Chupacabra

I’d save money and go to City College.  I just don’t see you getting that much more value at UPenn and RISD (both are outstanding programs but you will be absolutely crippled by that much debt).  I’d only go in the hole $100K for an MD or DO.  I also think being in NYC will give you lots of access to resources that will benefit you later. I’d do…[Read more]

I’m not Mauibob, but here’s my $.02.
 
Rare-earths are good.  Google rockwood holdings.  Guy I know bought at the bottom of the stock trough, ~$6/share and told me to do the same.  He’s happy now.  They control most of the REMs outside of China. 
 
Forget natural gas – saturated.  Oil companies are good, but not the “blue chips” (BP, Shell,…[Read more]

I lived out of a suitcase for years, first as seasonal worker and then in the military.  It can be an odd shift but it sounds like an arrangement you’ll be able to pull off.  Go for it.

I’d approach it like a working vacation.  Do your four months and if it works out, great, if not then tack on a nice Southeast Asian vacation at the end.  I’ve spent a bit of time in Asia (SEA) for work, study, and play and if I didn’t have a family I’d jump at the opportunity to work over there.
 
I know of one firm that fits your very loose de…[Read more]

I regret to inform you that Teh Woods have been rezoned as a conservation unit .  The construction and occupation of free-standing dwellings (“cabins”) will no longer be permitted without a Special Use Authorization.
 
Please fill out forms CUC-14-BDL-1177 and CUC-14-1170 in triplicate and return them to the planning and permitting office to a…[Read more]

It may have been.  The federal hiring system is a joke for both people who want jobs and those with positions to fill. 
 
I work for another agency, not USFS.

I had one from HS and through undergrad, then was clean shaven while on AD.  I grew it back towards the end of grad school (2008) and kept it until about a month ago.  Nobody at work recognized me the day I first took it off. 
 
I think it would very by company and by region to a degree.  Where I’m from and currently reside (Alaska), not havi…[Read more]

The 2-weeks thing is generally true.  There’s a bunch of clues you can sift out to tell weather or not they want people to apply.  Two other things that indicate that it is a “real” job posting are: a non-HR person’s contact number, especially if the person listed is the supervisor; if they say they will pay to move you if hired (not always the c…[Read more]

I think swidden agriculture refers to the practice of clearing land to plant and then leaving it fallow as part of a multi-season rotation.  Fire is a primary tool and it is most often seen in interior, mountainous Southeast Asia (especially northern Thailand, Burma, Laos, and southern China) and is most often conducted by indigenous groups for…[Read more]

When I was last job hunting I built a website using Dreamweaver.  I was applying all over the US so it was a very useful tool.  I always sent hard copies of my portfolio, but used a link to my website in the signature line of my email correspondence. 
 
My website was very simple and straight forward, no information about me was more than thr…[Read more]

“What is going on in the green energy world that landscape architects ARE working on?”
Hundreds of thousands of acres of public lands are targeted for the development of solar and wind farms.  LAs are being hired to do the visual resource management and some mitigation work that is related as part of the permitting process.  VRM is required for t…[Read more]

Oh, good lord.  Chill with the histrionics.  It was meant as a joke, albeit a snarky one.

When I buy a lawnmower I’ll give you a call.

This scene seems to sort of fit the thread.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-AXTx4PcKI
 
“We’re adding a little something to this month’s sales contest. As you all know, first prize is a Cadillac Eldorado. Anybody want to see second prize?  Second prize is a set of steak knives. Third prize is you’re fired.”

Above is good advice.  Definitely look at the total package and don’t get wrapped up on just your salary.

Do research specific to your area and figure out current ballpark numbers – what other people are getting in the US isn’t all that relevant – it needs to be for up north, in Canadian pesos, and for right now. There’s significant variation in starting salaries just between US states, let alone between the US sun belt and remote northern Canada. …[Read more]

I often start in ArcGIS but prefer to finish using other tools I find more effective or efficient for presentation stuff.

I have an MLA and work as a landscape planner. I use it extensively and find it an invaluable tool. I find it useful because we use our own data and I often work at a massive scale (my smallest project area is 5000 acres, my largest is 8.4 million). It is an excellent analysis tool but is of very limited use beyond that. You need to be using lots…[Read more]

There’s plenty of negative externalities associated with “green” energy. All these large scale, highly subsidized solar and wind projects have massive footprints. We’re talking potentially millions of acres of previously unmodified habitat disturbed, much of it in fragile desert areas, and much of it presently used to connect species to protected…[Read more]