The "problem" with renewable energy

I'm currently reading "Managing Without Growth: Slower by Design, Not Disaster" by Peter A. Victor of York University. It helped me realize what the real "problem" is regarding renewable energy, from the perspective of the energy industry.

The problem with moving from a fossil-fuel based economy to a renewable resource based economy is not due to the level of investment required - it is due to the fact that it will be much more difficult to maintain the high level of profitability we currently see in the energy industry. Installing solar or wind-power generation does not prevent other people from installing it, unlike with the oil sands for example - either you have the rights to some of the limited amount of tar or you don't. When you do, you prevent other people from having those rights.

Not only is renewable energy, well, renewable, which means there is an endless supply, but there are relatively low barriers to entry. It's difficult to keep your competitors from opening up a windfarm in another locale. Also we will move from a centralized system to a more distributed energy system (with many people perhaps creating and consuming their own energy, or even feeding back into the grid). Energy companies obviously have vested interests in trying to prevent this.

Too many crises to keep track of

Wondering what happened to the "global food crisis"? I was. You can find some info here:

Fuel from food- The feast is over - Associated Press

I wonder if the US government realized we were all getting a little too fatigued from the continual fears over terrorism, so now they're freaking us out over the food supply, the economy, etc. I'll put a plug in here for Naomi Klein's recent book "The Shock Doctrine" - highly recommended if you haven't already had a chance to read it.

The War for Talent vs. the Global Economic Crisis

I've been wondering lately, with the "global economic crisis" bearing down on us, that has already resulted in tens of thousands of jobs lost (over 50,000 in the last month or so in Turkey alone, according to the Hurriyet, a national newspaper), how this ties in with the "war for talent" we've been hearing so much about the last several years. As someone who will very likely be on the job market herself in the near future, either voluntarily or involuntarily (I'm not sure which), it is a very interesting and timely question. My intention is to seek a job back home, should I end up seeking one. Canada's economy has so far weathered the storm pretty well compared to most other countries due to our solid fiscal underpinnings - we were ranked first out of all OECD countries on the strength of our banking system - but still it's probable the worst is yet to come, so what does that mean for young people on the job market?

Don Tapscott, author of a book "Grown Up Digital" and reporter/blogger for reportonbusiness.com, writes blithely "the disaster doesn't change the demographic fact that a few years from now, Boomers are going to retire and there won't be enough young people to replace them." But can young people starting their careers really afford to dismiss the current crisis so easily?

Maybe so. Rob McGovern, CEO of Jobfox, a career website that matches candidates' job skills to job requirements of employers,recently wrote a whitepaper entitled "The Recession: A Silver Lining for Corporate Recruiters". Although a recession invariably means job losses which may make it easier/cheaper for companies to hire talent, McGovern says "After a period of reactionary cutting and freezing, hiring activity will return to a level of normalcy that closely replicates the hiring levels experienced during the first half of 2008. Hiring is largely a function of 'job churn' and we see no evidence that churn will do anything but accelerate in the coming quarters." Both Tapscott and McGovern, however, may be biased towards this particular viewpoint given their interests in the messages they are delivering.

After an admittedly somewhat cursory search, still, I am somewhat reassured about the labour market and my prospects within it. But I guess time will tell.

Flashbacks

It's Republic Day here in Turkey. You always know it's a national holiday when the flags come out - and by the little icon of the Turkish flag and Ataturk displayed in the corner of the TV screens :) We have the day off, and we had yesterday afternoon as well. I plan to spend some time today considering my next steps.

If this return to blogging seems abrupt it's not really - I've been writing quite a lot since I've been here in Turkey. I've just been keeping it to myself :)

Watched an episode of Mad Men this morning (S01 E08). For those of you who watch, you'll be familiar with what I'm talking about (and for the others, I strongly suggest you start watching, from the beginning). We see some more of Don's flashbacks from his childhood in this episode, this time about a "rider of the rails" who stops by his family's farm (I use the term "family" loosely). Young Don tells the guy he's a "whore son" and the woman he lives with isn't his mother (we already kind of knew the latter). This situation really resonated with me. The bum tells little Don about the codes they use to tell each other how things are at the homes they visit - we learn Don's father is a "dishonest man" by the mark left by this traveler as he goes on his way.
I leave out a lot - again you should go and watch it yourself - but I love this show because like all true art, it selects pieces of the human reality and puts them up for our consideration. It really relies on us (the audience) a lot to connect the dots and to interpret them as we will, in the context of our own lives of course. I thought back to some of the memories I have from my childhood (been doing that a lot lately) and wondered, what makes us remember some things and forget others? Do we also select our own memories to be interpreted as we wish? Do dreams help us do this as well? More broadly - is life a collection of experiences put forth for us to build our own story, from which to infer deeper truths? What stories will I have built by the time I come to the end?

After a slightly inauspicious start, my first day at Microsoft was really good. I was late getting to work because the person from AIESEC Istanbul who was supposed to take me slept in and didn't come to pick me up until over an hour after he was supposed to. Then neither he, nor our cab driver knew exactly where Microsoft was located! Fortunately, we finally arrived and my boss was very understanding - she knew it wasn't my fault.

Today was mostly about orientation. First we had to pass through a metal detector and check in with photo ID. I got a security card that I will have to use about 20 times a day to pass through different sets of doors etc. The bathroom doors are also locked and you need to know the code to enter them. Suffice it to say that I feel very safe in the building! I met my boss in person and she was very welcoming. There were even flowers on my desk for me!

My laptop wasn't quite ready so after talking with my boss for a bit I went upstairs to see the IT guy, who is (somewhat ironically) not actually from Microsoft - they outsource some of their IT operations to Siemens apparently! He was also very helpful and gave me a "welcome present" in the form of a wireless mouse. My email account and system username was all ready for me as well.

Besides touring the building and meeting a ton of people, I participated in 2 conference calls and reviewed a bunch of materials to orient myself as to what I will be working on. I'm still not clear on exactly what it is I need to do in the next little while in terms of the bulk of my job description, but I'm getting a good idea of the scope of it, what CPE does, and how. I know for sure that it will be a good job with real responsibilities.

I went for lunch with 2 AIESECers, Matthias and Emel (Matthias is also an intern while Emel is a 'real' employee). Emel recognized me from when I was in Turkey the last time - we were at the same conference. I found out that Microsoft will provide a card to use for buying food that should cover at least all my lunches while at work and probably more. It only takes about 20 minutes to get to/from work on the public transit. They are surprisingly pretty relaxed there, more so than I expected. Many people were wearing jeans and they are not really concerned about when you come to work etc. Holidays should not be much of a problem either as long as they don't interfere with important dates etc.

Alright, I'm going to stop there - I haven't seen the confidentiality agreement yet! :) Tomorrow I have a teleconference with an external consultant to learn more about the project, and then in the evening I will have 2 parties - Microsoft is having a New Year's Party and then later the interns will have a goodbye party for one of my roommates. Oh, and life in the dorm has improved as I was able to move "downstairs" last night so I have a bit more privacy. I also discovered I can get the internet (kind of) from my bed. Sweet! Also my contact at AIESEC Istanbul told me that a woman (she's a lawyer) called them wondering if they had a native English speaker in town who might be interested in helping her to improve her English, which might involve payment of some kind or at least nice dinners out. And it never hurts to know a lawyer! I am the only native speaking intern in the city these days. So we will see what that is about. Overall it was an interesting and productive day!

Picking up my second life again

So it's been a while since I last blogged. I guess I don't feel very inspired to blog while I'm at home. Actually I'm lazy to blog all the time but just more so when I'm in my natural environment. But as I am "picking up my second life" again, or, embarking on a new adventure in Istanbul, I felt it was time to take up my blogging pen once more.

I was rather overwhelmed when I arrived a few nights ago. I am sharing a dorm room with about 12 or so other interns! We have a big common area with bunk beds and then a kitchen and bathroom/shower facilities for ourselves.

It was even more overwhelming than it might have been because I apparently walked in on a meeting that they were having about the New Year's Eve party they were planning - so all 13 of them were huddled around the table. They weren't expecting me at all but were instantly very welcoming! I didn't even start introductions at that time because I knew I wouldn't remember the names. Fortunately I have learned everyone's name by now!

My roommates are really great. Although I was hoping for more private accommodations, there are definitely benefits to this arrangement. Someone is always around when I need help or have questions, and it is fun to have people around to share with. My first night I arrived around 10:00pm local time after about 30 hours of travelling so I basically found my bunk and went right to sleep!

My first full day in Istanbul was mostly spent shopping with 2 of my Chinese roommates, Sandra and Simon. I saw some places that were familiar from my last visit here and picked up everything I needed (I forgot to bring a towel - so stupid) except for I need a photo taken so I can get an ID card for the dorm - but it doesn't seem to be a problem without. They have security here that checks everyone that comes in. In this building are a bunch of other students, both Turkish and international students.

On New Year's Eve we had a party in our room - although it seems to be a bit like a party around here most of the time :) Right now I have a top bunk, but I should get to move "downstairs" once 1 or 2 of my roommates leave for home. That will be better (although sad to see them go!) because I will have sheets surrounding the outside of the bed for a modicum of privacy. It seems quite a few of them stay for a short time only, several weeks or so, so it will be new people coming all the time. Should be interesting! There are also 2 Serbs here, one of whom I believe I met very briefly when I was in Serbia - Bojan - AIESEC is a small world! I will try to add some photos of the party and our other activities in the next few days.

Our dormitory is right by the Bosphorus Strait - I can hear the ships blasting sometimes and seagulls. We are right close to the Galata bridge that I remember from my last visit here. I found a borek place right near our dorm and had borek for the first time since I've been here today - it was delicious! (For those of you who have the misfortune of not knowing what it is, borek or burek is a pastry-type dish usually with cheese which is found in the former Yugoslavia and Turkey). It's not the same as in Serbia or Croatia - I think it is flakier there - but it was still good.

I have been spending the time so far settling in, finding things I need (you can't just go to Zellers or Walmart here for example - you must wander around the streets and find an appropriate small shop) and getting to know my roommates. Yesterday some of us took a ferry across the straight and had dinner at a nice little restaurant. And unfortunately today one of them left to return to Russia :( It was nice to know him for a few days though, we will miss his jokes here!

Alright I'd better wrap this entry up. Those of you that know me well know that my journey in AIESEC has not always been an easy one (part of the reason for the name of this blog, actually). However, I am thankful for the challenges I have faced because I believe they have made me a much stronger, more compassionate, and richer person. I know now that perseverance really does pay off. Although I didn't reach every goal I set for myself in exactly the manner that I envisioned, I've reached my ultimate destination via an unexpected path, and I wouldn't change it for anything. Tomorrow I will begin an internship with Microsoft and I'm excited to find out what this new challenge will bring. :)

A new hope....

Some interesting things are happening these days. First of all, of course, is the conclusion of the Liberal leadership race with Stephane Dion coming out on top. As someone who once considered herself pretty Liberal and interested in Canadian politics generally, I have been following the race to some degree but I hadn't formed a strong opinion about who I wanted to see as leader. I think I'm pretty happy about Dion, particularly because of his "three pillared approach" which includes economic prosperity, social justice AND environmental sustainability.

Yes, my faith in the party was shaken with the sponsorship scandal. I think the Liberals lost their way, and I think they needed a kick in the ass. I think Harper has provided that, and now it's getting close to the time when he is going to be brought to account. I can't believe that he has cut funding to the Status of Women, and I am absolutely embarrassed about Rona Ambrose's "performance" at the UNFCCC Conference of Parties. Perhaps we needed something to help us get excited about yet ANOTHER federal election! Bring it on!

On a more personal note, I had a very good day at work today even though I wasn't planning on going into work at all. I have been working part-time as an Assistant Advisor since September, and my three month probation period will soon come to an end. They have been very pleased with my work, and apparently glad to have me back in the office on a regular basis (I have worked for them on and off in various capacities over the last 7 years or so) and so they have asked me to come on full-time. I am really enjoying what I am doing, I believe it is good experience and relevant to my career aspirations and other personal goals, but this will give me more time at work to do what needs to be done, and of course, I am looking forward to a bigger number on my paycheck every two weeks! It is nice to feel truly appreciated for the contribution that I make and actually SEE that appreciation in a concrete way. So thank you to my colleagues/bosses if you are reading this!

One final note before I sign off - I saw "An Inconvenient Truth" over the weekend - if you haven't seen it, please do. And then do something about it. I will.