Good evening all,
I apologise for not sending you
any questions over the weekend, my fig leaf reason for this was so that
I did not get in the way of the discussion about the Global Youth Panel.
The real reason was that I was too busy working on that same project and
so was too lazy to also work out some more questions for you lot over
the weekend!
Alex
Reheat tea in the microwave
Kettles use a lot of electricity, particularly as many of us boil more
water than we need to make our cup. We also often let our beverage go
cold and then make some more, after all no one likes cold tea or coffee.
So we waste yet more electricity, instead we should stuff it in the
microwave to reheat it so use less.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/6531540/Reheat-cold-cups-of-tea-G
overnment-waste-watchdog-says.html
http://allteatime.com/Tea-FAQ/can-i-use-a-microwave-to-brew-tea.html
Ration holidays
Holidays should not just be about the physical price of getting to your
destination and staying there, but should also be costed for the carbon
you use to go on holiday. Many areas such as Canadian and US National
Parks already charge people to enter in order to pay for the
environmental damage done there by the tourists. Should we each be
assigned a certain amount of CO2 we can produce by going to and being on
holiday which we then can't go over?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1137204/Ration-holiday-flights-cut-p
ollution-says-Browns-adviser.html
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6909046.ece
Can it really be considered an insult to receive a letter from the Prime
Minister?
The family of every soldier killed receives a hand written letter from
the Prime Minister. However Gordon Brown made numerous spelling mistakes
including the spelling the family name as James in his letter to Jacqui
Janes. Should the PM really be vilified for something as minor as this,
at least he went to the effort of hand writing the letter, he can't
really be expected to know the name of every soldier who is killed if
his staff give it to him wrong and he can't be expected to check
everything he writes.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/campaigns/our_boys/2720283/Prime-M
inister-Gordon-Brown-couldnt-even-get-our-name-right.html as much as I
dislike the sun I thought it was best to give the original article!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8349757.stm
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/defence/6529638/Gordon-B
rown-apologises-to-soldiers-family-over-misspelled-condolence-letter.html
The Government should store records of the public's communications?
This labour government seems to be determined to trample all over civil
liberties. Normally the public support them in their quest to catch
terrorists or whoever may be engaging in some anti social misdemeanour
however this time consultation has shown the public to be against the
scheme. The Government intends to go ahead with plans to store records
of every communication we make, whether my email, phone, text as well as
every web page we visit. Many are arguing there are far too few
safeguards. Should the government be allowed?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/lawandorder/6534319/Stat
e-to-spy-on-every-phone-call-email-and-web-search.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7962631.stm
http://press.homeoffice.gov.uk/Speeches/comms-data-consultation
Would the world be able to cope if oil runs out quicker than estimates
suggest?
Oil is running out. As a fossil fuel there is not more oil being
produced so as we use tens of millions of barrels of oil every day it is
inevitable that the Oil will run out sooner or later. However production
may well decline long before oil runs out as oil will reach peak output
and then decline when we can no longer expand output. This will create a
crisis in our way of life which is totally oil dependent.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/datablog/2009/nov/10/energy-statistics
-oil-coal
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/nov/09/peak-oil-international-ene
rgy-agency
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/279153
http://www.newcolonist.com/world_without_oil.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3623549.stm
Should USA drop support for Israel in an attempt to strengthen ties with
Iran?
The USA has for decades staunchly supported Israel and in turn gets
vilified across the Islamic world, including Iran. The US support for
Israel is no longer needed as Israel is both the strongest military
power in the region despite its small size and a nuclear power. Israel
has its own sophisticated defence companies so does not even need
American weapons. All the while rage at the US continues for its support
of Israel, would it not be strategically wise to reduce ties with
Israel?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/09/us-american-hikers-iran-border
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/130066
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1191257274889
<http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1191257274889&pagename=JPArticle
%2FShowFull> &pagename=JPArticle%2FShowFull
Was Gorbachev a key player in the fall of the Berlin Wall?
Gorbachev has been praised for his role in the fall of the Eastern
Bloc, however he was not directly on the scene in East Germany so his
impact was indirect, on how the East German government and people acted
and reacted to his statements. Does he deserve to be seen as a key
player in the fall of the wall, as opposed to the Eastern Bloc as a
whole?
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120188545
http://www.newsweek.com/id/221194
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2009/11/07/geor
ge-jonas-gorbachev-didn-t-tear-down-that-wall.aspx
Does David Haye have the ability to be Britain's best ever heavyweight
boxer?
David Haye has just won the World Boxing Association heavyweight belt,
however he still have three more to win before he retires to even be
considered as the greatest. As it is obviously not the case yet does he
have to potential?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/boxingandmma/6533635/David-Haye
-is-still-a-long-way-from-greatness.html
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/sport/garethadavies/100003254/david-haye-the-ne
w-muhammad-ali-what-a-load-of-lennox/
http://www.skysports.com/haye/story/0,27000,17213_5660517,00.html
Are good video games is worth more than good films?
Video games are both becoming increasingly expensive and getting
increasingly large returns on their investment. They are beginning to
outperform blockbuster movies in takings. They give many more hours of
entertainment and they are engaging rather than being a passive
entertainment, so better all round?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/gamesblog/2009/jul/20/gameculture
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/gamesblog/2009/sep/27/videogames-hollyw
ood
Schools should have a later start time.
As we get older we need less sleep, conversely forcing teenagers at
school to wake up for a long journey into school at the crack of dawn is
counterproductive. They would do better starting school later to allow
teens to sleep in and be properly awake when they star school.
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23381421-making-teens-start-schoo
l-in-the-morning-is-cruel-brain-doctor-claims.do
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/to-sleep-perchanc
e-to-get-better-grades-1817726.html
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