Uni Application
It's getting late now but today I recieved my reference from one uni lecturer in the post.
the problem is, I need two references. I had asked two lecturers but one seems to have gone quiet. I have not had a proper job since I left university so I can't use that route. I've not really had a job since I worked weekends from 2002/03 so I'm not sure that will be good enough for a reference. Any ideas on what I should do? |
Re: Uni Application
Ask any of the lecturers you ever had. Even the ones who only had you for a single lecture will give you a generic reference, especially if they don't remember you.
Or just give someone on GD and say you worked on a collabarative new media venture which explored the discourse of late capitalist decline. |
Re: Uni Application
Quote:
|
Re: Uni Application
even if you havent worked since 2003, if its a major company, they will send you a reference, send them a tick box option letter with a SAE and forget to include the dates you worked for them, but include them in your covering letter.
|
Re: Uni Application
Quote:
Having said that, maybe. It's not straight-forward to tell - we might be using up "environmental capital" (to borrow the terminology of others) to the point where a crash is unavoidable. If that is the case then our current state would certainly be classed as a decline (even if living standards are presently rising generally). |
Re: Uni Application
I could suggest some elaborate plan of deception and lies that would probably result in failure.
But why don't you just ring this second lecturer and ask? |
Re: Uni Application
Quote:
You will go on predicting a crash, much as they go on predicting the end of the world, if it fails to happen in your lifetime you will indoctrinate your children et al to carry on the prediction. Then if a crash happens you will say 'i told you so' I love you very much but you are not exactly rational. |
Re: Uni Application
Quote:
I'm not convinced we are doing enough in that direction at present, but nvm. |
Re: Uni Application
Quote:
|
Re: Uni Application
Quote:
Had the boxing day tsunami occured in another lifetime it would probably have been included as an example of extinction due to massive environmental damage, but no civilisation was wiped out because other people could help. Even climate change is a zero-sum game afaik. |
Re: Uni Application
Quote:
Obviously there's more to climate change than just land availability but on related issues it's a similar story - we might end up having the same amount of rain globally as we do now, but if rainfall patterns are disrupted and we get all our rain in one five minute window in September then most of our infrastructure for irrigation / water distribution simply won't work. Also, Diamond doesn't claim that our civilisation will be wiped out - instead he suggests economic decline and reduction in living standards is far more likely in the longer term. |
Re: Uni Application
Quote:
Human habitation concerns me the least, the vast vast majority of people would simply refuse to move but rather adapt at what they have. The dutch haven't been obliging enough to drown like the rest of humanity wants them, but have massively engineered their surroundings to make it more pleasant, they'll be the first (and worst) affected by sea water levels but they won't move they'll just build bigger dykes. Food production is an issue but as long as global trade continues i don't see starvation as a necessity. Quote:
I've never really understood what 'living standards' is trying to describe, but in terms of the economy weather dependant industry aside why would it decline? |
Re: Uni Application
Quote:
|
Re: Uni Application
Quote:
The issue isn't whether we'd survive as a species (we would) but how much of our salaries (or however you wish to analyse that) would be going on the basics like water, food, or transportation. At present I'm probably paying something like 1% or less of my gross annual income on water (discounting drinks, I'm just talking about the bill from Thames Water). Under your shipping (or pumping) our water from Bolivia scenario (and I appreciate obviously it's never going to happen) I'm guessing that my bill is going to increase a tad. Sure, maybe the economy will grow dramatically enough to mean that the £5,000 I'll be paying is still only 1% of my income but I don't think you can just assume that's going to happen. The environmental changes which are coming (according to the environmentalists at least, I'm not an expert) will mean that on a very basic level : - food production will be dramatically more expensive, more difficult, and increasingly reliant on energy inputs (thus more energy and capital intensive) - water use will be constrained, more expensive, require more treatment to be drinkable, etc. - climate will be harsher on us (at least in particular environments). Now sure, maybe technology will solve our problems, but I'm a bit worried that we're just assuming this will happen. Is there a perfect substitute for oil (in all it's uses) yet? An easy way of desalinating water (or soils)? A way of perfectly climate controlling entire continents without high energy costs? Again, this isn't my field but you'd think advances like this would be publicised. Quote:
|
Re: Uni Application
I'm not saying it won't be difficult just i don't see why it would lead to economic decline, the cost of water would increase but it would still be a job creating industry. Basically regardless of climate change people will find something to do that requires others people to pay. I think the core issue here (as it always is!!) isn't land or climate per se but energy. As long as theres an energy source we can use easily and cheaply we can grow food in factories the japanese already do this, iirc they tax agricultural imports quite heavily so factories that produce lettuce have been constructed
Quote:
nb regarding porn, i was thinking about this the other day, its probably an indication of the level of consumption globally that despite noone i know actually paying for porn its still valued as a billion dollar industry. The interesting thing is if porn stars will 'overtake' fashion models in income (lets say for appearance fees etc). I'm 'suspicious' of the number of celebrity sex tapes being released 'accidentally'. Its worth considering that 'one night in paris' could not have been released as a dvd without a model release form. One of her friends, who ive never heard of ('Kim Kardashian') has apparently had her own 'illicit' tape released and has according to wiki been payed $5 million for it. The thing is looking at the images of the tape it isn't the way sex necesarrily happens in my life anyway. Theres soft flattering lighting, wearing expensive lingerie, its looks polished. Now fair enough i may just be odd but its just a little...contrived to me. Ye olde tit girls and 'celebs' didn't have these types of sex scandals and perhaps it marks the begining of a transition to the fashion magazines and porn world colliding. |
Re: Uni Application
Quote:
And yeah, there'll be jobs created but it's only in economically irrational circumstances that "unemployment" is an actual problem. If anything, problems might occur because we don't have enough skilled people in a given field at one time (solved easily overtime, but hard in the interim). But looking at things in terms of "job creation" is to fall victim to the same fallacy I mentioned before. We have to analyse quality of life beyond just "having a job" or even "earning x wage" because these things are meaningless by themselves. The people worked to death in the gulag had jobs of sorts, but it wasn't necessarily great times. Quote:
|
All times are GMT +1. The time now is 14:47. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2002 - 2018