Classes that you like

[tzor]

Do tax laywers count? Because my cousin is damn hot. Of course she is married, lives in Boston and already has two lovely pairs of little red sox fans. Her father, a devoted Yankees fan still visits her, although they have agreed to never talk about baseball again.

Even though her husband taught her first born to say "Yankees Suck" right after he learned "Mommy" and "Daddy."

[Count Arioch the 28th]

Never met a tax lawyer. It may apply, or it may not.

[Neeeek]

I would like to meet this woman, though. Sounds like an interesting one.

Get your sorry butt up here and I'll introduce you.

[Datawolf]

I have met exactly one female lawyer and she wasn't "hot" in even the loosest connotation of the word. Great sense of humour, though.

[K]

I would like to meet this woman, though. Sounds like an interesting one.

Get your sorry butt up here and I'll introduce you.

Intriguing offer....

[Lago PARANOIA]

I'm taking Masterworks of British Literature this semester and the reading list has me really psyched so far. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight AND Happy Days? Yes plz.

Unfortunately I've read almost all of those books already. Then again the last time I read one of those books was almost 10 years ago, so, like, no harm no foul.

[Ancient History]

History of Rock & Blues and Introduction to Electronic Music were probably two of the courses I most enjoyed while getting my undergraduate degree. Technology & Law and Legal Writing were fun while I was getting my master's...although nothing can top Creativity in Technology, the only engineering course I've ever taken where each course started out with a ten-minute guided meditation and yoga stretches.

[PhoneLobster]

You found hot girls in philosophy? I always found a 4:1 guy to girl ratio in those classes.

Great mother of God Four to One? When I was in university the BEST and I really do mean this in all honesty BEST Guy to Girl ratio we got was 10:1 TEN! Most classes dropped below 20:1 no really. I counted. No, REALLY.

And need I remind you of the time THIS happened to me...

Edit: Though this one time at band camp I did a Japanese language adult education course (before the entire language department of the only TAFE that had one within 3 hours drive of here was axed) and about one quarter of the small class were passably attractive young women. Not. One. Was. Remotely. Single.

[Doom]

I get the feeling your college days are well behind you, or you're in a special place. Nowadays in the US, more females than males are in college, so typically classes have more females than males. I can't remember the last time I taught a class where the m/f ratio was at 10...closest was an advanced calculus course, 7 males and 1 female (but only 8 students anyway).

Females outnumber males across almost all disciplines until you get to the higher level math classes, then it starts to drop off...by grad school, even one female in a math class was notable, and always gone by the next semester. (Note: this is direct observation, I'm sure there are some places where it isn't true).

[angelfromanotherpin]

You found hot girls in philosophy? I always found a 4:1 guy to girl ratio in those classes.

Great mother of God Four to One? When I was in university the BEST and I really do mean this in all honesty BEST Guy to Girl ratio we got was 10:1 TEN! Most classes dropped below 20:1 no really. I counted. No, REALLY.

Huh. School I went to was like 2/3 girls, so those ratios would have been close to unpossible. But you get great numbers of girls in any creative subjects I've found. Taking dance instead of gym for my phys ed credits was one of the the best decisions I ever made. Not just because there were a lot of girls then, but because now I can dance, which means girls today.

[tzor]

My favorite easy course (in other words a lab) involved a sandbox. It was a holography lab. Mirrors splitters and a laser was placed in a sand box placed on an inner tube. Simple film, and a manual shutter (a piece of cardbord placed in front of the laser so as not to touch the laser or the sandbox, allowed a multi-second exposure which in turn could be turned into a rainbow hollogram.

(And I had a plethora of then unpainted minis to try to hollogram!)

(Unfortunately I have long misplaced my holograms ... sorry about that.)

[Doom]

Derp, look again, those sound like something worth seeing.

[PhoneLobster]

Females outnumber males across almost all disciplines until you get to the higher level math classes

And just to be strange among the few 10:1 courses I did (the ones with the most girls!) were Introduction to Politics, and ...(can't remember the exact name) 1st year advanced math! (Advanced Math also had the highest number by far of Smoking assholes).

There was something horribly wrong with the demographics there. I think actually it was my age group, throughout the entirety of my school career before that there was always a shortage of female students. Though never quite as bad as the University bit.

[Avoraciopoctules]

Summer Quarter is over now, and I am reflecting on the classes I took. I think the single assignment I enjoyed most this quarter was a research paper where you're supposed to analyze a nation's energy policies and emissions, then propose a new strategy. I decided to do an extremely optimistic take on the potential of Angola, and I feel enough like messing around with BBCode right now to try posting it here now that I don't have any exams to worry about.

Angola Energy Research Paper

Alan Imler
8/22/11
Geography 4320
Professor Woodard

When one thinks of the most important nations of Africa, Angola is not to be overlooked. An OPEC member state that exports over 20% of its substantial petroleum production to the United States and more than twice that to China, Angola would have influence even if it didn’t possess the most experienced army on Earth. Unfortunately, most of this experience comes from brutal civil war that laid waste to large amounts of the nation’s infrastructure and killed enormous numbers of people. Reconstruction is still ongoing. Nevertheless, Angola is powerful and wealthy compared to many other African states, and with the work being performed on national infrastructure right now, it faces a good opportunity to redefine its energy policy.

At the moment, practically all of the electricity Angola uses comes from local hydroelectric dams. Oil is being extracted for export, and provides most of the nation’s income. Though it may be burned in vehicles and fuel transportation, thermal energy from petroleum combustion is unlikely to be used for electricity in the near future. Though Angola possesses natural gas, over 90% is flared. Relatively little is used for straightforward heating. Angola is exploring plans for converting its natural gas reserves to valuable LNG that could be exported (providing much needed diversification to the Angola’s export income so that it’s economy is less strongly tied to oil alone), but these have not yet manifested into formal policy. Much of the population has limited access to utilities like electricity, so energy demands are generally manageable for the moment.

Unfortunately, if Angola’s reconstruction is successful and relatively peaceful, it is almost certain that energy needs will rise dramatically. Once all or even most of the population have the ability to tap into the grid, the current hydroelectric dams will not suffice alone. Burning some of the oil being extracted for electricity is certainly a possibility, but that reduces the amount of oil that can be exported. Since oil accounts for the majority of Angola’s income, to the point that reconstruction falters whenever oil price slumps, an alternative to combustion would probably be welcomed if commercially viable.

An element of the sociopolitical landscape that must be taken into consideration when looking for viable alternative energy strategies in Angola is civil unrest. The age of all-out resource war between UNITA and the MPLA factions is past, but new conflicts are brewing all the time. Oil drives most of the conflict in Angola. The fossil fuel resources it draws on are inequitably distributed across the land it controls, and every region would like a better deal than it currently possesses. Perhaps most notable is the Cabinda region. This area is oil-rich, and much of its population feels their entrance into Angola was due to a hostile land grab. Cabinda wants to secede from Angola and take full control of its own territory, which of course would mean that Angola would lose access to the invaluable money from its oil. Tensions will exist on each side for as long as the oil reserves remain. This could easily transform into open conflict.

So, what do you need to do with your energy policy now that you’ve determined that terrorism and even open warfare might be a problem? There are two qualities that are desirable in new energy sources. The first is that they be unappealing as targets for destruction in civil war. The second would be that they have enough resilience or be easy enough to protect that if they become targets, they can avoid destruction within reason. It is important to note that these considerations are being approached from the perspective of a civil conflict. Angola has the military power and, in aggregate, a sufficiently patriotic population that it can certainly protect itself from external threats. The hydroelectric dams are definitely examples of this. They are large and sturdy, resistant to all but determined sabotage from someone with access to explosives or the insides of the structure.

Solar power has the potential to be very valuable in filling this niche. Angola may not have the hot and arid desert environments of the African states to the north, but it does have significant amounts of open, dry space that receive plenty of sunlight. One could even make the case that these are better than much of the northern desert terrain since obscuring and damage from dust or sand storms would be less of a problem. Photovoltaic panels cover large areas if deployed in sufficient quantity to power cities, and though one might initially consider this a disadvantage from a defense perspective, this makes it inconvenient to outright destroy the solar panels. If civil violence did break out targeting the solar installations, repairing the infrastructure would likely be much easier than entirely rebuilding a blown-up combustion plant.

Angola’s present reconstruction efforts also mean that it would be much more practical to wire new or repaired buildings into this hypothetical solar network. The recovery from all the destruction that happened means a chance to build differently. As part of negotiations with Angola over fossil fuel resources, many highly efficient Chinese construction firms have been awarded contracts that are still in operation and use some Angolan workers (Angola has received a two billion dollar loan from China on the condition that seventy percent of the reconstruction contracts using this money be awarded to Chinese companies). It does not seem implausible that, once more immediately vital projects have been taken care of, new contracts for solar farms could be created. While the Chinese companies operate in Angola, it has access to industrial power that operates with impressive speed and competitive prices, making the creation of large-scale solar facilities much more easily possible.

China’s ability to assist in photovoltaic development is more sophisticated than one might initially assume. Though China does consume enormous amounts of fossil fuels, it is also developing solar cell technologies. At the moment, these are designed purely for internal use, but a trading partner like Angola could provide a valuable outlet for this product even as it is being developed. The technology is continually being refined, and if Angola is willing to “test” new iterations of the technology by putting it to practical use, China could get much more thorough data on the performance of its PV technology while building more at less net cost. Angola would benefit as well, since such an arrangement would get it solar cells at a more affordable price than might otherwise be the case, and would do so using the loan money earmarked for Chinese construction contracts.

An aspect of solar power that has not been touched up to this point is emissions. Angola’s present situation is such that carbon emissions are unlikely to matter much to it except insofar as they affect relations with other nations. There are just too many more immediately pressing issues for Angola to concern itself with. At present, Angola does have a noticeable carbon footprint due to petroleum use and the enormous amounts of natural gas that are flared, but it could be much worse. Angola does not make use of significant amounts of coal. A move towards solar power as the answer to growing energy needs once hydroelectric energy production is spread thin would keep from increasing this, but it is unlikely that such a project would create enormous amounts of enthusiasm and goodwill locally on the grounds of eco-friendliness alone.

Of course, Angola’s reaction to solar power on environmental grounds might shift dramatically if there were some way that carbon credits could be marketable. The very trading partners it exports oil to now might be willing to pay Angola to control its emissions on their behalf. This is not the present state of affairs, but it does not seem entirely outside the bounds of possibility in the future. If international law were to shift in such a direction, solar energy would become a valuable enough option that it might even take precedence over some existing infrastructure projects.

For the moment, Angola has enough energy to meet its needs, and it has a variety of other needs basic and important enough that it is taking out substantial loans to finance them. Solar power, though certainly filled with potential, is a vanity project compared with the rebuilding efforts presently focused on. Looking at the very short term, the greatest thing Angola could improve about its energy use is natural gas policy. If Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) projects were realized, Angola would possess a resource that could be highly lucrative financially, and could be turned towards its own energy or heating needs if necessary. The environmental gains would be significant, as Angolan carbon emissions from natural gas might drop half or more if enough of the gas presently flared off were to be converted to LNG.

LNG development is not without certain risks. Industrial accidents can produce dangerous and destructive explosions. Angola could run into serious difficulties if the pressurization processes involved were improperly managed. However, living conditions are already dangerous for many Angolans. Decent-paying work at an LNG facility might be an improvement in standard of living for those who suffered most from the civil war even taking the risks of industrial accidents into account. And the incredible amount of natural gas that is currently just burnt off is wasteful and a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. Angola would benefit from more efficiently using this valuable resource.

This project is appealing on multiple levels, and unlike costly solar energy farms, LNG production offers enough possibilities of immediate returns upon implementation that it is immediately practical. The only downside is that LNG proceeds could easily be embezzled or misused if the corruption for which some African governments are so well-known manifests. However, this is a case where even if none of the LNG returns on investment are used practically, CO2 emissions will be reduced, since the gas is actually being used for something practical that means it will get burned somewhere else. Unless grossly mismanaged or spectacularly unlucky, LNG production will lead to a net improvement in Angola’s situation.

Once Angola has developed a functional LNG industry, it is likely that current construction projects will be past or near completion. Energy demand will be a bigger deal, and more capital will be free to invest into dealing with future electricity needs. At this point, solar energy becomes a much more practical option. With more of the basic needs of the population met, Angola is free to look at the longer term. Solar energy produces a return on investment, and it may allow Angola to further reduce the emissions cut when flared natural gas is converted into LNG. The eco-friendliness of Angolan electricity could become a talking point that improves Angola’s global image.

Angola is in a position where it does not use significant amounts of coal, and even if demands for energy increase, it is in Angola’s best interest to avoid utilizing coal in the future. Angola does not possess coal reserves substantial enough that the deleterious effects of coal burning are likely to be compensated for by the energy intake. When oil is already paying substantial dividends and natural gas promises to spring up in utility once appropriate LNG facilities are established, coal has no advantages that are not surpassed by another readily available option. And this means that pressure towards coal use should be fairly minimal, removing one of the obstacles in the way of shifting to alternative energy.

Another question that might be considered when looking at Angolan energy policy is whose needs are to be prioritized the highest. Should something be done about the fact that a disproportionate amount of the benefits of the natural-gas-to-LNG conversion will go to a lucky few in the population of Angola? Should one take the costs and benefits of a particular energy policy to Africa as a whole into account? Unfortunately, doing something about these questions likely falls outside the scope of a purely energy-and-environmentally-based analysis of Angola. However, I have and shall continue to make the case that there are things that can be done for the natural environment’s interests without stepping into full-blown political reform or hijacking Angola’s policies and sending them in an entirely implausible direction.

Angola is distinct from almost every other African state in that it has never been reliant upon foreign aid for its economic survival. Its oil and diamond resources have given Angola the wealth to stand autonomously, and Angola refuses to be dictated to by the West. Further, international arms embargoes and rules for “civilized” warfare accounted for much of the reason Angola’s civil war dragged on for over a decade without a decisive conclusion. Angola feels that the international community “let it down” with demands for economic transparency reinforced by trade restrictions during the war. As the “nation that stood up to the white man and got away with it”, Angola’s population has a strong sense of national pride and self-reliance. Angola is willing to accept aid from other nations, but is not willing to become dependant on them, especially in the case of Western powers, who it feels bear the brunt of the blame for the ravages of war.

Solar power could appeal to the Angolan population on the grounds of self-reliance. Once reconstruction is finished and the Chinese companies have left, Angola would be able to take care of its own energy needs without having to bring in foreign resources or experts, and it would not have to dip into the fossil fuel exports that bring in so much of its present income. This would strengthen Angola as a nation. The possible boost to Angola’s international image from getting so much of its electricity from renewable sources is likely of less importance, but it also might appeal to Angolans on the grounds that they are doing more for the environment than many of the Western powers who let them down, providing another source of civic pride.

If Angola generates electricity using both solar and hydroelectric sources, the two can synergize very effectively. A major drawback of solar energy is the fact that it is limited by visibility and solar cycles. However, hydroelectric power is much more reliable and can be stored by closing the dams, limited only by reservoir capacity. Solar power, used as the primary energy source, would allow hydroelectric energy to be held in reserve for night or times when daytime power demand exceeds PV generation capacity. When more solar electricity is generated than utilized, it could be used to operate pumps that move water from downstream back into the dam reservoirs, turning each hydroelectric dam into what would functionally be a giant battery.

An Angolan energy system that produced more power than it needed and stored the excess as water reserves for hydroelectric dams would be able to export electricity to its neighbors, most of whom are less fortunate. Angola could benefit both financially and politically from such a position. If it charged reasonable enough rates, Angola’s neighbors might see a significant improvement in their standard of living. This kind of political capital is not to be underestimated when considering the advantages and disadvantages of focused energy development.

In conclusion, I feel that Angola’s future would be best served by focusing on LNG conversion right now, and then, once it has more freedom to pursue large projects with less immediate return, to develop solar power as a supplement to its hydroelectric while it still has large-scale access to inexpensive Chinese manufacturing it is contractually obligated to use. These would empower Angola while simultaneously rendering it more environmentally friendly, and they would not cut into its valuable fossil fuel exports. In the most idealistic future, a sufficiently developed solar/hydroelectric energy focus could transform not only Angola, but neighboring states for the better.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Data Tables for Angola:

Population

Population

2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
10,366,030	10,593,170	10,766,470	10,978,550	11,190,790	12,127,070	12,263,600	12,531,360	12,799,290	13,068,160

Economic status

GDP (Current Prices) (Billions of U.S. Dollars)

2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
8.936	11.39	13.96	19.80	30.63	45.17	60.45	84.18	74.47	85.81

HPI (Happy Planet Index)

2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	27.9	NA	NA	26.8	NA

Petroleum

Total Oil Production (Thousand barrels per day)

2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
741.904	896.143	902.305	1,054.415	1,260.505	1,434.917	1,768.464	2,014.317	1,948.038	1,987.659

Crude Oil Production (including lease condensates) (Thousand barrels per day)

2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
742.384	896.370	902.548	1,051.721	1,250.403	1,413.014	1,744.483	1,980.695	1,906.808	1,938.521

Petroleum Consumption (Thousand barrels per day)

2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
43.037	44.895	47.460	48.285	49.561	56.295	64.580	67	70	74

Net Petroleum Export/Imports (Thousand barrels per day)

2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
12.484 / 15.798	10.034 / 14.149	11.584 / 17.431	9.786 / 18.291	10.385 / 19.551	13.899 / 28.087	31.404 / 38.283	NA / NA	NA / NA	NA / NA

Petroleum Refinery Capacity (Thousand barrels per day)

2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
39	39	39	39	39	39	39	39	39	39

Proved Petroleum Reserves (Billions of barrels)

2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
NA	5,691,000,000	5,691,000,000	22,880,000,000	25,000,000,000	25,000,000,000	NA	8,999,999,000	NA	13,500,000,000

CO2 Emission from Petroleum Consumption (Million Metric Tons)

2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
6.298	6.568	6.982	7.068	7.233	8.101	9.168	9.512	9.938	NA

Natural Gas

Dry Natural Gas Production (Billion cubic feet)

2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
19	22	23	26	23	24	29	24	24	NA

Vented and Flared Natural Gas (Billion cubic feet)

2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
148	153	207	219	230	230	258	244	244	NA

Dry Natural Gas Consumption (Billion cubic feet)

2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
19	22	23	26	23	24	29	24	24	NA

Net Natural Gas Export/Imports (Billion cubic feet)

2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	NA

Proved Natural Gas Reserves (Cubic Meters)

2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
NA	79,570,000,000	79,570,000,000	79,570,000,000	45,870,000,000	NA	NA	269,800,000,000	NA	271,800,000,000

CO2 Emissions from Consumption and Flaring of Natural Gas (Million Metric Tons)

2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
8.686	9.081	11.925	12.758	13.108	13.167	14.918	13.932	13.928	NA

Electricity

Total Net Generation (Billion kilowatt hours)

2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
1.591	1.717	1.938	2.194	2.585	2.914	3.274	3.944	NA	NA

Electricity Exports / Imports (Billion kilowatt hours)

2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
0 / 0	0 / 0	0 / 0	0 / 0	0 / 0	0 / 0	0 / 0	0 / 0	0 / 0	NA

Total Conventional Thermal Electricity Net Generation (Billion kilowatt hours)

2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
0.584	0.585	0.709	0.461	0.388	0.276	0.196	0.140	NA	NA

Total Hydroelectric Electricity Net Generation (Billion kilowatt hours)

2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
1.007	1.132	1.229	1.733	2.197	2.638	3.078	3.804	NA	NA

Total Energy / Emissions from the consumption of Coal (Billion kilowatt hours / Million Metric tons)

2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Bibliography:

Lecture Resources:

Woodard, E.. “Geography 4320”. Robinson Hall Room 137. Cal State East Bay. Summer Quarter, 2011.

Imler, William. “China and Photovoltaics”. Private Conversation. Squirrel Hill Associates Inc. August 22, 2011.


Books:

Ghazvinian, John. Untapped: the Scramble for Africa’s Oil. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2007.

Alden, Chris. China in Africa: Partner, Competitor, or Hegemon?. Zed Books, 2007.


Electronic Sources:

African Economic Outlook. “Angola - African Economic Outlook”. Last Updated July 22, 2011. African Economic Outlook. Last Accessed August 13, 2011.
http://www.africaneconomicoutlook.org/e ... ca/angola/

CIA World Factbook (data source). “Angola Population - Demographics”. Last Updated July 12, 2011. Index Mundi. Last Accessed August 12, 2011. http://www.indexmundi.com/angola/population.html

CIA World Factbook (data source). “Angola - Oil - proved reserves - Historical Data Graphs per Year”. Last Updated July 12, 2011. Index Mundi. Last Accessed August 12, 2011. http://www.indexmundi.com/g/g.aspx?c=ao&v=97

IMF World Econonomic Outlook (data source). “EconStats / GDP, current prices | IMF World Economic Outlook”. Last Updated June 3, 2011. EconStats. Last Accessed August 18, 2011. http://www.econstats.com/weo/V004.htm

U.S. Energy Information Administration. “EIA - Countries - Angola - Overview / Data”. Last Updated July 14, 2010. U.S. Energy Information Administration. Last Accessed August 3, 2011. http://www.eia.gov/countries/country-data.cfm?fips=AO

World Resources Institute. “EarthTrends | Environmental Information”. Last Updated March 8, 2010. World Resources Institute. Last Accessed August 3, 2011. http://earthtrends.wri.org/

[Avoraciopoctules]

Got a fun prompt in a timed essay in the online English class I'm taking this quarter.

Some people believe that politicians or celebrities have a right to keep their personal lives private, while other people believe that the public has a right to know about the private lives of these people. Should the media cover the private lives of public people? Make sure you support your position with reasons, explanations, and examples.

[erik]

Hrm, my favorites in college were:

History of Pre-Modern China. The professor was a awesome 2000 year old white guy, and I enjoyed it so much that I enrolled for another of his Chinese History classes the next semester but then he had a heart attack and was on leave. =-(

World Archaeology. Basically each week they had some archaeologist come in and give a lecture on the awesome stuff they were doing. They seemed like they could be big name archaeologists for all I knew since it seemed like fairly high profile digs.

Plant Biology and Genetics. Got to do all sorts of fun labs and use some extremely expensive microscope video cameras to record very pretty pictures of cellular activity. Also learned random stuff like how to make short term bandaids by slicing off a thin slice of skin of an onion as it contains plenty of antibiotics (but dries out after like 30 min and requires a fresh layer of onion skin).

[TOZ]

Introduction To Philosophy was fun. Mostly because it was an hour and a half of listening to the teacher and asking questions. It at least got me some exposure I certainly needed.

Speech was probably my favorite, since it forced me to get up in front and actually talk to a group. Good practice, and I seemed to be pretty good at it once I got over my nerves.