[deafskeptic]

Hello Everyone,
I've been lurking around this site for a couple of weeks and I first heard of oilpeak a year ago but only got interested in it a few months ago. Everything that I've learned has me feeling so ill to my stomach that i can't eat and I'm having trouble sleeping too. I don't want to be living alone anymore as this is scary to me. If I weren't an atheist, I'd be praying hard now.

I feel like everyone has to be college educated to get a job. I've no college degree and I keep failing math so it's unlikly I'll get a college degree. I do have a basic knowledge of science. Ecology has been one of my passions. It so happens that I was born with a 95 degree hearing loss due to rubella.

Only 2 in 102 deaf ever get a 4 year college degree. I'm a graphic design major but i keep having a nagging feeling that art and design skills are somehow useless and given the shaky ground of the economy, a career in the advertising field is not likely and I've always had issue with the whole purpose of consumption. I do wonder if I can use my skills to promote an alternative way of life? A college dgree doesn't always guartee that you'll get a job in your field anyway.

About 70 percent of the deaf are on social security so you can see why I'm so worried. as for me, i'm thinking of moving to my parents farm but I fear they may lose the farm as my dad is a retired doctor and the tenant pays my parents mortages and if the economy tanks, we're in trouble. He's getting the rest of his income from stocks and he believes that stocks are the best investment. I'm not so sure given the recent trends. Plus they are old and may not live forever and i've no job and I'm hoping my brother in law won't lose his job at the paper mill. i'm thinking that i'll go to my parents farm and learn how to raise vegetables in my mother's garden and try to get any kind of job and I don't have any really practical skills but I've worked in the food industry in the past.


I plan to come home for thanksgiving. the rest of the family will come and I plan to talk to them about peak oil. I'm not sure my parents - especially my mother - fully understands what we're facing. I remember trying to warn my mother about the environment and she was like I've never had to work for a day. I think i'll have a better chance with my father. As for the rest of my family, My niece has a degree in biology and my brother is a computer systems analyst so he may be receptive. I notice a lot of you guys are in the IT industry. I'm a female btw.

I think it's possible they'll understand the seriousness of this. On the other hand, I'm the only member of the family who doen't own a SUV. My big sister on the other hand... will prove a hard case. she's one of those people who thinks the Republicans is the only right party. Period. No if and buts about it. My parents are the same way. My little sister is a teacher and I'm not sure how she'll take this.

I also plan to talk to a Deaf person with key contacts in the Deaf community tommorow about oil peak and I want to know what can be done. i'm not sure how she'll take this. Any other Deaf out there?

I can't do this alone and I dont think our 'leaders' will do anything. I want OUT of the madhouse that is the mainstream politics and the corporate culture. Bush and his cronies are clearly unfit for the office.

[DoctorDoom]

You're young, life's ahead of you, don't let the oil situation worry you so much. Civilization isn't going to go into the tank that quickly. There are alternative energy sources we can roll out if we have to, including nuclear power.

Get your degree, and study what you want - if graphics and art are your thing, then study that. Or ecology if that's your thing. Something you enjoy and that you've an aptitude for. You can pick up vegetable gardening later, perhaps as a hobby. I sure wouldn't base my course of study on some sort of mad-max scenario that might not come true. Also remember all us guys with IT degrees will be out of work too if civilization ends. Re. math, there's bound to be some minimal course of study in math that satisfies the degree requirement, go for that.

I'm surprised at the statistic you quoted re. deaf people earning 4-year degrees. Forgive me for saying so, but it sounds like a cop-out. Deaf people are just as smart as everyone else, sure you have an extra challenge to comprehend classroom instruction but you could get a degree if you really wanted one.

As for politics, keep thinking for yourself. But, don't be surprised if the rest of your family continues to think for themselves, too. Bush is managing our country very poorly, even many Republicans will admit that. Bush will be out of office in just 3 more years, after that it's a new deal of the cards, from either party.

Have a happy Thanksgiving!

[rogerhb]

Welcome aboard,

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('deafskeptic', 'I')f I weren't an atheist, I'd be praying hard now.

[thuja]

Hey thanks for joining in the conversation. THough we're facing tough times, I don't think you have to worry about imminent catastrophe. KNowing what's going on and being aware is a great start. Reaching out and trying to make allies with people who understand the situation is also helpful. I also think its smart to educate yourself to do work that would be useful; in a depression, or even in more difficult times. Agriculture, forestry, carpentry, plumbing and anything medical related or health and safety related are good bets. You mentioned ecology and gardening- good avenues to go down. If you said Las Vegas black Jack dealer I would have had to take you to task though.

Don't worry so much about convincing your family, especially if they're diehard republicans. The best way to talk about it that seems acceptable to all people right now is to say that energy is getting more expensive and that might make things harder economically. But you don't have to convince them of "the truth".

Good luck with your path...I look forward to hearing more from you.

[aldente]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('deafskeptic', 'E')verything that I've learned has me feeling so ill to my stomach that i can't eat and I'm having trouble sleeping too. I don't want to be living alone anymore as this is scary to me.

[Whitecrab]

Hahaha...this is great. A deaf young adult who wants to get a degree and become a graphic designer? You remind me so very much of a woman I used to know.

Anyway.

Perhaps it's too late for you to see this by Thanksgiving, but use these names on the republican-lovers in your family: US Congressman Roscoe Bartlett, "life-long Republican and former Bush/Cheney 2000 campaign adviser" Matthew Simmons, Princeton Geologist Kenneth Deffeyes, and maybe apply the "Hirsch report" too. All very conservative-friendly, credible Americans who will help you frame it right. You can put it forward as something that's worrying you and you want to study as a family. You could ask for and/or give books on the subject out for Christmas. It may take a long while to sink in or never sink in for your family; just try to subtly keep mentioning it to them. Maybe ask those with computers to forward you any news stories they hear on the subject (act ignorant so they have to keep an eye out for it for you?).

As for a degree, you say you're worried about a job. It's my understanding that graphics can be taken a lot of ways. Did you know what you had in mind? Since you are exchanging money for (perhaps temporarily) marketable skills, some things to consider would be the prevalence of placement programs, internships, or career centers, the chance to cross-pollinate with other disciplines or make useful contacts in school, the presence of campus venues for practice and exposure (student galleries, papers, etc.) and work opportunities around the school. And then there's also general questions like can they cater to your hearing issues (can really vary between schools), and early-peak-oil-scenario questions like is there cheap housing that you can use without owning a car, are there organic farming or activist groups around the town, etc.

Regarding the farm, even if it is going to be lost, some experience working it never hurts. If you love farming you could try to do internships on other farms (and perhaps learn some highly effective organic farming methods, like permaculture). The stockbroker could be given The Oil Factor by Stephen Leeb and Donna Leeb if you or your family is close enough to him to be exchanging gifts. (We've discussed that book here and here).

Paper mills are very energy-intensive and their profitability is very sensitive to the price of energy, by the way. A lot of times the price of electricity is what causes a mill to shut down. The natural gas issue might be more important to your family than the oil angle!

[aldente]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('deafskeptic', 'H')ello Everyone,
I've been lurking around this site for a couple of weeks and I first heard of oilpeak a year ago but only got interested in it a few months ago.