the shrewdness of apes

Yes, fuck Mars exploration. Let's send all the damn Hummers and their owners to Mars. And all the Republicans while we're at it.

and while we're dreaming, can i have a pony?

I like taquitos.

APES, I was at a Hydogen Conference earlier this summer. It was super interesting. And scary. There were lots of public policy people as well as officials from major energy companies whos jobs it is to reseach all this. Speaking of China, they're just about ready to surpass us, like ten-fold, in their need of petroleum. Also, all this talk of hybrid cars could actually be detrimental to the cause--technology is focusing on that and it is a BAND-AID, we must start looking for an alternative. We humans are such idiots. We're so reactive and stagnant. We have to be PROACTIVE! Start tapping into the Earth's core for energy. Start using algea to produce hydrogen (I saw this on Discovery as an option to power a giant pyramid city). Stop F-ing around, Humans! Also, although I know where the hate for Hummers comes from (and we can blame Gov. A-Nold for bringing them to the American public), I get annoyed when people bitch about them. Only if you ONLY walk around this planet and heat yourself in the winter with body heat from other people can you bitch about it. Really, in the grand scheme of things, who cares if I use a car w/ 20MPG or 40? I mean, I GET the difference, I just think they're both bad.

Claire, those are some good points. the hybrid thing is something i'm definitely wary of because it is just a stop gap solution. but i'm all for anything that reduces consumption and emissions, so for now i'll advocate for them. less of a bad thing is good (just like John Kerry) and it will take years/decades before we actually have zero emission vehicles become common. the difference with hybrids also shows up in the pocketbook of the average person, in the form of less money spent on gas as well as tax rebates, etc.

but yes we do need to be looking for more permanent solutions e.g. renewable energy sources, better mass transportation, and better planning to prevent sprawl and preserve some undeveloped land. proactive is great, but i disagree that you can't bitch about things only is you yourself are do not contribute to the problem. the problems we have still have to be addressed. heating your home in winter is not a luxury. cranking the thermostat to 75 is. taking the subway is necessary for many people, and it's a very eco-friendly option. even buses make sense in terms of emissions per number of people transported. taking a taxi everywhere or driving 3 blocks to the store is not the same - it's wasteful.

Yes, we should be looking for alternative energy supplies - and while I hope the price of oil drives this research into high gear - I have a hard time believing at this point in time that the cost of oil is contingent to the supply/demand.

Yesterday I watched the Crude Oil ticket head up nearly 0.70, you can’t tell me that is a direct result of 500 people in China buying cars. Rather, I think it’s based on people’s paranoia and your pal the energy consultant’s quote that only pushes the price higher as people rush to buy into this commodity.

I read Michael Moore’s book too, and while I know oil is a limited resource, the price today does not accurately reflect, I believe, the true situation. I’d be more concerned about the pollution oil causes and the lobbyists blocking any alternatives being mass marketed. In the meantime, I’m going to Canada to buy a Smart car…(not available in the US until 2005/2006 – why is that??) www.smart.com.

I suppose my Hummer issue stems from a left-wing, crazed temp who I worked with about a year and a half ago. She came into work one day and told me about how she printed up flyers that said 'You're a Murderer!' and plastered them to the windshields of every SUV she could find one night. But with that logic, she is no better for driving her Subaru. If using gas equals murder to her, then who cares how much one uses? Yes, we should all waste a lot less, in every aspect of life. But just as annoying to me are the Judgey McJudgersons who are essentially being hypocritical under the guise of being not so.

Oh, and to go with your theme, I have an honorable mention quote from yesterday on all this. The NBC Nightly News had some expert of some kind on last night say, "We're going to see $60 before we see $40."