Your Questions About Green Living

Sharon asks…

Are the riots the result of evil in the world and we eventually reap what we sow?

There are socioeconomic reasons why society descends into chaos.There are cultural and environmental reasons also and last but not least there are psychological reasons on the part of the rioters for the reasons why they are doing it.
No doubt the talking heads will be trying to single out and define why this phenomenon has happened within our inner city communities and the young people who are clearly unafraid of the law and have no respect for their communities.
I would like to raise another issue and that is a spiritual one and a karmic one too.
It struck me as supreme irony that these youths were targeting premises that were outlets for the selling of mobile phones,trainers and sports wear,dvd’s cd’s,games and consoles,laptops and alcohol and no doubt cigarettes.
These things are all paramount in today’s youth culture of bling and gangs and money over bitches.
Society has sat back and allowed this all to develop in the name of freedom and progress in our consumerist materialist secular society based on the individual.
Yet mobile phones require a metallic component that is mined in Africa and the mining of this has devastated the countries environmentally,economically and socially were it can be found.It has been responsible for the rise of war lords and the money that is made is further used to promote evil.
Those trainers are manufactured in sweat shops in Asia for a fraction of the cost like the sports wear.The dvd’s cd’s and games that these youths enjoy have an element of violent criminality and they like to be listened to and viewed on the latest Plasma’s and sound systems.The alcohol problem has been encouraged by the ignorance of the Government pandering to the alcohol industry and this has all come home to roost.
We seen recently the Arab spring and the encouragement of the West for people to rise up and organize and this was all done by Twitter and Facebook and these young people maybe noneductaed delinquents nevertheless they posses skills at utilizing the technology to further their ends.
So what I am expressing is that evil flourishes and everything we do as a society in some way returns to us.
I feel just as sorry for Afghan children being killed in a raid by the forces of the USA/UK and then it being reduced from what is a war crime to collateral damage as I do for people being burnt out and there businesses destroyed here in the UK by the rioters.
Yet my conclusion is, as someone who tries to think universally as a spiritual person,that we are reaping what we sow because we refuse to look beyond our own needs and wants.

The Expert answers:

It collapses because of too much dependency on others for salvation/survival/pleasure.
People who can’t think for themselves, buy from others who think for themselves.

Richard asks…

Geography (Africa) Help?

Well…

Can anyone help answer at least one of the following questions:

What challenges have African nations faced since independence?

In what ways did colonial rule cause problem for African countries after independence?

What economic, social, and environmental issues challenge Africans today?

How are Africans working to improve their economis and social conditions?

The Expert answers:

1: most of the african people were illiterate, education was nearly impossible to get, and rapid-population growth

2: because under their colonial rule africans were allowed to participate in government only at a local level, when they acquired independence they were unprepared for the challenges they’d face. Also colonial government did not spend much on education for africans which led to the wide-spread illiteracy and they had no common language other than their colonial french or inglish.

3: Aids and other diseases, the expansion of the sahara desert and drought all through africa, poverty and low standard of living

4: some countries like zimbabwe are taking away the land from rich landowners and redistributing

Ken asks…

Would you say Im a conservative or liberal?

So, I came out as a conservative, but not by much. But here are my stances:
Gun Control- I support stricter gun control, and I think we should make it more regulated.
Homeland Security- Make the Patriot Act permanent, allow for enhanced interrogation techniques to be employed against terror suspects, take action against terror organizations.
Gay Marriage- No one can tell 2 people they cannot get married or adopt children. It is basically a natural right.
Immigration- Offer amnesty to illegals, and support a guest worker program.
Taxes: Corporate- Lower corporate taxes significantly
Personal- Taxes should be lower and flatter, so maybe 2 tax brackets, one at 15% and one at 20%.
Foreign Policy- Build stronger relations with Europe, S. America, and Asia; intervene more in Africa and Middle East. Give more support to the UN.
Abortion- Pro-choice
Healthcare- public or private for all elderly and children. Allow for some insurance from the government is people so choose to buy it.
Budget- Focus on real priorities, more money for military and social programs.
Environment- Economic issues take priority over environmental issues.

The Expert answers:

First point: liberal
Second point: conservative
Third point: liberal
Fourth point: liberal
Fifth point: conservative
sixth point: mixed. Conservatives want more intervention but dislike the UN in general
seventh point: liberal
eighth point: liberal
ninth point: liberal
tenth point: conservative

You sound like someone who is fiscally conservative but socially liberal, except the PATRIOT act part.

Mandy asks…

what is the main idea of this?

Jane Goodall has tremendously affected the world with her passion for nature and her desire to improve the environment for all living creatures. Jane is best known for her dedication to chimpanzees. She was born on April 3, 1934 in London, England. The stuffed chimp she received as a toddler was said to have first inspired her love of chimpanzees. At the age of 8, Jane read Dr. Dolittle and was determined to go to Africa one day. In May of 1956, Jane was invited to visit a friend’s home in Kenya. Jane gladly accepted the invitation. During her stay in Africa, she met Dr. Louis Leakey, a well-known anthropologist. In April 1957, she became his secretary. Dr. Leakey arranged for Jane to study the chimpanzees in Tanzania. At the age of 26, she arrived at the Gombe Chimp Reserve in April 1960. Jane poured herself into her work observing the chimps. She discovered chimp behaviors that were previously unknown. She was the first to document chimps hunting, eating meat, and using tools to extract termites from mounds.

Jane gained recognition for her ground-breaking work in 1963 when National Geographic published an article about her life and work. Jane earned a Ph.D. in Ethology from the University of Cambridge in 1965. The university did not require her to obtain a bachelor’s degree first. After Cambridge, she returned to Tanzania to continue her chimpanzee research. Through her writings, people worldwide have learned about the behaviors of chimps.

Researching chimpanzees was not the only contribution Jane has made. In 1977, Ms. Goodall founded the Jane Goodall Institute, a nonprofit organization that works to preserve nature and helps poverty-stricken Africans. Jane also founded several education programs called Roots and Shoots to teach young people about conservation. In 2002, Dr. Goodall became the United Nations “Messenger of Peace.” A “Messenger of Peace” works as an advocate for conflict resolution, eradication of poverty, weapons disarmament, environmentalism, AIDS/HIV treatment, and other world issues. She was reappointed to this position in 2007.

Dr. Goodall has received many awards for her extraordinary work. Queen Elizabeth II named her Dame of the British Empire, which is equivalent to knighthood, in 2003. She has also received prestigious awards from Tanzania, Austria, Japan, and worldwide organizations. Internationally, many universities have granted Dr. Goodall honorary doctorates. Jane Goodall continues to inspire the world with her expertise in environmental and humanitarian-related issues. She spends a lot of her time speaking about conservation and encouraging others to make the world a better place to live.

The Expert answers:

Theyre trying to explain Jane Goodall’s life and how her experience with apes made up her mind on how you should help make the world a better place.

Donald asks…

If there is a conflict between China and the Commonwealth, who prevails?

George Osborne is negotiating an agreement with the Chinese to allow their currency to be traded in London in exchange for mega bonuses for the City bankers there. The economic figures for the UK will therefore greatly improve, with a feel-good factor that must get the Conservatives re-elected.

The British Government is relying on the fact that Frankfurt is too busy bailing out the Euro to divert its energies to China (which is why David Cameron insisted on special dispensation for the City of London when negotiating the latest round of EU trade agreements). While Australia is the logical place to trade the Reminimbi in the West, it is hardly well located for Europe, America and Africa.

Tanzania is a member of the British Commonwealth, and one of the least corrupt of the African nations. I have just read an alarming report that last year, Chinese engineers drained Lake Singidani in order to construct a road to service mining operations there.

“The Chinese are the new colonial masters and slowly, and ominously, taking
control in Africa, showing absolutely no regard for the indigenous people
and the environment. All they are interested in is the untapped store of
mineral deposits in sub-Saharan Africa, and corrupt governments like that in
Tanzania are selling the country’s birthright without a glimmer of shame. The
Chinese have been involved in the construction of a tarmac road from Singida
to Arusha and, when they started building it, they were extracting 100,000
litres of water from Lake Singidani every day for months. Consequently, the
lake level was severely depleted at the end of the winter and is only now
beginning to recover slightly as the rains have arrived. However, there are no
nesting egrets or other birds this year and the lake is silent. Most local people
are ignorant of the issues and don’t even realise all that has been going on
under their noses. When I arrived in December 2010, there was constant
chatter and activity from all the different bird species feeding, mating and
nesting in the reeds on our corner of the lake. Thanks to the Chinese, and in just one year, the reeds have died and
the birds have gone!”

(Email from Serengeti campaigner to Green Party chairman in Malvern)

http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/sitefactsheet.php?id=6997 http://www.savetheserengeti.org/

There is therefore a conflict between Chinese business interests in Tanzania and environmental concerns in an internationally important nature reserve there. Anyone who has watched a David Attenborough programme knows well enough the importance of the Serengeti.

Should Britain support the Chinese developers (and benefit the London bankers) or safeguard the lions and the flamingos?

If there was a clash between the British Government and the Royal Family (many of whom have well-known sympathies both for the indigenous people of the Commonwealth and for the environment), whom would you support?

The Expert answers:

The market prevails. Always did, always will.

The British Empire was, like China now, first about trade but in its later years developed a social conscience. The irony was that ‘freedom fighters’ being funded by the then commercial and political ememies of Britain (mainly USA and USSR) had their own unstoppable momentum. But for them, Zimbabwe and other late developers could have become independent associated countries that were part of the European Union! People should be very careful what they wish for and even more so who they listen to.

The Royal family knows not to get involved and they will support international trade. Once there is money sloshing around again, some of it can be siphoned off for social causes until, inevitably, China’s replacement emerges rapaciously on the scene.

We won’t get fooled again? (music video link)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5MM62u2NN4&feature=player_embedded

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