#IDComment142919043 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/07/4827/#IDComment142918975 This article states that the oil companies use their deep pockets to control capitol hill and prevent congress from passing bills that will affect their large profits. I realize that this article is against the oil lobbyists, but even so, I can’t see any real argument for why they need the subsidiaries. Oil is energy of the past and if we want to continue growing, we need to start looking towards other forms of energy. I think that this is just a symptom of the larger problem that is our campaign finance process. It’s unfortunate that companies have direct control over politicians by funding or refusing to fund their campaigns. I think it’s obvious that if there were no financial incentives these bills would have been passed a long time ago. Like the article said, were cutting funding to things like education and firefighters, but still oil companies are getting money that was only meant to help the industry when it was still small. The incentives are no longer necessary because the oilmen are making large profits at a time when many industries are seeing a decline in profits. How does a 4 billion dollar subsidiary have any effect on the amount of jobs being created in a multi-trillion dollar industry? Thu, 14 Apr 2011 21:17:58 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/07/4827/#IDComment142918975 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/23/managing-crowds/#IDComment137113988 It’s not just an increase in class size or the loss of a school course, it’s something that generations of students before us have been able to participate in and suddenly is unavailable to us. As to the second question, I think it’s very difficult to have individuals act in a way that is beneficial to a large group of people. People will always look out for themselves and those close to them first. In consequence, even if someone is in a low risk area of a hurricane, they will still do what’s safest for their family which may include evacuating. In consequence those who are in the high risk area will be unable too. I don’t think there’s any real solution to this outside of the use of force. It’s human nature to act in our own best interests. Wed, 23 Mar 2011 23:14:06 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/23/managing-crowds/#IDComment137113988 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/23/managing-crowds/#IDComment137113920 In large groups there will always be freeloading. I think that one of the most important things is to get people emotionally vested in the goal. For example, the majority of people work hard in Thon because they come to really care about what they’re doing through the numerous activities that they do throughout the year. At the end, all their hard work is rewarded by the dance marathon, which many say is a life changing experience. Although everyone is welcome to the dance marathon, only those who not only participated in THON, but showed themselves to go above and beyond are allowed on the floor. On the flipside, people are more likely to participate if something is taken away that they really care about, and can feel the loss of it. For example, the 50% budget cut at PSU is a big deal, but many students are not seeing the damage that it’s causing first hand. If something that students take for granted is taken then they are much more likely to get involved because it may anger them. If Penn State intramurals were cut because of the lack of money, the large number of students who participate in them would be outraged. Wed, 23 Mar 2011 23:13:42 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/23/managing-crowds/#IDComment137113920 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/01/lighting-our-way/#IDComment132267703 I know a kid whose dad was stationed in Alaska for a while and he said that the three months of winter where there was barely any light are really tough on everyone. It’s hard to do outdoor activities unless you have lights. Also, without the son to warm you it’s colder all the time. I think if I lived in those types of conditions I’d end up sleeping a lot more than I do now. I’d also probably just sit around my house when it was light out instead of going outside and doing things that I do on a normal day here. Fri, 4 Mar 2011 03:18:12 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/01/lighting-our-way/#IDComment132267703 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/01/lighting-our-way/#IDComment132267646 I don’t think that I could survive in a place like that. Even during our winter’s which in comparison aren’t bad, I still struggle with the lack of light. I hate waking up when it is still dark in the morning. These people not only wake up in darkness, but they have to go through their day in it too. I think it’s perfectly reasonable that there is an increase in depression because of the darkness. Sometimes if you’re feeling down, a bright sunny day can cheer you up. They have to go for a long stretch of time with zero sun. I am surprised that the people who live in Helsinki aren’t adapted to it. I’d almost think that if you grew up with the winter months and the lack of light, you’d be used to it to the point it’s almost unnoticeable. But all the residents that they interviewed did say that the lack of light bothers them. I think that what the things that the city is coming up with to make the days of darkness less gloomy are really cool. I don’t quite understand how a super bright light makes any difference, but maybe it just gives your body the feeling like it’s day time. Fri, 4 Mar 2011 03:17:55 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/01/lighting-our-way/#IDComment132267646 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/15/social-structure-shapes-free-will/#IDComment129036183 I couldn't have imagined a woman having more than one husband before I saw this. In most cultures that we hear about where there are multiple spouses, it's the men who have more than one wife. After seeing the circumstances in which they live, I can understand why they practice what they do. They obviously have sound sociological reasons for marrying multiple husbands. Like they said in the video clip, without this way of life farms would be split up and people may even end up starving. Without hearing their reasoning I definitely would have thought that these people were crazy. I think it all comes down to understanding other people’s sociological needs. Before I saw this clip I thought that every culture that had multiple spouses was with husbands, because cultures like this are from a time when males were dominant. This is such an interesting scenario because these people are in a situation where women are in a higher demand than men are. I can’t help but wonder what will happen if the technological advance affects this society. Will they grow ideals about how marriage is supposed to be? And if so, will it result in their culture dying? I can’t believe that these men can adjust to having to share their wife. I think it makes it all the worse that they are all brothers. I could never share my wife with my brother, ever. And in the wife’s case, how does she balance them all? Does she have to hide which brother she feels the strongest for? I understand that this whole system is about survival, but I feel badly for them. In this type of culture there is no room for love. It’s purely based on who is best for ensuring your family’s future survival. I also wonder what makes them think that this system will die out within three generations. Do they think that the single road is going to bring that much of a change to this land in such a short amount of time? Sat, 19 Feb 2011 04:25:29 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/15/social-structure-shapes-free-will/#IDComment129036183 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/27/americans-gone-wild/#IDComment126012902 So figure out what you’re going to do to punish the parent and let the kids alone. The fact that a police officer had the balls to say that age was not an issue is ridiculous. It’s the entire issue. If he was older you would have arrested him because he would have known what he was bringing into school. As it is now, it’s pretty obvious that he didn’t know that the gun was real, but I guess they’ve decided to treat this incident no differently than any other. They have to follow the procedures, but it’s stupid that their even trying to pretend there’s good reason for punishing him and keeping him out of school for an extended period of time. They also said that he’s a “suspect and a victim.” I never thought I’d see the day when a five year old was legitimately called a suspect. Fri, 4 Feb 2011 23:14:28 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/27/americans-gone-wild/#IDComment126012902 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/27/americans-gone-wild/#IDComment126012844 I think that the police are going overboard with this incident. I know it’s a serious problem and someone could have gotten hurt, but does the kid really need to be investigated. The police officer said that age is not an issue because the boy was smart and could “communicate pretty well.” That seems pretty funny. So because the kid can talk ok, there’s the chance that he had ulterior motives and didn’t just pick up the gun. I agree that the parent is completely to blame for not keeping the gun secure. The child is not allowed on school grounds until the investigation is complete and they said that could take weeks or even months. Keeping him out of school for that long is absurd. The police also want to interview witnesses. Are they going to interrupt all the other kids’ education to interview them and see if they were threatened? I understand that this type of thing needs to be taken seriously because someone could have been killed, but it’s obvious that this is the parent’s fault. Fri, 4 Feb 2011 23:14:11 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/27/americans-gone-wild/#IDComment126012844 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/23/how-free-are-these-90-students/#IDComment124423981 They either have never heard about the types of protection or they just don’t care. I’d like to know what strings led to this many pregnancies. It’s good that the school is taking steps against this, but I think they should make a concerted effort to figure out why everyone is getting pregnant in the first place. Educating about safe sex practices would be a complete waste of time if in reality most of these girls really wanted to get pregnant. Then again the problem could just be that none of these girls were told of all the other options that they have. It’s hard for me to believe that you could see someone walking down the hallway that’s pregnant and want what they have. My instinctive reaction would be sympathy because she’s got very little chance of going to college or doing anything else. Fri, 28 Jan 2011 22:37:53 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/23/how-free-are-these-90-students/#IDComment124423981 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/23/how-free-are-these-90-students/#IDComment124423919 It’s crazy how many of these girls are pregnant. Before sociology class I wouldn’t have been able to comprehend how this could happen. It sounds like a mass pregnancy pact. Do these girls really want to have kids so young? I wonder if they even considered how it could affect their futures, or maybe they just don’t care. The statistic that almost all of the students qualify for free lunch shows that they come from families who struggle financially. This seems like a perfect example of the invisible strings. All these girls grew up in the same area and probably come from similar home situations. I think the school really failed these girls when it comes to education. The video kept talking about steps that were being taken to prevent even more pregnancies. It seems stupid that they waited until 11% of the school was pregnant to start doing something about it. After all the health classes in my school, it seems obvious to me that being responsible for another life is not something that should be taken lightly. Being a teen mom basically sticks these girls in a rut before they have even begun their lives. It’s not what’s best for them and definitely not what’s best for their kids. Fri, 28 Jan 2011 22:37:26 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/23/how-free-are-these-90-students/#IDComment124423919 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9ct%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment122579041 soc001 Thu, 20 Jan 2011 20:05:39 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9ct%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment122579041 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9ct%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment122578742 Soc 001 Thu, 20 Jan 2011 20:04:04 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9ct%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment122578742