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| Thread: Is the American dream over? |  This thread is pages long: 1 2 3 · «PREV |
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terje_the_ma...
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posted February 01, 2005 09:07 PM |
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Lol, Consis 
Quote:
Problem is, as with any lake, it's landlocked, but luckily it's connected with the Mediterranean with a river which flows out of the lake, so the eellings swim every year upstream and downstream the river guided by their patriotic feeling. The river (Drim) is dammed on several places, but there are also some kind of systems set up in order to allow the patriotic fish waste their lifes travleing. So there, solution for everything. 
But on hot summers, these "fish stairs" (we have them in Norway too) can easily be dried up, and then what will the eellings do?
Because of the great liberalization of European power markets, we can't release more water than usual just to save some fish, cos than would cost us money... 
In summers, Europeans further south use lots of electricity for their A/C systems, so we have to sell our electricity to them; it's actually illegal for us to save this electricity for the winters. This has actually led to old people, who can't afford to pay the larger electricity bills because the right wing govenrment has cut their pensions, freezing to death during the relatively cold, rainless Norwegian winters...
More reasons why I vote for the far left
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"Sometimes I think everyone's just pretending to be brave, and none of us really are. Maybe pretending to be brave is how you get brave, I don't know."
- Grenn, A Storm of Swords.
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Consis
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posted March 30, 2005 06:17 PM |
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As I Said....
The technology is already here and has been around for some time:
 http://money.cnn.com/2005/03/30/news/fortune500/gm_fuelcell.reut/index.htm?cnn=yes
Quote:
General Motors Corp said it will build a fleet of 40 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and further develop the technology. Under the five-year program, the world's largest auto manufacturer will spend $44 million to deploy fuel cell demonstration vehicles in Washington D.C., New York, California and Michigan.
The Department of Energy will contribute the other half of the program's investment under an agreement that expires in September 2009. In a separate commercial agreement, Shell Hydrogen LLC will support GM by setting up five hydrogen refueling stations in Washington, D.C.; New York City; between Washington D.C. and New York; and in California.
~One small step toward a non-oil-driven economy. This is only one avenue of research involving the most abundant resource/element on planet Earth.
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Roses Are Red And So Am I
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Wolfman
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posted March 30, 2005 10:51 PM |
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You have to burn a lot more fossil fuels to get hydrogen than you do to make gasoline. 
So we get off oil...but use a more expensive and harder to make product. Not a very good trade.
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terje_the_ma...
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posted March 30, 2005 11:13 PM |
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Speaking of energy sources.
Svarog was advocating nuclear power earlier in the thread, claiming that the risk of a Chernobyl-like nuclear disaster is close to zero.
But isn't the major problem with nuclear energy the disposal of the nuclear waste created from the process that creates the energy?
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"Sometimes I think everyone's just pretending to be brave, and none of us really are. Maybe pretending to be brave is how you get brave, I don't know."
- Grenn, A Storm of Swords.
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Consis
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posted March 31, 2005 12:04 AM |
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Edited By: Consis on 30 Mar 2005
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Yes Exactly,
On the mark Terje_the_mad_wizard. Waste biproduct of nuclear fission reactors is extremely harmful to not only humans, but all living things.
It's a very attractive proposition; the nuclear energy; because of the virtually unlimited supply of energy gathered from extremely low fuel consumption. I suspect that nuclear energy will be largely considered for space flights to early colonization/terraforming of Mars. Expelling radioactive biproducts in space is much safer and makes more sense. Solar radiation is already present in harmful quantities out there. I believe this is one of the protections an astronaut's suit provides; protection from low levels of radiation. Our planet's atmosphere provides protection from solar radiation.
Anyway I'm sure we'll indefinitely maintain the current nuclear fission reactors we have in America. Our laws currently dictate that no more can be made in this country. I agree with this law. I believe nuclear energy is more logical for space travel. When used on the planet, we risk harming all life for an extended period of time.
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Roses Are RedAnd So Am I
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Svarog
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posted March 31, 2005 03:05 AM |
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Quote:
Expelling radioactive biproducts in space is much safer and makes more sense. Solar radiation is already present in harmful quantities out there.
Yes, though we surely wouldnt left the nuc-trash orbiting around. Just put it on a rocket and on a one way trip to hell, i mean Sun.
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The meek shall inherit the earth, but NOT its mineral rights.
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Consis
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posted March 31, 2005 04:11 AM |
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Edited By: Consis on 30 Mar 2005
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Svarog,
Thanks Superman! I think it's a good idea. I first saw Superman do that in the comic books. Then I saw it in the movie. It's the best way to dispose of nuclear fission waste. In space the known(known to humans) variables of velocity reduction/trajectory variants are solar flares, gravity, asteroids, and comets. It wouldn't take much more than a slight push in the direction of the sun; keeping clear of the gravitational pulls of Mercury and Venus; and avoid all UFO's  .
As I said: Nuclear fission was meant for space travel. And someone please slap me for agreeing with Svarog on something!  Yikes! It is the first time I've ever agreed with him on anything! Get the gnomes out of my spinal cortex!
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Roses Are RedAnd So Am I
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bort
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posted April 01, 2005 03:29 AM |
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So, ah, what happens when the rocket carrying a metric buttload of radioactive material blows up 5 minutes after takeoff?
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Svarog
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posted April 01, 2005 04:49 AM |
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Edited By: Svarog on 31 Mar 2005
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Supernova!
You are right; currently it has a much better application - plating the bombs being dropped on the Balkans and Iraq with it.
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The meek shall inherit the earth, but NOT its mineral rights.
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Consis
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posted April 01, 2005 08:43 AM |
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Easy
Quote:
So, ah, what happens when the rocket carrying a metric buttload of radioactive material blows up 5 minutes after takeoff?
Superman would save us. And then we can go back to normal life.
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Roses Are RedAnd So Am I
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terje_the_ma...
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posted April 01, 2005 07:54 PM |
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Quote:
You are right; currently it has a much better application - plating the bombs being dropped on the Balkans and Iraq with it.
I suppose you're aware that you're referring to a problem that, officially, doesn't exist?
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"Sometimes I think everyone's just pretending to be brave, and none of us really are. Maybe pretending to be brave is how you get brave, I don't know."
- Grenn, A Storm of Swords.
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Svarog
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posted April 02, 2005 02:29 AM |
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It started existing inofficiallyonly after some soldiers from KFOR were alarmed for increasing cases of cancerogenous disieses in their campus. But officially many things that exist dont exist.
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The meek shall inherit the earth, but NOT its mineral rights.
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terje_the_ma...
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posted April 02, 2005 09:42 PM |
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Wouldn't that inofficial existance begin with GWII? I remember seeing a documentary about this last summer, about a German professor who's been working as a doctor in Iraq after 1991, and has seen all the damages done by the depleted uranium to the civilian population. Later, he also found that hundreds of the allied soldiers serving under GWII had developed cancer, and that many of their children had been born deformed. He's pretty sure it's because of the depleted uranium, since most of the ex-soldiers affected served in logistics, ie. the people who delivered the uranium-covered ammunition to the panzers...
This isn't off-topic, is it?
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"Sometimes I think everyone's just pretending to be brave, and none of us really are. Maybe pretending to be brave is how you get brave, I don't know."
- Grenn, A Storm of Swords.
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Svarog
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posted April 03, 2005 03:42 AM |
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Edited By: Svarog on 2 Apr 2005
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You're prolly right. My point was, problems appear not when they actually happen in a certain place at a certain time, but when they affect the soldiers, who, bind by professional duty, have to stay round a while longer, until their skin starts peeling and falling off. Meanwhile, God knows what happens with the locals, but its "calculated colateral damage", isnt it?
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The meek shall inherit the earth, but NOT its mineral rights.
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Consis
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posted April 28, 2005 12:41 AM |
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Edited By: Consis on 27 Apr 2005
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~President Bush's Speech Was Interesting~
He gave a speech on the future of American Energy. I was especially surprised to hear that France's and Germany's total energy is primarily comprised of nuclear energy. Bush said their countries were being supported by something around 70% by nuclear energy. This was very enlightening to hear. I was extremely surprised.
Here in America, it has been outlawed. No new Nuclear reactors have been built since the 1970's. It was a majority support for this decision by the American people back then. I wonder what it is today.
Quote:
"A secure energy future for America must include more nuclear power."
Bush clearly supports building more nuclear fission reactors.
I am personally indifferent on nuclear energy sources. I prefer the corn/hydrogen technology floating about the senate at current.
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Roses Are RedAnd So Am I
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terje_the_ma...
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posted April 28, 2005 12:45 AM |
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Hans Blix also supports nuclear energy, because, as he says "he's more concerned about what petroleum pollution will do to Earth in the next couple of decades, than what the nuclear waste will do in 20 millenia."
Which is a good point.
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"Sometimes I think everyone's just pretending to be brave, and none of us really are. Maybe pretending to be brave is how you get brave, I don't know."
- Grenn, A Storm of Swords.
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Consis
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posted April 28, 2005 12:59 AM |
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LoL!
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Roses Are RedAnd So Am I
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