Al Gore wins Nobel Peace prize

[Mr. X]

No, the growth in population is due to extended lifespan, not high birthrates. Birthrates are declining worldwide, in Europe and Japan to the extent that both will be extinct by the end of this century. People who are really concerned about over-population should commit suicide immediately . . . or do some research into demographics!

I notice you don't claim that the world population is declining though. What is happening with the more populous nations, China & India? The world population is too big IMHO, so a decline would be no bad thing (politicians can't handle it though -- they panic about growth & pensions). How does anyone know what the populations really are anyway? Our government doesn't. Last week they claimed we had 800,000 immigrants, 1.1 million the next day, 1.5 million the following -- which means it must be well over 3 million].

I figure the main reason they gave him the Nobel Prize is:
(1) He is not George W. Bush*
(2) He used to look a bit like Superman/Clark Kent/Christopher Reeve.
(3) Consulation prize for not becoming President (he came pretty close after all).
(4) Pig Bear Man

*No matter what your political leaning, you have to wonder what the heck they were really thinking when then decided to go to war in Iraq. Did they even pick the right enemy (Sunni/Shiite/Kurd/...)? Disaster. Certainly not a Nobel (Gnome-bell?) Peace Prize candidate.

Global warming is more politics than science at the moment. There is mileage & money in it, for a while. Pollution & population are worrying though. We're loosing our precious countryside fast here at the moment. Extinction of species will increase a lot during our lifetimes.

 

[kale]

Moderation in all things.​

​

Including moderation.

 

[wet]

"Just as an example - if you take a Prius and put a top bike rack and bicycle on it, the gas mileage goes down by a quarter or more on the highway. That is pure aerodynamics." (comment at Mike the Mad Biologist blog)

I'll add that this summer, I watched hundreds of Priuses and hybrid 4x4s with bikes attached, being pulled by bus-like motorhomes vacationing up and down the Calif. coast. If I had one, I'd do the same.

But yeah, in a mid to long term global context, aerodynamic modular electric-human powered vehicles are the most sensible option. But wars and blame-games are easier to rally around and politically expedient, and cars are already dominant in modern society, and oil is still cheaper than bottled water, so I doubt it will happen soon.

Sky blue, Forest green, Ocean aquamarine

 

[BatRay]

Indeed. Electric vehicles were basically doomed bacause of money and politics. Many major cities lost their electric public transit (trolley) systems because GM bought them out and junked the fleets. San Francisco is one of the few cities that retained theirs.