Comments

^ Ingeld has it right. Humans certainly don't need anything except their own depraved minds to invent ways to commit evil. Actually, many scientific advancements have been made possible by the generous support of religious people who helped start major universities. In the article, "12.2 cents per kilowatt hour" in 2020? That would be a decrease for those of us in Texas. Bring it on! Besides the difficult task of keeping us from killing each other (which will always be a work in process), I think we need to focus greatly on energy. I am absolutely for wind and solar power, in addition to any other like source, such as tidal. We can't be afraid to embrace clean energy. Yes, we will pay for it like we always have, but those who sell the energy would be those who invest money in it, and not those who happen to be at a geologic advantage, holding others at ransom. It would also grow a sector of jobs that would be much more stable than oil-related jobs. Additionally, we would all benefit from the obvious health improvements of having clean air. I have driven across vast stretches of the U.S. that are windblown and not used for a lot of things. Wind power has big potential. If the technology around solar could be developed to a point where it is viable in new construction without skyrocketing costs, then we would create more energy each time we build more rooftops, helping us to be self-sustaining. We simply have to get vehicles off of oil, because the scenario is not pretty. The world is industrializing and consuming more oil, while production is declining. There again, an energy problem. The ones who solve our energy problems will be heroes who eclipse in totality those who walked on the Moon. With apologies to Neil and the guys, their achievement was more of a demonstration of our capability as a nation during the Cold war, than it was a solution to a specific problem.

What if Michael was coming down off of a high when he showed up for swim meets, would it matter then? What if he showed up with a hangover? My point is when some try to use the rationale about separating private life and public life, eventually the two will come face to face, just like it did here. US Swimming has every right to do what they please. Really, if anyone does not want to follow the rules they are perfectly free to quit the team. It doesn't seem unreasonable that US Swimming wants to maintain a positive image and not have the reputation of illegal doings on their team. With U.S. expectations that Michael was going to win something in China, how would we feel now if Michael had blown it in China (no pun intended) and failed to medal at all? Would the drug abuse have mattered more to us? It's obvious that he did not let it affect his performance, but it could have been different with someone else who wasn't as gifted or as disciplined. As an aside, why an athlete would want to inhale smoke, and unfiltered smoke on top of that? There's no question that many of us have done foolish things in our youth, but it did not mean that we escaped the consequences. Out of those mistakes we (hopefully) learn to become better citizens. The team may have done Michael a favor in the long run. As far a performance enhancer (huh?) Mary Jane probably belongs in the category with alcohol. No great debate there.

With populations growing and energy demand ever increasing, how could ethanol fill the gap in our energy needs? In a ethanol scenario, more energy requirements = more land to grow corn. Not all land is suitable for growing, as well as land that isn't laid fallow occasionally will yield diminishing crops. What of a crop failure due to any number of factors such as disease, natural disasters, etc, do we walk? Ethanol doesn't stand on its own as a source of fuel, but as a supplement to oil. This is a poor solution for the long term. Instead, I think our research money is better spent to harness solar, wind and ocean power for producing electricity. Those technologies can be used for powering all our energy needs including automobiles, and are limitless sources. Leaps are also being made in the areas of energy storage, which means that long range electric cars will soon be a possibility.

Cool experiment...I have a Weber grill just like it. How did they not melt the aluminum legs on that thing??

Yes, why doesn't the Fit get better mileage indeed! My '04 Accord is a 34 mpg performer on the highway, and has much more power and room. This car seems to have an identity crisis. Economy car? Sorta. Sporty car? Sorta. Roomy car? Sorta. Ok Honda, what purpose does this car serve? The Civic used to do much of what this one does, until it got larger, heavier, more expensive, and more refined. Does anyone see a pattern here?