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rottingjohnny
Sport climber
mammoth lakes ca
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May 26, 2013 - 12:17pm PT
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Sierra RAT...Judging by the excess number of baby strollers rolling up and down the street beneath my window , i'd have to say that our government is doing a pitiful job of solving the population control issue....It's also disheartening to see the yuppy tourists hop out of their shiny low-mileage SUV with 3 kids in tow... I think we are screwed as long as the religious right keeps encouraging the 3rd world population to over-produce while ensuring that the slave-labor- pool will be filled with willing accomplices....
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mechrist
Gym climber
South of Heaven
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May 26, 2013 - 12:26pm PT
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birth control in the water
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Jon Beck
Trad climber
Oceanside
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May 26, 2013 - 01:39pm PT
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United States is about 4.5% of the worlds population, however we consume 19% of the worlds energy. Third world countries have the highest birth rates and the lowest per capita energy consumption. As nations become more developed the birth rate tends to drop and energy consumption goes up. The birth rate in Mexico dropped 20% over the last decade,
http://www.indexmundi.com/g/g.aspx?c=mx&v=25
wanna guess what hapened to energy consumption in Mexico? yes, it went up
http://www.geni.org/globalenergy/library/national_energy_grid/mexico/LatinAmericanPowerGuide.shtml
Can you see how population control is not the answer?
It is all about how we generate energy and how we use it. It is similar to economics. A household has x amount of disposable income. Having a child does not create more income. It change how income is spent. Instead of taking long trips, a couple now buys diapers and spends more time at home. The carbon footprint is essentially the same.
The only reason United States has population growth is from immigration, We need illegal imigration to provide the muscle in our economy. Not everyone can study hard and get a good job, we need cheap labor or our economy will wither and die.
I bought a used solar system a couple of years ago for 4k dollars, 2.5kW. New would have been maybe 8k dolalrs Same system five years ago cost me 16k dollars. I am charging a GEM electric car off my solar and driving it 1500 miles a year in it. Electric transportation is the key to conservation of our fossil fuels.
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mountainlion
Trad climber
California
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Topic Author's Reply - May 26, 2013 - 02:02pm PT
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I like the solar power charging station idea Jon. I think the technology exists for areas that have good sunshine to have solar power on rooftops of existing buildings, carports, houses as well as many other types of solar power cells that technology has been suppressed.
We need to put pressure on the politicians who are allowing the suppression of this readily available technology (the technology already exists). The power companies and big oil don't want solar power UNLESS they can profit off of it. The world be damned (is their opinion).
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wilbeer
Mountain climber
honeoye falls,ny.greeneck alleghenys
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May 26, 2013 - 02:09pm PT
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Jon thats great man,I bought my solar used, from a guy in Ohio who after i paid him, got right in my face with Dick Sumner talking points.
Turns out to be a god squad christian ,just doing what he does to his fellow man.
He had just bought the house,and could not wait to get rid of the solar.
His twenty something son told me this after apologizing and spending a few minutes loading the panels and hardware on my friends truck.
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Sierra Ledge Rat
Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
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May 26, 2013 - 03:14pm PT
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..technology has been suppressed...
Yeah, that's a big problem.
The big power companies don't want the masses to be energy independent. The big power companies want the masses to be withholden to them.
It's a national security issue that remains unaddressed. Until some courageous president can get break free from the pocket of big oil, we will continue to have centralized power that requires consumers to purchase their energy instead generate their energy, and we will continue to have wars over energy.
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Chaz
Trad climber
greater Boss Angeles area
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May 26, 2013 - 05:52pm PT
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The big power companies have all the business they can handle.
The big power companies are running ads on the radio telling people to quit using so damn much of their product.
The days of Reddy Kilowatt encouraging people to use as much electricity as possible are history.
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rottingjohnny
Sport climber
mammoth lakes ca
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May 26, 2013 - 07:27pm PT
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Chief....Yabba dabba doo....
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crunch
Social climber
CO
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May 26, 2013 - 07:35pm PT
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Great responses.
No children here.
Lifesyles might suffer in the short term adjusting, but 7 billion people? We have wean our economies off growth and expansion
Here's how they have reduced the birthrate in Brazil:
5. Introduce electricity and television at the same time in much of the nation's interior, a double disruption of traditional family living patterns, and then flood the airwaves with a singular, vivid, aspirational image of the modern Brazilian family: affluent, light skinned, and small.
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/09/girl-power/gorney-text
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mechrist
Gym climber
South of Heaven
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May 26, 2013 - 07:49pm PT
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The big power companies are running ads on the radio telling people to quit using so damn much of their product.
Doesn't mean they want people to find a new product.
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wilbeer
Mountain climber
honeoye falls,ny.greeneck alleghenys
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May 26, 2013 - 08:23pm PT
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Ken M
Mountain climber
Los Angeles, Ca
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May 26, 2013 - 08:27pm PT
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I'm wondering how many people notice that the picture uploaded by the Chief is fake? It is a replicating image that takes a small image, then replicates it.
Why would one do that?
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Ken M
Mountain climber
Los Angeles, Ca
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May 26, 2013 - 08:29pm PT
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Chris Mac----nice video. One thing I'm very interested in was how your house did with cooling, with the new white roof.
White roofs are something I'm very interested in.
In terms of this thread, white roofs appear to represent a significant opportunity. If you haven't checked it out, you all should.
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wilbeer
Mountain climber
honeoye falls,ny.greeneck alleghenys
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May 26, 2013 - 08:34pm PT
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hey chef,you told me to walk the walk .So where is your bicycle made?
This one has 3 overseas made parts on it,brakes ,tires,pedals.Nothing from china,so tell me how are you walking.
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mechrist
Gym climber
South of Heaven
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May 26, 2013 - 08:37pm PT
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Good eye on the photo. I did a spot check on 10 random locations and found an EXACT match for each one!
Apparently this dude is fabricating his art.
http://www.marcuslyon.com/artworks/brics
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Ken M
Mountain climber
Los Angeles, Ca
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May 26, 2013 - 08:44pm PT
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I am somewhat leery of the impact that individuals can have on the big picture. A lot of than seems more feel-good, that anything else.
However, the old adage that if you take care of the ounces, the pounds take care of themselves, may apply.
For example, in Los Angeles, the water usage now is virtually identical to 20 years ago, in spite of millions in growth. This has mainly to do with changes that millions of individuals have made. Sometimes through influence of rate structures, sometimes education.
I decided a few years back, to become involved with LADWP, with some of the initiatives they were undertaking for water use. After going to a lot of meetings, and reading a lot of reports, I'm something of an expert on the issues involved with water recycling (ALL water is recycled). We dump 50 mill gal of water A DAY into the ocean. That is actually a resource that can be reclaimed..NOT for growth, but to replace sources from the Central Valley, Colo. River, Owens Valley....all of which are likely to diminish with time.
The 80-some people who serve along with me have actually persuaded LADWP to
ACCELERATE their planned diversion and treatment of this resource, by DECADES. The issue, of course, is money. However, I think of this in terms of water security.
By the way, the largest use of energy in Ca is from the transport of water.
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hobo_dan
Social climber
Minnesota
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May 26, 2013 - 08:47pm PT
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I am going to turn off my computer right now
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Ken M
Mountain climber
Los Angeles, Ca
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May 26, 2013 - 08:50pm PT
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A word about biodiesel:
There is a concept floating around out there that biological fuels are not cost-effective.....that they actually use more fuel than they produce.
This was based upon a paper written by David Pimental, that is widely quoted, often without attribution.
The problem with Pimental's paper, were his assumptions, and how science has moved on, since. His efficiency numbers are now way off, due to technological advancement.
so you will run into that argument all the time, and that is the basis for it.
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wilbeer
Mountain climber
honeoye falls,ny.greeneck alleghenys
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May 26, 2013 - 08:58pm PT
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He was stating biological fuels,ie methanol.
I have read his stuff years ago,It was not about todays biodiesel.
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rick sumner
Trad climber
reno, nevada/ wasilla alaska
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May 26, 2013 - 09:00pm PT
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I'm watching lots of zombie movies in preperation for when the gravy train goes off the tracks and the "government provided cradle to grave safety net and welfare in exchange for surrender of minds" project ends and the recipients are forced to fend for themselves.
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