By now, you've likely heard about the floods in England, and how the media believe them to be caused by global warming.
However, have you heard about the cold snap in Peru that has already killed 70 children?
You haven't? Well, how could you? After all, no American media outlet has felt it to be newsworthy.
Yet, the following was reported by the BBC on Wednesday, and, as amazing as it might seem, was republished by Press TV Iran's website Thursday (h/t NB reader Rolf Rothermel):
At least 70 children have died during a spell of freezing weather in the Andean regions of Peru, officials have said.
The children, all under five years old, died of pneumonia and other respiratory illnesses over the past three months.
They lived in rural areas at high altitude, where temperatures in some cases are reported to have plummeted to as low as -20C (-4F).
Sadly, this situation is expected to get worse before it gets any better:
Forecasters in Peru are predicting the cold spell will continue until September.
[...]
Many adults have also died during the harsh winter, and thousands of people are suffering from pneumonia and other respiratory infections.
This is one of the worst cold-related disasters in Peru's history. Yet, Google news and LexisNexis searches found no American media covering this story.
Think they'd be so disinterested if there was a heat-related disaster killing children somewhere?
No. I don't either.
—Noel Sheppard is the Associate Editor of NewsBusters. Follow him at Facebook and Twitter.
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
Global Warming Solved?
July 28, 2007 - 15:52 ET by BacchusI guess algore solved global warming, but has he over-compensated?
Sorry to hear lives are now being lost to global cooling.
I'm being facetious, of course.
knew this site would use
July 28, 2007 - 17:19 ET by crsheddknew this site would use this story to slam al gore.
it's not 'global cooling'. this time of year in peru, it is called WINTER.
Winter
July 28, 2007 - 17:29 ET byfacing unusually cold weather,
yes winter but colder than is normal
"Television is where you watch people in your living room that you would not want near your house." Groucho
AGW
July 28, 2007 - 17:45 ET by saw the lightSo by that same logic, it is not worth a story if there is a heat wave in the middle of summer, either, right?
Where I live, we haven't seen many days over 90 at all this summer, which is highly unusual. Don't hear much about that, either.
"There is a tendency for the world to say to America, 'the big problems of the world are yours, you go and sort them out,' and then to worry when America wants to sort them out." - Prime Minister
I knew when I posted this
July 28, 2007 - 18:50 ET by Noel SheppardI knew when I posted this that some idiot would have the audacity to suggest that folks here weren't aware that it's winter in the southern hemisphere.
Thank you for being the first. I'm not sure who won the poll, but I doubt it was you.
That said, I'm sure that you send e-mail messages to other media outlets when they suggest that every summer heatwave is evidence of global warming.
If you don't, then please resist complaining when we here mockingly point out that cold snaps -- even during winter -- are proof that global warming is nonsense.
Do you feel that high-ground you believe you're on slipping a bit?
Regardless, we here just love watching the sinkage.
That said, can you please show me where in this article Gore was either mentioned or referred too? Pretty please? With sugar on top?
Also, do you find it all interesting that this killer cold snap is being totally ignored by our media? Do you think that if there were folks dying in a heatwave somewhere on the planet it would get more coverage?
After all, that was the point. I'm surprised you missed that. Well...not really.
Don't be a stranger, now! :-) ns
Noel
July 28, 2007 - 18:53 ET by balboaGlobal warming or human-created global warming?
B
July 28, 2007 - 18:56 ET by Noel SheppardB,
To the media, there is no difference. Is there any to you? Honestly? ns
I have zero clue what's
July 28, 2007 - 18:59 ET by balboaI have zero clue what's going on with the environment. I'm gonna wait for conclusive proof and then jump on the bandwagon and say "Knew it all along."
I am pro-environment, but I'm not a tree-hugger.
B
July 28, 2007 - 19:07 ET by Noel SheppardB,
And that makes two of us. I'm very pro-environment. I've been recyclining cans, bottles, plastics, newspapers, cardboard products, etc, since I moved to my first house in 1992. I have solar panels on my roof, and don't own any SUVs. I bet my "carbon footprint" is lower than average.
Unlike most conservatives, I am for increasing CAFE standards, and am embarrassed how little cars have changed since the first energy crisis in 1973. I agree totally with most energy-saving ideas, and have implemented many in my household.
I just don't like the way science is being perverted by folks on the left for the exclusive reason of raising additional taxes on corporations and folks with money to redistribute it the way the left sees fit. The dishonesty concerning this issue is sick-making. In fact, I need to go throw up just thinking about it. Catch you in a few. ns
Noel
July 28, 2007 - 19:22 ET by balboaLol. Politics is a tough racket!
I'm with you on the recycling and energy conservation. That makes a whole lot more sense to me than anything else. People should put their energy (ha) into those efforts. Recycling plastic is a big deal. We waste so much.
I'm all for increased fuel
July 28, 2007 - 19:23 ET by danboI'm all for increased fuel efficiency so long as it's market driven. Each of us needs to decide what we need. I don't drive a lot. But I need towing capacity and the cargo space of a pick up. My wife needs something else.
My problem is as when I listened to Alan Alda today. Stating that someone should decide what we need and only offer that. Like Alan knows what I need.
I don't think Alan and his friends need private jets. Should we take them away from them?
Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of truth and knowledge will be shipwrecked by the laughter of the Gods. Albert Einstein
Why does it have to be
July 28, 2007 - 19:31 ET by balboaWhy does it have to be market-driven? Why can't we all realize that oil doesn't grow on trees and increase fuel efficiency for the betterment of everyone?
Wouldn't it be a bit absurd
July 28, 2007 - 20:16 ET by danboWouldn't it be a bit absurd for me to decide what kind of vehicle you need. I don't know how many kids you have, if you need to haul things, tow things. If you feel the safety of your family is more important than a few extra miles per gallon. If you drive on city streets, interstates or gravel roads.
It's like the people of New York city telling people out west how fast to drive. In NY you might be able to walk to the grocery store. In some places the nearest supermarket may be an hour or two drive away.
I'm concerned about anyone who feels they have the right to decide what someone needs or how they should live. And then mandate it.
Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of truth and knowledge will be shipwrecked by the laughter of the Gods. Albert Einstein
People do decide what
July 28, 2007 - 20:26 ET by balboaPeople do decide what kind of car you drive, in some respects. You have to buy a car with seatbelts, same as you're "forced" to buy a microwave that doesn't spread radiation throughout your house.
No, they tell the auto
July 28, 2007 - 23:23 ET by UnsaneNo, they tell the auto makers what equipment is mandatory in vehicles, but beyond that, they compete on those standards.
I really don't need you or anyone else telling me that I don't need ______ when no one can make that call on my behalf. A bumper sticker I read on a truck said it all for me, in regards to my truck.
"If you value your life as much as I value my truck, DON'T MESS WITH IT."
I love my truck. Thanks to it, I can buy more groceries on a fell swoop, which actually reduces trips to the store. I can also move things more economically with it than with a gas-guzzling U-Haul truck that I would still have to rent. Finally, being a bachelor, my truck supports many farmers of rice, barley and hops around the world, because my truck makes me BEER, the currency of ALL bachelors. (Meaning, I will help you move, IF you pay me in beer.)
If you disagree with any of the above, the solution is simpler than trying to browbeat me into a Yugo:
Don't f*%!ing buy a truck.
Res tantum valet quantum vendi potest.
LOL, Uns,
July 28, 2007 - 23:33 ET by BlondeBeer....the currency of bachelors. And moving, and painting. That's so funny. True, but funny.
Beer
July 29, 2007 - 07:15 ET by DontFeedTheTrollsBeer....the currency of bachelors.
Also the currency of Homer Simpson.
D
I don't support our liberals or their mission.
My sister in law's brother
July 29, 2007 - 08:51 ET by danboMy sister in law's brother built his own house. His biggest bill was the beer bill.
Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of truth and knowledge will be shipwrecked by the laughter of the Gods. Albert Einstein
Unsane I need your help
July 29, 2007 - 00:17 ET by Carl KolchakUnsane, I need your help. Can you help me transport some Coors in your truck from Texarkana to Atlanta. We need to do it in a hurry. Smokey's hot on my tail.
"East bound and down loaded up and truckin, we gonna do what they say can't be done, we got a long way to go and a short time to get there, I'm east bound just watch ol bandit run"
I know you're atheist, but Benjamin Franklin sums it up pretty good "Beer is proof God loves us and wants us to be happy" Benjamin Franklin
Carl,
July 29, 2007 - 00:25 ET by Dave RLOL-You can think about it, but don't do it. It wouldn't look good on my highway.
Summmmmmbitch!.
Help Fred defeat everybody.
"Remind me when I get home
July 29, 2007 - 00:27 ET by Carl Kolchak"Remind me when I get home to punch your momma in the face" Sheriff Buford T. Justice
Carl,
July 29, 2007 - 00:44 ET by Dave RAs much as it pains me to admit this publicly, Jackie Gleason's portrayel of Sheriff Buford T. Justice in the first Smokey and the Bandit movie should have garnered the man (whom I consider to have been a comic genius, as well as a national treasure) an Academy Award.
That was truly a classic performance, not to mention funny as hell.
Help Fred defeat everybody.
Much more Oscar worthy than
July 29, 2007 - 00:49 ET by Carl KolchakMuch more Oscar worthy than anything Gore did that's for sure. Gleason was great. I also think Angus Scrim has done much more for fine films than Al Gore could ever do.
"Boy!!!!!!!!!!" The Tall Man
On beer
July 29, 2007 - 00:42 ET by UnsaneActually, according to Walter Isaacson's recent bio on Benjamin Franklin, he said that wine, not beer, was proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. But I love both beer AND wine. :-)
(You can get Coors easily in Atlanta. How about Shiner Bock instead?) :-)
Smokey and the Bandit...haven't heard that title, nor the song, in quite some time!
Res tantum valet quantum vendi potest.
Shiner Bock, you really are
July 29, 2007 - 00:59 ET by Carl KolchakShiner Bock, you really are a proud Texan aren't you. I have to admit I lived in Houston for awhile. I don't know if Richmond Arms off Richmond Avenue is there anymore, but I loved that place. They had great stuff on tap. I never could appreciate Shiner Bock though. I have to go with beer not wine quote from Franklin though as I don't ever drink wine and don't know anything about wine.
"Beer is proof God loves us and wants us to be happy" Benjamin Franklin
Though I need a bigger
July 29, 2007 - 08:10 ET by danboThough I need a bigger truck for my camper. The back of my pick up has been loaded with lumber and hard wood. For repairs and wood working. They've carried kayaks. Lawn tools including lawn mowers. Hauled plants between Florida and Mississippi. Carried loads of camping gear, along with 6 scuba tanks, and assorted dive gear. Even an ice chest of beer, and weeks worth of clothes.
Plus after Katrina (an emergency). It carried a generator, chain saw, loads of water and food, spare gasoline and tarps.
Get that in a hybrid.
The arrogance that someone thinks they have the right to decide what you need.
Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of truth and knowledge will be shipwrecked by the laughter of the Gods. Albert Einstein
A practical environmentalist idea everyone will ignore.
July 29, 2007 - 08:27 ET by sarcasmoIf these "green" people actually wanted to do some environmental and energy policy and my-life policy good, they'd for once consider DE-regulation instead of regulation, despite their traditional control-freak instincts and the inevitable objections of their safety-nazi allies.
For example, right now it's illegal for me to ride around, staying within my own city and neighborhood, on roads in an electric golf cart. Anyone who has used golf carts extensively knows that they're quite suitable for slow, low traffic roads and short range use, but nobody but me (even their manufacturers) seems to want to call-out the safety nazis on it. Well, I'm calling them out now. These control freaks in control of laws governing me are all a bunch of MORONS.
We have already have durable, usable, short range, "electric cars" right f---ing now. They happen, due to these stupid safety-nazi regulations, to be optimized for going around on large grass fields while chasing small white balls, but they're there. Right now, by the thousands, and they're cheap enough not to be snootyass upper-class playthings like the Prius. GM's cooperation isn't needed, what's needed is less rules trying to govern every single aspect of my life. Might a few more people die in gruesome "Danbo's truck vs golf cart" style accidents if we got this freedom back? Yeah. But so what?? A few less people would die if we all drove around in Abrams tanks, too, and regulators didn't allow vehicles as "unsafe" as Danbo's truck. Life is not a risk-free proposition. Dammit.
JMR
My community is an old
July 29, 2007 - 09:22 ET by danboMy community is an old reirement community. With lots of golfers. And lot's of people riding around in golf carts. Only problem is 1 street is also a state highway.
So the state police periodically shows up to ticket and chase the golf carts off the road.
BTW Haven't hit a golf cart with my truck yet. Though I did call a few of them names before i retired. I was jealous. I has heading to work they were going to the course. Or the Country club for breakfast.
Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of truth and knowledge will be shipwrecked by the laughter of the Gods. Albert Einstein
Yes they do. And that's
July 29, 2007 - 07:50 ET by danboYes they do. And that's wrong. It's part of the problem. People just accept what they should be outraged about.
You have to save gas while Pelosi and so many self proclaimed experts fly around in private jets.
Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of truth and knowledge will be shipwrecked by the laughter of the Gods. Albert Einstein
Dan
July 28, 2007 - 20:54 ET by Noel SheppardDan,
I'm heading to dinner. However, if you're interested, when I get back, I'd love to discuss how much what one wants is governed by various entities other than ourselves. This, of course, includes our entire legal and judicial systems, as well as religion.
In reality, man's desires are indeed controlled by many things that you likely agree with. As such, this "If I want to buy it, I should be allowed to" credo doesn't actually fit into a conservative dogma.
I'll elaborate later if you or anyone else is interested.
Dinner time. :-) ns
BTW I was told oil doesn't
July 28, 2007 - 20:18 ET by danboBTW I was told oil doesn't grow on trees and we would soon run out of it in the 1960's. We keep finding more and more. And of course we would run out in the infamous 10 years.
Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of truth and knowledge will be shipwrecked by the laughter of the Gods. Albert Einstein
silly
July 28, 2007 - 20:20 ET byoil grows on corn stalks not trees
"Television is where you watch people in your living room that you would not want near your house." Groucho
Actually, when we finally
July 28, 2007 - 20:25 ET by danboActually, when we finally do get to that point where finding oil cost more than the alternatives, i doubt we'll grow it. It's a waste of land and resources. We'll shift to the next and virtually inexhaustable resource. Hydrogen.
Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of truth and knowledge will be shipwrecked by the laughter of the Gods. Albert Einstein
Was it Dennis Miller
July 28, 2007 - 20:28 ET bywho said: "I'm not sure if i want to driving in a county with 200 million mini-hindenburgs"
"Television is where you watch people in your living room that you would not want near your house." Groucho
Of course. You could do
July 28, 2007 - 20:31 ET by danboOf course. You could do like Hitler did. And use ethanol. But then he starved his people.
Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of truth and knowledge will be shipwrecked by the laughter of the Gods. Albert Einstein
You are mistaken if you
July 28, 2007 - 23:03 ET by steve2007You are mistaken if you think that Hydrogen is a virtually inexaustible source of energy. Sure, the element is plentiful, but not in a form that we can easily get energy from.
Correct
July 28, 2007 - 23:12 ET bythe mid-sized nuclear plants can be used as energy to harvest the hydrogen which makes a portable energy storage
"Television is where you watch people in your living room that you would not want near your house." Groucho
Yes, that works. But then
July 28, 2007 - 23:21 ET by steve2007Yes, that works. But then the energy source is Uranium; not Hydrogen.
On H
July 28, 2007 - 23:15 ET by UnsaneIf/when we ever hit a shortage of hydrogen, we should be able to calculate blue shifts when we look at distant stars and galaxies. I hope we never reach the point when we CAN calculate blue shifts in my lifetime.
Besides, we can get hydrogen in quantity. Every heard of "heavy water"? How about tritium? We seem to have no problems obtaining that. Oh, and why did the Hindenburg burst into flames again?
Just be honest and admit that your dream is to have as much control over humanity as possible...
Res tantum valet quantum vendi potest.
If/when we ever hit a shortage of hydrogen
July 28, 2007 - 23:21 ET bythere will be no water and we will all be dead
"Television is where you watch people in your living room that you would not want near your house." Groucho
It does recycle. For the
July 29, 2007 - 07:44 ET by danboIt does recycle. For the end of hydrogen this plant would be gone. And a cioncern about energy would be our least worry.
Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of truth and knowledge will be shipwrecked by the laughter of the Gods. Albert Einstein
Sorry, I really don't know
July 28, 2007 - 23:34 ET by steve2007Sorry, I really don't know what you are talking about here.
We do measure redshifts of distant galaxies regularly to see how far away they are. But this is due to the expansion of the universe over the time it took light to get here from the galaxies. To suggest that a shortage of hydrogen on Earth would cause them to become blueshifted doesn't make any sense.
Heavy water has the same amount of hydrogen as regular water. It just contains a different isotope with more neutrons. Likewise, tritium is just an isotope of hydrogen with two extra neutrons. What point are you trying to make? Regular hydrogen is easy to find, and you just listed two rare types.
To easily extract energy from hydrogen, it has to be in the form of hydrogen gas. The problem is that this isn't so common. Hydrogen gas is easy to make through electrolysis of water, but you can't get more energy out than you put in, so hydrogen isn't really a source of energy. It's more a way of storing energy.
Yes, the Hindenburg was full of hydrogen gas, but that was probably produced through electrolysis.
Yes, my dream is to have control over humanity. And I'll start by pointing out that you're not making any sense.
Steve
July 28, 2007 - 23:38 ET bywhich half of "Pinky and the Brain" are you again?
"Television is where you watch people in your living room that you would not want near your house." Groucho
The Brain. My world
July 28, 2007 - 23:42 ET by steve2007The Brain. My world domination plan is coming along nicely, but Pinky (Unsane) just keeps getting in its way. That's why I'm here, trying to keep him under control.
Brain
July 28, 2007 - 23:45 ET byBrain
"Television is where you watch people in your living room that you would not want near your house." Groucho
Rotsa Ruck,
July 28, 2007 - 23:46 ET by BlondeRotsa Ruck, SteveO.
Unsane is a phenom of the universe known only to himself.
Clearly he is...
July 28, 2007 - 23:53 ET by steve2007Clearly he is...
For now
July 29, 2007 - 00:58 ET by Unsane...for now, as I must begin somewhere.
Res tantum valet quantum vendi potest.
Too bad you are destined to
July 28, 2007 - 23:48 ET by UnsaneToo bad you are destined to fail every time. And do me a favor. Don't whine if bad things happen to you because you decided to put yourself between me and my truck...which doubtless you will try to expropriate from me on the basis of "you don't need it."
Res tantum valet quantum vendi potest.
I suppose if we ever get
July 28, 2007 - 23:38 ET by steve2007I suppose if we ever get fusion reactors working, then hydrogen would be a source of energy for us, but that's a long ways off...
The end of oil is a long
July 29, 2007 - 07:41 ET by danboThe end of oil is a long way off. They've been telling me we had only ten years left for at least 50 years. We have more now than we had then.
Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of truth and knowledge will be shipwrecked by the laughter of the Gods. Albert Einstein
Steve, it isn't my fault
July 28, 2007 - 23:45 ET by UnsaneSteve, it isn't my fault you are not familiar with the "oscillating universe theory". If there is a shortage of hydrogen, there are more heavier elements present, such as helium, and other elements, which, if in an admittedly extremely high abundance, could cause the universe to contract, because those elements are heavier, and thus exert a greater gravitational presence. (In my reading/study of astronomy, that would be the only way I can imagine that could cause the contraction of the universe, which then would cause blue shifts to occur.)
The point I am trying to make that even those rare types of hydrogen are produced by humanity for various applications. But that's lost on you in your eager rush to whine that we cannot generate hydrogen. Why do you wish to whine that? Your dream is to have the total power to determine what people need or do not need, as you have made plain on other posts, so you throw a fit when anyone offers an alternative to forcing humanity into a fourth world existence.
You, steve, aren't making much sense. All you want to do is to come on the board, act like you know everything about science, and run around as if you are somehow the smartest, most enlightened poster there is...yet, what you are really all about is CONTROL. You demonstrated that when you whined about how "no one needs an SUV". Actually, you have no business determining what anyone needs other than yourself, so perhaps you ought to do yourself and the world a favor and commit yourself to the study of science, and worry about YOURSELF, instead of being a Socialist nosy busybody.
Res tantum valet quantum vendi potest.
Easy there, Pinky
July 29, 2007 - 00:13 ET by steve2007Unsane, I really don't think you want to start arguing with me about cosmology. Suffice it to say, not so many people believe the oscillating universe theory these days, and even if they did, it wouldn't really help your case that hydrogen is a good source of energy for us.
You really are clueless (do you know the difference between an element and a molecule?). In my previous post I explained that hydrogen gas could be produced through electrolysis (run a current through water). I certainly did not say that it could not be produced. What I did say was that this isn't a source of energy: the electricity that you run through the water must come from somewhere. The fact that people are able to extract heavy water has nothing to do with producing hydrogen gas without adding energy. The former is possible; the latter is not.
Now you bring my political leanings into this? You sure are getting off-topic here. And I challenge you to find where I said "no one needs an SUV". I said that single people driving to work don't typically need an SUV.
"I said that single
July 29, 2007 - 00:44 ET by Unsane"I said that single people driving to work don't typically need an SUV."
That's bad enough, you busybody control-freak. Stop worrying about what other people drive, and worry about your own damn self.
Res tantum valet quantum vendi potest.
I'm just trying to correct
July 29, 2007 - 00:52 ET by steve2007I'm just trying to correct misconceptions. I'll take that response to mean that you agree with me now about hydrogen?
On the control-freak
July 29, 2007 - 00:56 ET by UnsaneMaybe you can find for me anywhere in that post where I said anything about hydrogen. I'll take your pleading, whiny response as your agreement that you are an obsessed control-freak?
Res tantum valet quantum vendi potest.
Sorry, my response seems to
July 29, 2007 - 01:15 ET by steve2007Sorry, my response seems to have been lost on you. I'll spell it out in a bit more detail. The point was that since you resorted to name-calling and stopped arguing about hydrogen, I simply assumed that that meant you had conceded.
My mistake. Next time I will remind myself that in your mind, increased name-calling strengthens the argument.
Ok, Bal... From now on I
July 28, 2007 - 21:52 ET by Clear thinkerOk, Bal...
From now on I demand you drive a Yugo.
Now do you see the problem?
The liberal MSM has become an enemy of the USA.
Vespars all around
July 28, 2007 - 21:56 ET bywith Huckleberry Hound masks
"Television is where you watch people in your living room that you would not want near your house." Groucho
Oh my darlin', oh my
July 28, 2007 - 21:59 ET by balboaOh my darlin', oh my darlin'...
good one Bal
July 28, 2007 - 22:09 ET by"Television is where you watch people in your living room that you would not want near your house." Groucho
That's not how it works.
July 29, 2007 - 07:35 ET by danboThat's not how it works. You just provide Yugos. You allow no other options to be sold.
Of course it won't take long for us to get like Cuba with old cars rebuilt, and chop shops reinventing the Yugo putting bigger rebuilt engines, special suspension, stretching them etc.
Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of truth and knowledge will be shipwrecked by the laughter of the Gods. Albert Einstein
Cubans are amazing.
July 29, 2007 - 07:46 ET by sarcasmoCubans are amazing. There's something about living on an island that makes people a little nutty, IMO, but usually in a good way. Everyone saw the guy who made a truck into a boat twice on TV, who they sadly sent back (I want him as MY mechanic, dammit!!). Not many people also know there's a can-do underculture of old Harley Davidson & '57 Chevy fans on that island, who can and do fabricate almost ANYTHING with relatively-primative technology. They're even said to be able to transform crappy Soviet-era cars like Ladas into good stuff, but they love 55, 56, and 57 Chevys just as I do, which is yet-another reason I want to go there, despite the law against it. If the transition from Castro is even close to peaceful and US policy gets less-socialist, I can assure everyone here that we'll have a capitalist-on-steroids version of Estonia combined with a tropical paradise 90 miles south of Key West.
JMR
I can assure you. I'll be
July 29, 2007 - 09:06 ET by danboI can assure you. I'll be one one of the 1st ferry runs between Key West and Havanna. Looking for an old Chevy and the pre castro garden tools they're still using.
BTW In the Cayman's they call it rock fever. You go a little nutty after spending too much time in a place where a long trip is 20 miles away.
Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of truth and knowledge will be shipwrecked by the laughter of the Gods. Albert Einstein
Please understand, they
July 29, 2007 - 09:18 ET by sarcasmoPlease understand, they will shut Miami down for at least 24 hours when Castro dies for a wild party I need to drive-down and attend, and the city will not recover for days. The Cubans already closed down Calle Ocho for about 4 hours on a rumor a while back, and this was just a warning about the future intensity of the real party when it comes. They will go nuts beyond Mardi Gras, and it will probably take riot police to restore order after days of debauchery. :)
The proper psychological response in order to make Cuba another Estonia would be to let the Miami-Cubans do what almost all of them want to do, which is individually take the risk of overloading their boats with as many relatives as possible and all heading for Havana at once the moment they've barely recovered from the Miami-closing party, to continue the party in Havana for a few days more, with a big party ending ideally in a public clamor for free trade.
Normally, aside from occasional overloading issues, Cubans are relatively-safe boaters, but not this time, if my bet is right. Weather/seasonal dangers will play little role in this process, so it would be nice if Fidel could die soon rather than in the winter when seas are high, but not if a hurricane's coming!
Anyway, both the Cuban & US governments are of course discouraging this eventuality, despite the fact that US policy has done little or no good for US taxpayers or Cuban Cubans over my entire lifetime. The problem, as always for me, is with big governments, and the solution is always for them to leave me & others the hell alone and let us do what we want.
JMR
Danbo
July 28, 2007 - 19:39 ET by Noel SheppardDan,
Actually, I don't have a problem with CAFE standards. I know that's somewhat heretical for a conservative, but I'm embarrassed that fuel efficiency hasn't changed in more than 20 years. And why is that? Well, because CAFE standards haven't changed since 1985.
Is the public always wise with its consumer purchases? Hardly. In fact, most people waste money on a daily basis worse than a drunken sailor on a two-day leave. As such, if there isn't government pressure put on the auto industry to increase auto efficiency, I'm not sure it will happen unless there's a serious economic contraction.
The reality is that our parents were less credit consumed. So, when the first energy crisis hit in 1973, they were very quick to change their car buying patterns and move towards fuel efficiency.
Yet, in the past several years as gas prices have risen dramatically, the baby boomers and the X-geners haven't changed their car purchasing habits anywhere near as much as their parents and grandparents.
Why? Well, I think one of the reasons is credit. The two generations subsequent to the baby boom parents feel much more comfortable charging everything, and, as a result, haven't been as concerned with rising gas prices.
With that in mindt, I'm not sure I feel comfortable allowing market forces to govern our current and future energy supply and consumption. Looking at this another way, market forces have made rap musicians, Britney Spears, and Madonna multi-millionaires. Doesn't that concern you about market forces? ns
Noel, market forces gave us
July 28, 2007 - 19:45 ET byPet Rocks
Botg
July 28, 2007 - 19:56 ET by Noel SheppardB,
Yep. And a lot of bad music, bad television, bad movies, bad clothes -- especially for kids and teenagers -- bad cars, bad newspapers, bad magazines, bad food, etc., etc.
Now, I'm not sure what the answer is to all of the above. However, the public's purchasing decisions in my view are quite suspect. As these forces have made it acceptable for elementary and middle-school girls to wear g-strings and listen to rap music, I'm not comfortable allowing such forces to determine energy policy.
Unfortunately, I'm just as uncomfortable with liberals doing such. Therefore, I'm not sure what the solution is other than to crack open a Pilsner, and start thinking about dinner. :-) ns
and mullets
July 28, 2007 - 20:14 ET bybon appertite
i believe that between corn and ANWR (mostly ANWR) we (the US) will have a grace period before things get desperate energy-wise. I have no idea why we don't have lots of medium sized nuclear plants so we have energy without the threat of a melt-down catastrophy like if San Onofre had some terrorist attack. I am wary of compact flourescent lamps as the mercury could be much worse than using extra energy for incandescent lamps. LEDs sound cool but are very expensive still. Who knows maybe set a baseline consumption with rapidly rising per unit cost for people who exceed limits. Fuel for private jets at $100 per gallon with the revenue earmarked to pay down the fedral debt?
"Television is where you watch people in your living room that you would not want near your house." Groucho
Noel, I'm not sure I
July 28, 2007 - 21:28 ET by BlondeNoel,
I'm not sure I agree with you about market forces and the auto industry and energy consumption.
I haven't changed my car purchasing habits because I don't care to. The price of fuel is not the overriding factor in my choice of vehicle. Granted, it may be to some, and those are the people who dumped their gas guzzlers when the price of gas went north of $3 an gallon the first time. Free to choose sounds great to me.
As to our parents' generation...I don't know about yours, but mine always paid cash for everything, cars, houses, etc. An interesting fact. My mom's '56 Thunderbird was $1,900. Compare and contrast to mine, which sold for north of $40K in 2005. Of course those in our generation have to utilize credit. Did inflation increase 40 times in the last 50 years? No, the automakers created superior products that drove their bottom lines by demand for better vehicles.
I'd rather allow market forces (and less government interference....lose the ethanol subsidies, open up exploration, loosen the regs regarding new refinery development) than not.
As for the rappers, and Britney Spears....our parents thought we were cretins for listening to the Beatles, Floyd, etc. And so it goes. Although my elderly mom really enjoys my music (and I love big band)....I somehow doubt I shall ever gain an appreciation for rap. But that's just me. :)
Interesting. $1900 was what
July 29, 2007 - 09:03 ET by danboInteresting. $1900 was what I spent on my 1st "new" car. (You remember your 1st car and 1st new car.) A 1969 Totota Carona. Their bottom line, the Carolla I believe was 1600.
Now to buy a new car, I'm looking at paying half as much as I paid for this house and as much as my 1st house.
Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of truth and knowledge will be shipwrecked by the laughter of the Gods. Albert Einstein
Hey, I'm supposed to do the inflation-rants
July 29, 2007 - 09:26 ET by sarcasmo(Hey, I'm supposed to do the inflation-rants!;) Anyway, I'm curious. Assuming I had my way and it were legal, would you, Danbo, consider buying an enclosed electric golf cart optimized for short-range road use instead of a car, since you already have a truck for hauling large things a long way? I'm trying to use you as an example on this thread, and everyone's ignoring my "screw the safety nazis" idea!! Golf carts exist, and with modificiations of safety regulations & safety expectations, we'd be using them widely because they're so damned cheap & convenient & quiet, instead of debating hybrid cars only the rich can afford anyway.
JMR
Are you kidding. I've
July 29, 2007 - 09:38 ET by danboAre you kidding. I've considered and may still buy an open air golf cart for use around the community.
But not instead of a truck. In addition to a truck. I still need a truck. But instead of going to fill the truck with gas every 2 weeks I might go 3 weeks between fill ups.
If I still lived in NO. No. Too many bad and idiot drivers there. And too much distance between where I lived and where i went.
Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of truth and knowledge will be shipwrecked by the laughter of the Gods. Albert Einstein
Exactly, that's what I
July 29, 2007 - 09:47 ET by sarcasmoExactly, that's what I mean, in addition to the truck. I'd love to have an electric powered vehicle around here, and I've abused "EZ-GO" brand products beyond what I'd ever do to any car so I know they're tough. I don't mean give up your truck at all, I mean "leave us all alone and give us more choices," so I'm sorry if I was unclear!
I might keep my car that's gasoline-powered if I were allowed to do this fun golf-cart thing, but I might also decide that it's cheaper to simply rent cars when I need to cross the state or something. Right now, seething, useless regulations do not allow me to make that environmental choice actual capitalism would allow us all to make, and nobody seems to see it but me. That's my point.
JMR
The small gas golf carts
July 29, 2007 - 10:40 ET by danboThe small gas golf carts may be better. I find the electric carts if not fully charged struggle on some of our hills around here. I've actually had to push a few up hills.
And with the gas carts you don't have to worry about remembering to plug them in.
If I didn't have to worry about the police giving me a ticket on that one state route. It would be ideal for trips to the grocery store, (for small loads), bank, hardware store, burger king or pool. Plus I might play golf more.
Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of truth and knowledge will be shipwrecked by the laughter of the Gods. Albert Einstein
Noel, PLEASE change your water filter. CAFE standards?????
July 28, 2007 - 22:26 ET by Dave RAs a libertarian, I have a huge problem with CAFE standards, and it is not just because I object to the government involving itself in this area, either.
Those (unrealistic) CAFE standards are a big part of what nearly destroyed the US auto industry back in the seventies. Yes, I know the automakers had a great deal to do with it, as they stubbornly refused to quickly adapt to changing realities, and thus deserved much of what happened to them, but Jihad Jimmy and that car-hating safety-NAZI Joan Claybrook had a great deal to do with it, as well.
A gallon of gasoline only contains a finite amount of energy. While I understand that the technology of the internal combustion engine may not have, as yet, reached peak efficiency, I believe we are getting very close to hitting that point.
As such, the only way to squeeze yet more fuel efficiency out of a modern automobile is to improve aerodynamics and/or reduce weight. We went that route back then, and managed to manufacture a whole range of what I consider to be death-traps on wheels.
Today, most cars are about as aerodynamically efficient as they are going to get without compromising space efficiency. They may also be able to squeeze a few more miles per gallon out of current engine designs, but too little power can be every bit as dangerous as a vehicle that is too light of weight. After all, the realities of the road are what they are. SUVs, along with other big, heavy vehicles abound, and I'll be damned if I am going to face those realities in a rolling coffin such as a Prius, which, IMHO, lacks sufficient horsepower to get out of its own way.
Help Fred defeat everybody.
Noel...
July 28, 2007 - 22:25 ET by LionKingSeriously, Noel...didn't you see the move The Day After Tomorrow?
AGW actually causes the severe cold-snaps. No matter what the severe weather is, AGW is the root (to hell with El Nino). Tornados, hurricanes, typhoons, droughts, blizzards,...it is all because of AGW.
[To think I considered Noel smarter than the average bear.]
i didn't say the article
July 29, 2007 - 19:59 ET by crsheddi didn't say the article mentioned gore. i said i knew this site (those who post would have been a better phrase) would mock gore. lo and behold, the very first post slams gore. it is so predictable. i'm waiting for bill clinton to be blamed for the lack of coverage. that too would be predictable.
crshedd... Do you have
July 28, 2007 - 22:03 ET by Clear thinkercrshedd...
Do you have something against slamming Al Gore? I think he is perfectly suited for it.
The liberal MSM has become an enemy of the USA.
On austral winters
July 28, 2007 - 23:02 ET by UnsaneYes, and this AUSTRAL WINTER, we have seen Buenos Aires get SNOW for the first time in 89 years!
Guess you better find another way to beat yourself up with self-inflicted guilt other than worship Al Gore.
Res tantum valet quantum vendi potest.
Peru is less than one mile from equator
July 29, 2007 - 07:41 ET by Jack BauerWell the equator runs less than a mile north of PERU. So the country starts at the southern hemisphere.
But the terms summer and winter are all relative in an "equatorial climate".
That means, it's DAMNED HOT at sea level most of the time because, it's like... near the EQUATOR man.
Hence the term "tropical." You may have heard of that?
Need that cap
July 28, 2007 - 15:55 ET by dagdaI love the cap on that kid. Where can I get one?
Our real problem, then, is not our strength today; it is rather the vital necessity of action today to ensure our strength tomorrow. Dwight Eisenhower
Caps
July 28, 2007 - 20:17 ET byThere's a restaurant on the 101 in old Encinitas. The chief cook and owner is from South America his family sends up hand-made hats and clothing which he has for sale
"Television is where you watch people in your living room that you would not want near your house." Groucho
It is seeming more and more
July 28, 2007 - 15:57 ET by bassndudeIt is seeming more and more like the MSM here in the US is not interested in stories of the dead and dying unless there is a way to tie it to global warming or the global war on terrorism. If it is global cooling, they could care less how many freeze. A shame really, and a morbid testament to their bias.
Save a SeAL, club a liberal!!
Yea It's got to get cooler
July 28, 2007 - 15:58 ET by upcountrywaterYea It's got to get cooler before one can have global warming.
IRANIAN URANIMUN, 220 lbs and counting.
I did hear or read about
July 28, 2007 - 16:01 ET by bigtimerI did hear or read about this mid-week, may have been both.
Possibly Rush, or Fox and read it on the internet somewhere...
Nevertheless, I knew you could bet your bottom dollar that there would be scant if any news on the msm networks....
Or major headlines in the print for the most part.
We can't have that now can we?
Hypocrites all...doesn't fit their AGW agenda.
Noel Sheppard, shame on you.
July 28, 2007 - 19:10 ET by acaiguanaI brought this up in the Open Thread just a few days (maybe yesterday?).
No attribution?
Shucks.
ACA
...
Quoted from: 'Acaiguana Notes from the Bomb Shelter' (soon to be a movie at theaters near you)
ACA
July 28, 2007 - 19:14 ET byyou are only allowed to cry foul if you PMd Noel
"Television is where you watch people in your living room that you would not want near your house." Groucho
Noel is able to handle anything I post.
July 28, 2007 - 19:16 ET by acaiguanaAnd it was a joke.
ACA
...
Quoted from: 'Acaiguana Notes from the Bomb Shelter' (soon to be a movie at theaters near you)
ACA
July 28, 2007 - 19:16 ET by Noel SheppardACA,
I don't read the Open Thread, much. If I did, I'd be yacking all day instead of writing. How'd you like that? :-)
How 'bout a sushi lunch next time instead of Thai? When are you going to be available? ns
That explains the weekly
July 29, 2007 - 08:57 ET by Roger the ShrubberThat explains the weekly stealing of Shrub Report material (it IS world famous, mind you) that this poor shrubber must deal with on a weekly basis.
I am considering legal action and hope to get the ACLU on retainer. I will get back to you once Ward Churchill's lawyer calls me back... You people at Newsbusters are all a bunch of little Eichmanns!
:p