Friday, December 24, 2004

Harper's Index

Harper's Index for this month has two interesting statistics in it. Take a look:

"Percentage Change since 2002 in the average U.S. price of gasline: +35.2
Change since then in the amount of gasoline Americans consume per capita: 0"

Interesting conjunction, those statistics. Part of the issue, of course, is that prices simply haven't gotten high enough to make people conserve. Only about 14% of the American population reports having to choose between gas and something else that matters as yet. More will this winter, as heating oil prices rise.

But most people have enough leeway in their budgets that they haven't changed their habits all that much. But I would argue that that lack of change isn't because they don't want to - its because they don't know how, or worse, they *can't*.

While there are certainly places we could easily consume, one of the things most people don't seem to notice is just how hard it will be to alter our usage patterns on any large scale. People *have* to drive to their jobs, and as gas prices rise, and employers find their margins of profit dropping because they have to heat their buildings, transport their goods, etc... their ability to move or be flexible will drop as well. I anticipate during the early stages of peak oil, that a lot of people will pick up and move closer to their jobs.

But that's not a long term solution, and we won't be moving. Because as the cost of oil and gas rises even higher, and salaries are cut (again, as those profit margins drop), those jobs will fold altogether. No employer in the world can operate without lights, heat, transportation. When those things get costly, and the average worker can no longer afford their product anyhow (since they have all they can do to pay for food, which is also rising radically in price), the jobs will be gone.

The simple reality of peak oil is that we have built up our infrastructure around oil to such a degree that we are no longer able to back away from the cliff we have made. Oh, wise leadership and serious attention to this issue could make it better - but not good. We won't stop burning oil until we either stop affording it or the last drops are pulled up - we can't. We no longer have the means to live without it. Only those who find a way as individuals or communities to step off the treadmill will be able to escape the end result - when they have to choose between heat and food, spending most of your salary on transportation to a job or not having one at all.



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2020.08.25不敢來酒店上班-酒店打工的原因一般人的觀念裡酒店是一個複雜、不好的環境,酒店小姐的基本介紹跟工作內容其實在酒店上班沒什麼不好,我在酒店上班的日子工作性質跟一般在聊天的美眉是同性質的。
例如:像跟一群人去錢櫃好樂迪參加聯誼會那種形式,認識交際不同的人,一樣是跟客人單純的閒聊、喝 酒炒熱氣份,但只是變成工作,還有錢可以賺,不好的是因為吸毒而去做酒店,甚至賺錢去養男人這是最笨、最愚蠢的作法。
酒店經紀〝俗稱經紀人〞我們常遇到的女孩子大部分都是單親媽媽要養小孩、要還父母的負債、要實現自己的目標、還有解決自己卡債問題等,這些並沒有什麼不好,人總是因為環境的因素不得已,你只要知道自己最終的目標是什麼就行。另外補充一點,小部分酒店是有做黑的沒錯,但不想做黑的也是大有人在,賣笑不賣身應該有聽過還是可以把大把銀子賺進口袋。
常有女孩們因為報紙裡的高薪而吸引,卻不知道這家酒店的型態而付出更高的犧牲本身在這一行業也有一段時間,真的有像電影裡的故事情節發生,其實女孩們真的因為經濟上的需要而這樣的工作,除了心理要有充足的準備之外,還要先了解這家店的性質,才不會後悔莫及,許多的女孩子對酒店都有很多的不了解就誤入了這個行業,更扯的是有些女孩子被報紙上的小廣告所騙,九成九不是被騙財就是被騙色。