Post oil: Glimpses of life after fossil fuel

Contentious debates about "peak oil" aside, imagining how the world looks post oil is increasingly easy as alternatives to fossil fuel develop rapidly.

Americans like to imagine the future. From the world's fairs of the early 20th century to futuristic magazine features in the 1950s to the 1980s "Back to the Future" films, we love dreaming up what might come next.

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When we dream, it turns out, we dream without oil. The show-stealer at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893 was a demonstration of alternating current ? a massive generator that made it possible to snuff out household oil lamps and switch on a light bulb. Doc's time machine in "Back to the Future" runs on garbage, and the "hoverboard" the hero in the film's sequels hops on to outrun the bad guys flitted on whimsy, not oil. And no one in the "Star Trek" franchise ever said, "Captain Picard, we need to swing by the gas station."

With today's volatility at the local pump, contentious debates about "peak oil," and soaring global interest in biofuels, imagining how the world looks without oil isn't just a fanciful distraction. There's lively debate about how far away a post-oil world is ? earliest estimates are around 2030, while many analysts say that, as technology changes to accommodate fluctuations in the oil supply, we'll never technically see an end to oil. But advisory bodies such as the International Energy Agency and the US National Intelligence Council expect oil demand to spike, and supply to dwindle, over the next 15 years ? which makes imagining a post-oil future an urgent task of the present.

There's no doubt that the world will look different ? and not just a little bit different, suggests Dennis Bushnell, chief scientist at the NASA Langley Research Center in Virginia.

"After oil, we'll be in the virtual age," he says. Machines will take many more of our jobs. The ones we keep, we'll do by telecommuting. We'll still teleshop, but we'll probably buy less. "Physical universities will be a wasteland" by 2040, he predicts, as most degrees will be earned online. We'll even visit the doctor ? and the Bahamas ? virtually. "You [will] smell and feel the breeze, the sand, [and] the sun. You can do this at any time you want, anywhere you want, with anyone you want. Be anyone you want, and do anything you want," he says. "Machines are creating the world.... We're living virtually. This is the world 30 years out."

If these wild scenarios aren't far off, the circumstances they have in common ? the absence of oil ? is further out. Today's public is convinced it will never see an oil-free world. Less than one-quarter of Americans believe oil will run out in their lifetime, according to a September Christian Science Monitor/TIPP poll. Young adults are slightly more concerned: Thirty-eight percent of respondents ages 18 to 24 said it was "likely" they would see the end of oil.

Even oil industry experts acknowledge that having a stable supply of oil doesn't mean we must ? or should ? rely on it. A post-oil world may not be an inevitability to which we must react, but it may be a world we choose to create.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/iGTAm7n8KcE/Post-oil-Glimpses-of-life-after-fossil-fuel

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The Entire iPhone 4S Keynote in 80 Seconds [Video]

So you want to watch Tim Cook's big fancy iPhone 4S reveal, but don't have an hour and a half to watch corporate keynotes? No problem—we did it for you, and cut out everything but the good stuff. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/uVtpOALnmwk/the-entire-iphone-4s-keynote-in-80-seconds

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Chris Christie's Promise To Meg Whitman Could Keep Him From Race

Those still looking through the entrails of dead birds in the hopes that the augury will reveal whether or not New Jersey Governor Chris Christie might throw caution to the wind and enter the 2012 GOP primary race may want to wash their hands and check out this story, from Stu Woo, Neil King, Jr., and Steve Eder of the Wall Street Journal:

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who has kept the political world in suspense for weeks over his presidential intentions, told prominent California fund-raisers and donors as recently as last Wednesday he had no plans to seek the White House.

One assurance took the form of a pledge Mr. Christie made to Meg Whitman, the newly appointed Hewlett-Packard Co. chief executive, said two people familiar with the matter. As a condition of Ms. Whitman's hosting a high-priced fund-raiser for him, Mr. Christie said he wouldn't enter the Republican presidential contest, these people said.

Does Christie have such a strong bond with Whitman that a pledge made between them could keep him out of the race? It's very possible. In one of the most widely trafficked YouTube clips of Chris Christie's public outbursts, Christie rises to the defense of Whitman at a California town hall, where she became locked in argument with West Hollywood politico Ed Buck:

Of course, Christie is usually seen on video shouting at women rather than on their behalf, but what makes Meg Whitman unique, of course, is that she is a staggeringly wealthy mogul, and not some public school teacher who's having her benefits slashed to finance tax breaks for the wealthy. And, as the Journal points out, Whitman has promised to support Mitt Romney in 2012. So if cash rules everything around Chris Christie, chances are he'll do what he needs to be done to keep Whitman happy, and hold his powder.

READ THE WHOLE THING: Fund-Raiser Offers Clues on Governor's Intentions [Wall Street Journal]

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/04/chris-christies-promise-to-meg-whitman_n_993501.html

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Living Will Form vs. Health Care Power of Attorney Form | Financial ...

A will to live, formally called a living will form, is a type of advance directive. These legal forms are usually required to be notarized or signed and dated by witnesses.

A living will form usually covers specific directions as to what kind of medical treatment your caregivers will give you or are not allowed to give you. Some people go as far as to refuse food and water if they become incapacitated. A will to live is just that though, it is intended to force caregivers to give you the kind of medical treatment you want if you can?t communicate those directives yourself. You are considered unable to communicate when you become incapacitated or brain damaged.

Another form similar to a living will form is a power of attorney for health care form. A power of attorney for health care form appoints some one you trust of your choosing to direct your health care decisions.

End-of-life health care decisions can be very difficult and emotional on your family; 1/3rd of Americans have had to make end-of-life health care decisions for their family. A living will form will keep your family members from making these critical, emotional, and frightening decisions.

You are also entitled to fill out a do not resuscitate order if you so choose to do so, this order will not allow your caregivers to put you on life support. Often times depending on the hospital and jurisdiction they will withhold do not resuscitate orders until their confirmed or simply not even recognize their legal power. Most hospitals will not perform intubations or resuscitation only when faced with these orders but they will treat infections, pump food and fluids directly into your blood stream, use pain management, and adequate comfort care are often times continued.

These types of forms are valid as soon as they are notarized or witnessed, copies should be given to your doctor, family, and any one else you feel may need a copy.

Living Will Form vs. Health Care Power of Attorney Form

Source: http://www.financialcrossing.com/living-will-form-vs-health-care-power-of-attorney-form/

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Stocks take another dive on Greek default fears

A currency trader watches monitors at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Korea Exchange Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2011. Asian stock markets extended a sell-off Tuesday, following a dismal session on Wall Street that was sparked by the revelation that debt-strapped Greece would not be able to reach a target for reducing its budget deficit. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

A currency trader watches monitors at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Korea Exchange Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2011. Asian stock markets extended a sell-off Tuesday, following a dismal session on Wall Street that was sparked by the revelation that debt-strapped Greece would not be able to reach a target for reducing its budget deficit. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

LONDON (AP) ? Stocks slid again Tuesday as Europe's debt crisis showed few signs of being solved any time soon and officials said Greece will have to wait until November to get its hands on much-needed bailout cash.

The hope in the markets was that debt inspectors would soon authorize the payment of the next tranche of cash for Greece, which has indicated it needed money by the middle of this month to pay salaries and pensions.

However, eurozone finance ministers said Monday in a meeting in Luxembourg that Greece has enough to tide it over until early November. And with mounting talk that a second Greek bailout, first agreed in principle in July, may be revised to get Europe's banks to take more of the bailout pain, uncertainty remains the hallmark in the markets.

For investors, the lack of clarity and the potential for further delays and procrastination was frightening. After falling to a near 2011 low of $1.3162 on Monday, the euro was trading 0.2 percent higher at $1.32.

"The delays to the Greek loan disbursement are likely to unsettle financial markets and increase the probability of a disorderly Greek debt default," said Neil MacKinnon, global macro strategist at VTB Capital. "The apparent lack of an urgent, cohesive 'master plan' to resolve the Eurozone debt and banking crisis can only increase market volatility and uncertainty."

In Europe, Germany's DAX was down 3.1 percent at 5,212 while the CAC-40 in France fell 2.3 percent to 2,858. The FTSE 100 index of leading British shares fell 2.2 percent to 4,964.

Shares in Franco-Belgian bank Dexia bore the brunt of the selling in Europe as investors grew increasingly concerned about its survival in its current form despite government promises to prop up the bank and insure every cent of its deposits.

With the markets bracing for a Greek debt default soon, investors are concerned about what bonds Europe's banks are holding and banks themselves have become reluctant to lend to one another.

In Brussels, Dexia's share price was down over 22 percent, meaning it has lost more than half a billion euros of its market value. Dexia's stock began its plummet Monday after Moody's warned it could be downgraded, leading the board of directors to call an emergency meeting.

"Dexia's problems stress the point that for Eurozone leaders the Greek crisis is less about Greece and more about the potential for it to spark a much more widespread banking and economic disaster," said Jane Foley, an analyst at Rabobank International.

Wall Street was poised for a modest retreat at the open though the mood is jittery after Monday's very weak finish ? Dow futures were down 0.3 percent at 10,497 while the broader Standard & Poor's 500 futures fell 0.2 percent to 1,084.

Aside from developments surrounding Greece, traders will look for clues as to the state of the world's largest economy later Tuesday, when Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke testifies before the Joint Economic Committee in Washington.

Concerns over the state of the U.S. economic recovery has also triggered the turmoil in financial markets in recent months, but recent economic data, including Monday's manufacturing survey from the Institute for Supply Management has surprised to the upside.

A raft of U.S. economic data this week will culminates with Friday's nonfarm payrolls report for September. The figures often set the tone in markets for a week or two and another weak number could reinforce concerns over the world's largest economy.

Earlier in Asia, Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 1.1 percent to close at 8,456.12. South Korea's Kospi plunged 3.6 percent to 1,706.19 after being closed Monday for a holiday, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng sank 3.4 percent to 16,250.27.

Markets in mainland China were closed for a holiday

Meanwhile, the price of oil continued its descent. Benchmark crude for November delivery was down $1.09 to $76.52 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

____

Pamela Sampson in Bangkok contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2011-10-04-World-Markets/id-d60e7228d8a94dd99253e19e9ec66d39

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Outsourcing Accounting Bookkeeping Services ? A Wise Business ...

In this quick growing enterprise world, people are setting up their own company and want to run it successfully. To run enterprise successfully is not an easy job. It needs lot of difficult work and wise decisions. It also demands active participation of expert folks to look out of the activities which are crucial. And one of the crucial company activities includes accounting and bookkeeping operations. So it is extremely critical to keep accounting department lively and accurate with financial experts and professionals.

It is organization reality that focusing only on core enterprise activities would never lead to a lot more profits, it is vital to concentrate on your other low priority activities like accounting and bookkeeping. And it is advisable to hire team of experts to handle these tasks.

Outsource Accounting and Bookkeeping to Offshore Countries :

Many business experts believe that outsource accounting and bookkeeping services to expert offshore firms is always advisable and intelligent organization choice. By outsourcing accounting and bookkeeping tasks will cut off your operational costs and save your precious time which can be utilized for your core company operations. Thus outsourcing accounting services will help you to boost your business activities and generate much more profits.

There are several offshore firms which have well trained accounting staff with certified public accountants who can realize your requirements and can give you vital enterprise advices. They give you the best possible accounting solutions with the use of newest accounting software and tools. For these offshore firms accounting and bookkeeping are the core and critical tasks. So they are enough capable of handling any complex accounting or bookkeeping tasks. And now days, it is easy to come across reliable offshore accounting firms from the medium of internet which can supply you the list of reputed accounting firms.

Find your reliable offshore accounting partner as soon as achievable and start boosting your core company activities by giving it more time and dollars.

Source: http://www.balticseaporpoise.org/outsourcing-accounting-bookkeeping-services-a-wise-business-decision.htm

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The New York Mets Celebrate Prostate Cancer Awareness Day ...

Dr. Carlton Barnswell (Elmont) shows ball to Rhonda Samuel, (Woodbury) Executive Director of Integrated Medical Foundation

Dr. Carlton B. Barnswell, (Elmont) Founding Board Member of Integrated Medical Foundation (Melville)?threw out the ceremonial first pitch for Prostate Cancer Awareness Day on September 24th at Citi Field.?

??I was a little anxious throwing out the first pitch, but it was a great experience and I only hope we helped raise awareness by doing so,? said Dr. Barnswell. ?Early detection is the key in treating prostate cancer.?Since there are no real symptoms the only way to detect prostate cancer is with aggressive early screening and we need to spread the word.?

Dr. Barnswell?s practice, Advanced Urology Centers of New York ? Elmont, provides state of the art urologic care to patients from the community and around the world. He is a recognized expert?in his field and lectures extensively on prostate cancer, voiding dysfunction and men?s sexual health.??

Carlton Barnswell, MD throws out ceremonial first pitch at the Met game on Sept 24th.

Integrated Medical Foundation is a 501 ( c ) 3 non profit organization which provides FREE prostate cancer screenings, ?FREE support services, and FREE educational programs.? ?I urge all men, particularly those 40 years or older or those with a family history of prostate cancer to talk to their health care provider about prostate cancer? said Rhonda Samuel, Executive Director.? ?For more information visit IMFcares.com, or visit our blog at imfcares.com/blog, or ?call 631 247-0100.

Source: http://imfcares.com/blog/the-new-york-mets-celebrate-prostate-cancer-awareness-day-integrated-medical-foundation-board-member-throws-ceremonial-first-pitch

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