|
The World is Not as Bad as You Might Think
I thought I'd try to offer a balance to the normal posts in this subsection which tend to focus on the negative aspects of the world.
Five year old kidnapping victim rescued by two teenage boys Two teenage boys are being hailed as heroes after they chased a car carrying a kidnapped girl -- on their bicycles. Five-year-old Jocelyn Rojas was playing in her front yard in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, when she vanished Thursday afternoon. |
But a five year old was kidnapped...sounds pretty bad.
|
3 Attachment(s)
After clashes with military in Egypt's Tahrir Square, citizens took the initiative to clean up:
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1374157200 https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1374157200 During the original Arab Spring in Egypt, others linked arms to stand together in an attempt to protect the national museum which holds some of the world's rarest antiquities. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1374157200 |
teenage boys 1
pedobear 1000 Catholic priests 100000 |
At Estonia's Bank Of Happiness, Kindness Is The Currency : Parallels : NPR
Some Estonians setup a site where people can offer and ask for help with services. The site has many more offers of help than requests for it. That's as it should be, Kivi says, adding that the bigger reward comes from giving. |
The incidences of cancer in the USA, adjusted for age and across all races and both sexes, is about flat to slightly down over the past ~20 years.
Cancer.gov statistics site |
thanks bro, a breath of fresh air.
|
An employee of a financial firm - inspired by that firm's philanthropic and relatively frugal CEO - lived a thrifty life, saved seriously, invested well, and left the largest donation to her local United Way's endowment from an individual donor as her legacy.
"She was so humble," Blain said. "She didn't get it unless she could pay for it. She saved and saved and saved because she never wanted to be a burden," contributing the maximum amounts allowed every year into her 401(k) and Roth IRA accounts. "She never got to spend one penny on herself." Thrifty woman leaves $2 million to United Way | Tampa Bay TimesAnd she made sure to take care of her two cats: Ms. Kinnicutt also made provisions in her estate plan for Lady and Sammy, the mixed-breed rescue felines that survive her and now live with DuFaux. |
but but but...she kept that pie all to herself.
|
Originally Posted by Braineack
(Post 1033970)
but but but...she kept that pie all to herself.
She barely spent anything on her self - what she did spend in her lifetime was primarily on gifts to others. She saved and saved and saved to make sure that she would not be a burden on anyone in her retirement and then, when she passed away earlier than expected, she left all of the money she had accumulated over her lifetime to charity. It's okay to just accept some good news once in a while, Braineack. There's plenty of bad stuff to keep you occupied in the rest of this subforum. :ughug: |
I accept all of the good. As much as a debby downer I might come across as, I'm a happy-go-lucky, incredibly proud, American.
Also, I used to work for United Way Worldwide. |
There is no "Great Stagnation" in real income:
What Great Stagnation? - Coordination Problem In last week's Washington Post, Robert Samuelson reported on the results of the Pew Mobility Project, looking at the income and wealth mobility of Americans over the last several decades. Although not all the news is good, most of it is. A couple of highlights: ● Most Americans (84 percent) exceed their parents’ income at a similar stage. Income gains were sizable across the economic spectrum. For the richest fifth, median income grew 126 percent from the late 1960s to the early 2000s, from $49,075 to $111,115. Among the poorest fifth, the median rose 74 percent, from $11,064 to $19,202. (All figures are in inflation-adjusted 2008 dollars.) ● Among sons, 59 percent had higher inflation-adjusted wages and salaries than their fathers. For the poorest fifth, 85 percent exceeded their fathers’ earnings. Higher family incomes also reflect more women with paid jobs. (From 1970 to 2000, the labor force participation rate of women 16 and over went from 43 percent to 60 percent.) Men’s earnings represent 61 percent of family income, down from 75 percent in the late 1960s. ● Along with higher incomes, there was much movement across class lines. Fully 60 percent of children born to the richest fifth of Americans in the late 1960s fell out of that category — 23 percent to the second-richest fifth and the rest scattered; 8 percent landed in the poorest fifth. As for upward mobility, about 57 percent of children born to the poorest fifth of Americans in the late 1960s moved up — 27 percent into the second-poorest fifth and 4 percent into the richest fifth. Bottom line? Whatever is true of the comparative statics of quintiles, there remains significant inter-generational mobility and starting off poor does not prevent you from getting out of poverty. Even if you remained in one of the lower quintiles, your absolute standard of living improved. This is not the vision of an America being pulled apart by rigid economic classes. |
1 Attachment(s)
|
Originally Posted by Braineack
(Post 1033980)
I accept all of the good. As much as a debby downer I might come across as, I'm a happy-go-lucky, incredibly proud, American.
Also, I used to work for United Way Worldwide. |
Global poverty declines significantly over two decades | World Vision News
World poverty is shrinking rapidly, new index reveals http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/20...-acute-poverty |
I love statistics like this. We had a meeting at work the other day about how the job related injury percentage went down from what it was in like 2002 or something. I was like, "really, no shit...that's cause 3,000 more people are employed here since 2002, obviously the percentage would go down. If it went up, then there's a huge problem."
Propaganda, gotta love it. |
Violent crime rates continuously dropping since the 80s. Possibly due to removal of lead from gasoline:
America's Real Criminal Element: Lead | Mother Jones |
In 2012 US CO2 emissions are down:
Thanks to fracking, U.S. carbon emissions are at the lowest levels in 20 years. - Slate Magazine |
Lol @ the lead bearing violent crimes stastitic!
|
1 Attachment(s)
Japan Train Rescue
Train passengers and railway staff push a train car in their effort to rescue a woman who fell and got stuck between the car and the platform while getting off at Japan Railway Minami Urawa Station in Saitama, near Tokyo, Monday morning, July 22, 2013. A Yomiuri Shimbun photographer who happened to be there said there was a big applause when the woman in her mid-30s, who fell to her waist, was safely rescued without any serious injuries. About 40 people helped the staff who were pushing the car upon hearing an announcement that a passenger has been trapped. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1374504433 |
Great posts, guys.
Originally Posted by thirdgen
(Post 1034458)
I love statistics like this. We had a meeting at work the other day about how the job related injury percentage went down from what it was in like 2002 or something. I was like, "really, no shit...that's cause 3,000 more people are employed here since 2002, obviously the percentage would go down. If it went up, then there's a huge problem."
Propaganda, gotta love it. That still seems like a positive to me. This next story fits perfectly with the concept of this thread and is relevant to the above. Hat tip to SamNavy for linking to it in the gun rights thread. Most people (according to a Pew Research poll) thinking firearms-related violence has gone up over the past couple of decades. In fact, it's much lower. Firearm-related homicides declined 39 percent and nonfatal firearm crimes declined 69 percent from 1993 to 2011, the Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) announced today. That's huge: despite a growing population, there are fewer absolute firearm-related homicides and non-fatal firearm crimes which means a much lower victimization rate. Firearm-related homicides dropped from 18,253 homicides in 1993 to 11,101 in 2011, and nonfatal firearm crimes dropped from 1.5 million victimizations in 1993 to 467,300 in 2011. Bureau of Justice Statistics Firearm Violence, 1993 |
|
|
1 Attachment(s)
Most of this is positive, in my opinion:
(In case the huge image is too huge, link to Census.gov infographic https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1374608823 |
A nice break from all of the professional baseball stories in the news lately.
'Beep Baseball' The air smells like cut grass and barbecue at Friendship Park in north Spokane, Wash. And Bee Yang is up to bat. The outfielders get ready. Yang is known as a power hitter. But this is not your usual baseball game. There's a twist: most of the athletes on the field are visually impaired. Players know where the ball is by listening for it. It's called Beep Baseball, named for the beeping sound the balls make. Yang listens for the pitch. He swings. He hits the ball and takes off toward first base, which has started buzzing. Over in left field, a player scrambles after the beeping ball. But Yang reaches the base first. |
I am liking this thread.
|
A 97-year-old WWII veteran from Ohio uses a different kind of medium to create his artwork. Hal Lasko, also known as 'Grandpa,' makes his masterpieces exclusively using Microsoft Paint on Windows '95. Lasko, who is legally blind, served drafting directional and weather maps for bombing raids in WWII and later began his civilian career as a typographer. Decades after retiring in the 1970s, Lasko's family introduced him to Microsoft Paint and the artist quickly took to the digital medium. Now the almost century-year-old grandfather has his artwork on display at a local art exhibition and he is also selling his prints online. The 'pixel painter' quickly caught the attention of director Josh Bogdon who documented Lasko's story of discovering a new career well into his 80s. Watch a clip below. Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2013/07/...#ixzz2a5PD1vqQ |
Its pretty bad.
|
|
|
2 Attachment(s)
Atanas - The thread is not titled, "The World is Not Bad at All." Right now, there are between 6 and 7 billion people currently not being attacked with tanks or suffering from civil war.
Former President George H.W. Bush has a new summer 'do. He shaved his head to show support for the son of one of his Secret Service agents. Two-year-old Patrick lost his hair from leukemia treatments. Bush and his wife lost a three-year-old daughter to leukemia nearly 60 years ago. A photo just released shows Patrick perched on Bush's knee with matching bald heads, blue shirts, and khakis. Bill Clinton tweeted: 41, you look great. https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1374843219 |
|
1 Attachment(s)
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1374869138
Sam Simon - co-creator of The Simpsons and Hollywood type who has been involved in some other projects, was recently diagnosed with terminal cancer. Already a big philanthropist, who primarily supports feeding people and saving animals, has decided, "that he will donate nearly all of his sizable Simpsons royalties -- which he has said earn him "tens of millions" annually -- to charity. |
Still won't buy him a place in heaven.
|
Originally Posted by rleete
(Post 1037294)
Still won't buy him a place in heaven.
B) That assumes there is a Heaven and that's where he wants to go. C) That assumes he is trying to "buy" himself a place there. D) That assumes he hasn't "earned" his place there through a generally good life in which he has spent decades and countless hours and dollars trying to help those less fortunate than himself. |
Jack, don't take all the negativity personally. You tried.
It seems most people live in or near one of two camps: (1) everyone else is assumed to be good until evidence shows otherwise, or (2) everyone else is bad and not to be trusted Showing examples of good or bad people will do little to change anyone's basic attitude. |
Originally Posted by triple88a
(Post 1036819)
And overall, there will always be good people who do good things, and there will always be evil people doing evil things. It's the way of the world. I think if we could all come together, the latter number could be reduced greatly. |
My main point with this thread is to show examples of some of the many good and great things that go on, but rarely get noticed.
There are already tons of threads dedicated to the negative things going on in the world, just in this sub-forum. I'm not opposed to those existing, but I think some balance is is a good thing. :) |
Originally Posted by DaveC
(Post 1037453)
Jack, don't take all the negativity personally. You tried.
It seems most people live in or near one of two camps: (1) everyone else is assumed to be good until evidence shows otherwise, or (2) everyone else is bad and not to be trusted Showing examples of good or bad people will do little to change anyone's basic attitude. However, I believe most rich people (and a vast majority of famous ones) are assholes. Not necessarily bad, just assholes. They got to be rich by being that way to the unwashed masses. Then, when things go bad for them, they try to buy their way out of it by giving away the money. Sorry, you're still an asshole. |
Originally Posted by NA6C-Guy
(Post 1037461)
I was about to post this one myself. At 5:50 :eek: At least it would be a pretty quick death I would imagine. Exactly why I wouldn't want to be part of a tank crew.
|
Originally Posted by rleete
(Post 1037496)
However, I believe most rich people (and a vast majority of famous ones) are assholes. Not necessarily bad, just assholes. They got to be rich by being that way to the unwashed masses.
The exception are psychopaths. They are expert manipulators and know how to turn on the charm. |
It appears that i have pissed off some people with my tank videos... please explain folks.
|
I negged both posts, not because it pissed me off, but because it was openly flouting the purpose of the thread. There's plenty of other threads for that.
|
Originally Posted by triple88a
(Post 1037606)
It appears that i have pissed off some people with my tank videos... please explain folks.
Originally Posted by mgeoffriau
(Post 1037612)
I negged both posts, not because it pissed me off, but because it was openly flouting the purpose of the thread. There's plenty of other threads for that.
|
The Whole World Is Getting Richer, and That's Good News - Businessweek
The Penn Tables provide GDP data for both 1960 and 2010, providing a 50 year window to view global economic progress. It has been considerable. Looking at absolute GDP, no country anywhere in the world for which we have data is smaller today than it was in 1960. Emphasis added.The countries that saw the size of their economies less than double since 1960 contain just 80 million people—a little more than 1 percent of the planet’s population. A further 1 billion people lived in countries where GDP climbed by somewhere between two- and fivefold. That leaves 4.9 billion people—the considerable majority of the planet—living in countries where GDP has increased more than fivefold over 50 years. Those countries include India, with an economy nearly 10 times larger than it was in 1960, Indonesia (13 times), China (17 times), and Thailand (22 times larger than in 1960). |
1 Attachment(s)
|
1 Attachment(s)
Not only do our tax dollars help the "poor" here in America, they also go to promote capitalism in actual poor areas of the world. So we are able to feed the world, and jumpstart economies!
EXCLUSIVE: Dominican Republic scammers sell welfare food bought in NYC and shipped in barrels - NYPOST.com https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1375114989 Note: normally I'd post this in the random thread, but I love capitalism and I see it as a benefit to the Dominican people. I've been there and the island is poor and awful, and the food sucks to boot. It's good to see our food going to people who could actually benefit from it (they live in shanty town shacks), and are able to make money doing it. |
Originally Posted by rleete
(Post 1037294)
Still won't buy him a place in heaven.
Warren Buffett's Son: Charity Fuels a 'Perpetual Poverty Machine' |
Back on topic:
Is the McDonald's McDouble the 'cheapest, most nutritious and bountiful food that has ever existed in human history?' | Mail Online At 390 calories, 23 grams of protein, 7-percent of the daily value of fiber, 20-percent of daily calcium and 19 grams of fat - with a typical price tag of about a buck - the McDouble, its advocates argue, is the most price-efficient food 'that has ever existed in human history. ... For the average poor person, it isn’t a great option to take a trip to the farmers market to puzzle over esoteric lefty-foodie codes. (Is sustainable better than organic? What if I have to choose between fair trade and cruelty-free?) Produce may seem cheap to environmentally aware blond moms who spend $300 on their highlights every month, but if your object is to fill your belly, it is hugely expensive per calorie. Junk food costs as little as $1.76 per 1,000 calories, whereas fresh veggies and the like cost more than 10 times as much, found a 2007 University of Washington survey for the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. A 2,000-calorie day of meals would, if you stuck strictly to the good-for-you stuff, cost $36.32, said the study’s lead author, Adam Drewnowski. |
Originally Posted by Braineack
(Post 1037810)
£250,000 hamburger: First test tube-grown beef will be served in London restaurant this week | Mail Online
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1375106327 I think this is a win. No more mad cow... (Assuming the donor cow didn't have it)..... |
Don't you want to complain about how the prices are exorbitant and not only is it not fair to the poor that only the rich can afford mushy, slimey, man-made beef because you don't understand how great capitalism is and that eventually everyone benefits from the system as the rich fund the innovation and eventually lead to competition, efficiency, and low-prices so it can be mass marketed and afforded to the most amount of people at the lowest possible price point but that you think the rich hate the poor and want them all to die of mad cow disease?
do i win an award for that long-ass sentence? |
You forgot to capitalize the D in Do.
|
1 Attachment(s)
Banker Saves 20,000 From Nepal to Uganda With Her Profits - Bloomberg
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1375224314 New Zealand-born Audette Exel lives a double life. In New York, London, Bermuda and Sydney, she’s a company director and the owner and head of Isis (Asia Pacific) Pty, which advises companies on mergers and raises money for fund managers such as New York-based Aquiline Capital Partners LLC. In the dirt-poor Himalayan foothills and civil war-ravaged East African bush, Exel is better known as the caftan-wearing founder and chief fundraiser of the Isis Foundation, which she says provides life-saving health care and education for 20,000 people a year in two of the world’s most impoverished nations, Nepal and Uganda. rleete - This quote is for you:
Originally Posted by Bloomberg article
Both Exel’s corporate contacts and aid workers suspected she had ulterior motives when she founded the charity in 1998, she says. “The businesspeople thought we must be a tax structure,” she says. “The nonprofit community thought we were money launderers.”
|
Originally Posted by Braineack
(Post 1037810)
£250,000 hamburger: First test tube-grown beef will be served in London restaurant this week | Mail Online
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1375106327 |
Originally Posted by miata2fast
(Post 1038415)
I would never knowingly eat that. I hope if it ever happens, there would be requirements that inform the public that this product exists in the food we eat.
On the other hand, if they could scale it up and make it cost effective, it could have huge benefits for low income individuals while also greatly reducing the amount of land and feedstock necessary to provide billions of people with beef protein. In addition, you theoretically cut down on the brutality of slaughterhouses (if that's important to a person) and the methane emissions of millions of cows (if that's important to a person). Given the choice, I would always prefer a big, juicy, burger made with locally raised, grass-fed beef. But for billions of people in Africa and parts of Asia, cheap "petri-beef" could dramatically improve their lives. |
Originally Posted by Scrappy Jack
(Post 1038530)
I think labelling would be fair and I think you should have every right to avoid eating it if that is your preference.
On the other hand, if they could scale it up and make it cost effective, it could have huge benefits for low income individuals while also greatly reducing the amount of land and feedstock necessary to provide billions of people with beef protein. In addition, you theoretically cut down on the brutality of slaughterhouses (if that's important to a person) and the methane emissions of millions of cows (if that's important to a person). Given the choice, I would always prefer a big, juicy, burger made with locally raised, grass-fed beef. But for billions of people in Africa and parts of Asia, cheap "petri-beef" could dramatically improve their lives. Golden rice was the same concept. It provides a staple for the diet of billions at high yield/low cost. |
no, that's what vitamins are for.
|
Brains post about McDoubles has been well known in the fitness industry since they released them at the low price.
Dann |
Originally Posted by Scrappy Jack
(Post 1038530)
I think labelling would be fair and I think you should have every right to avoid eating it if that is your preference.
On the other hand, if they could scale it up and make it cost effective, it could have huge benefits for low income individuals while also greatly reducing the amount of land and feedstock necessary to provide billions of people with beef protein. In addition, you theoretically cut down on the brutality of slaughterhouses (if that's important to a person) and the methane emissions of millions of cows (if that's important to a person). Given the choice, I would always prefer a big, juicy, burger made with locally raised, grass-fed beef. But for billions of people in Africa and parts of Asia, cheap "petri-beef" could dramatically improve their lives. |
I agree with the improving lives, plus and this is my opinion but globally we really should work on finding a more sustainable non weather sensitive way to produce food. Im thankful I live in the USA where I can get food whenever, where as some people can only eat a little bit a day while they hope that their harvest of whatever they are growing is good that season.
|
| All times are GMT -4. The time now is 12:34 AM. |
© 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands