One of the highlights of the day is to drive at around 10 in the morning down from the hill to the first shopping mall of Temecula, California, USA where is a Starbucks Café.
There, a small Café Latte is ordered as well as a chocolate chip cookie.
They happen to have there the New York Times as well: for a hefty price though.
With the cookie, the coffee and the newspaper a table is taken outside to read in the very pleasant Californian weather what is going on in the world, and because it is the New York Times, most particularly in the United States, more precisely in New York City.
It is a very well written newspaper and beautiful even as an object.
With strong black and white photography and noble typography.
It takes many hours to read this newspaper from A to Z so it lasts a few days.
Yesterday they had a remarkable story about an environmentalist in the Home & Garden section of the New York Times.
This environmentalist by the name of Josh Dorfman, is married to a lady that used to work as a stuntwoman: Stephanie Holzman.
Her latest stunt is that they have a baby now.
They live in a situation that they want to be as much as possible in balance with nature.
So, for example, all their furniture is made from recycled wood.
The stairway from reclaimed barn wood.
All the food they eat is organic.
They only use natural cleaning products.
All their personal-care products are organic as well as their clothes.
And then the man publishes books about how to live in balance with nature and his personal experiences.
Like “The lazy environmentalist: Your guide to Easy, Stylish, Green living”.
This couple claims it is going very well with living in balance with nature.
Their CO2 output is minimal.
Except for one thing.
Disposable diapers.
They came to realize that the diapers they buy for their baby son, Pampers, are highly polluting and very environmentally unfriendly.
Diapers are partly made from plastic derived from petroleum.
Too many trees need to be knocked down to supply our newborns with sanitizing protection.
And the gigantic mountain of used diapers is higher than the Mount Everest.
They have been trying other methods of diapers.
Like cotton cloths that are washed after baby has left presents in there.
But they claim this doesn’t work at all.
Maybe it does, but probably washing these cotton cloths is too much trouble?
However, clever as they are, they have developed an effective method to save the planet.
And came up with a system they call “Elimination Communication”
This system implies that they have been studying and learning when their baby is about to pee or poop.
When they see the first signs, they pick him up, rush him to the bathroom and put him in the shower.
There he can pee and poop as much as he likes after which they spray water over him and wash the deposits down the drain.
Voila.
The boy is a diaper-less baby and trees grow happily because of this.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
To learn more about saving the planet by avoiding Pampers, click on
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/30/garden/30guilt.html
.
Showing posts with label environment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label environment. Show all posts
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
From the Treasury
We all know there is an energy crises.
We are running out of fuels and exorbitant energy use also damages the climate.
But do we know actually how much energy we use.
Per person?
Most fervent and loyal blog readers will live in a house and is there awareness for example how many gallons of water monthly a person is using?
Living in an expedition vehicle offers the opportunity to know quite exactly what is the use of energy.
For example the Fuso Szulc is equipped with a large propane tank.
This energy source is used to run the Dometic refrigerator and to do the cooking of food.
Last week a trip was made to La Paz where propane bottles can be filled.
The Fuso Szulc tank needed 42.4 liters.
That was after 29 days of retreat.
Hence, the consumption of propane gas was 1,52 liter per day.
In Mexico the price of 1 liter of propane is 5,43 Pesos.
Hence, an amount of Pesos 8,25 = € 0,44 = $ 0,64 is spent daily for cooling and cooking.
Then there is drinking water.
Not coming from the large water tank of the Fuso Szulc but bought in 20 liters re-usable plastic bottles.
In 29 days 4 bottles are needed.
Using 2,76 liter per day.
One 20 liter bottle with drinking water costs Mexican 9 Pesos.
Hence, an amount of 1,24 Mexican Pesos = € 0,07 = $ 0.10 is spent daily on drinking water.
Other prices:
Red peppers per kilo
MXP 48,90
€ 2,63
$ 3.77
Avocados per kilo
MXP 47,50
€ 2,55
$ 3.65
Granny Smith apples (imported from the USA) per kilo
MXP 21,90
€ 1,18
$ 1.69
Mangos per kilo
MXP 11,80
€ 0,63
$ 0.90
Anjou pears (imported from the USA) per kilo
MXP 33,90
€ 1,82
$ 2.61
Carrots per kilo
MXP 10,80
€ 0,58
$ 0.83
Bananas per kilo
MXP 14,90
€ 0,80
$ 1.15
Cauliflower
MXP 21,50
€ 1,16
$ 1.66
Melon per kilo
MXP 12,50
€ 0,67
$ 1.09
Tomatoes per kilo
MXP 21,90
€ 1,18
$ 1.69
Papaya per kilo
MXP 16,90
€ 0,91
$ 1.30
Mushrooms per kilo
MXP 59,90
€ 3,22
$ 4.61
We are running out of fuels and exorbitant energy use also damages the climate.
But do we know actually how much energy we use.
Per person?
Most fervent and loyal blog readers will live in a house and is there awareness for example how many gallons of water monthly a person is using?
Living in an expedition vehicle offers the opportunity to know quite exactly what is the use of energy.
For example the Fuso Szulc is equipped with a large propane tank.
This energy source is used to run the Dometic refrigerator and to do the cooking of food.
Last week a trip was made to La Paz where propane bottles can be filled.
The Fuso Szulc tank needed 42.4 liters.
That was after 29 days of retreat.
Hence, the consumption of propane gas was 1,52 liter per day.
In Mexico the price of 1 liter of propane is 5,43 Pesos.
Hence, an amount of Pesos 8,25 = € 0,44 = $ 0,64 is spent daily for cooling and cooking.
Then there is drinking water.
Not coming from the large water tank of the Fuso Szulc but bought in 20 liters re-usable plastic bottles.
In 29 days 4 bottles are needed.
Using 2,76 liter per day.
One 20 liter bottle with drinking water costs Mexican 9 Pesos.
Hence, an amount of 1,24 Mexican Pesos = € 0,07 = $ 0.10 is spent daily on drinking water.
Other prices:
Red peppers per kilo
MXP 48,90
€ 2,63
$ 3.77
Avocados per kilo
MXP 47,50
€ 2,55
$ 3.65
Granny Smith apples (imported from the USA) per kilo
MXP 21,90
€ 1,18
$ 1.69
Mangos per kilo
MXP 11,80
€ 0,63
$ 0.90
Anjou pears (imported from the USA) per kilo
MXP 33,90
€ 1,82
$ 2.61
Carrots per kilo
MXP 10,80
€ 0,58
$ 0.83
Bananas per kilo
MXP 14,90
€ 0,80
$ 1.15
Cauliflower
MXP 21,50
€ 1,16
$ 1.66
Melon per kilo
MXP 12,50
€ 0,67
$ 1.09
Tomatoes per kilo
MXP 21,90
€ 1,18
$ 1.69
Papaya per kilo
MXP 16,90
€ 0,91
$ 1.30
Mushrooms per kilo
MXP 59,90
€ 3,22
$ 4.61
Sunday, July 19, 2009
See it from their side
We know it is summer and temperatures are the highest of the year but we have ice cream and there are also polar bears.
Up north roaming the North Pole.
Needing space and low temperatures that is becoming more and more difficult for them to find because we use air conditioners.
Polar bears are on the list to disappear from this world and become a memory only.
Something we, human beings, could avoid no problem but we prefer to criticize Al Gore instead of listening to what he has to say and follow up on that.
Yes, fervent and loyal blog readers, we are idiots.
The polar bears show that to us.
Destroying the own planet we live on while thinking we are smart and good.
But recently it has been discovered there is a graduation in being an idiot.
We all are idiots, that is for sure, but some are bigger idiots than others.
The biggest idiots today we find in the town of Cochrane, Ontario, Canada.
Yes, for those who didn’t know, even Canadians can be idiots.
What did these Cochranians do to qualify for today’s gold medal?
First, they captured some polar bears.
And locked them up in their local zoo.
Euphemistically, they call it the “Polar Bear Habitat”.
Of course, no polar bear, when asked, would ever want to move into that specific habitat.
As the name already explains, a polar bear has his habitat on the North Pole.
Not in some zoo in Cochrane, Canada.
So, a more correct name would have been: “Polar Bear Prison”.
But the truth can sometimes be too painful.
So, a good idiot believes in the other side of truth and demonstrates in that way a mind turned upside down and inside out.
Now it is one thing to keep polar bears in a prison.
Where they suffer tremendously.
Polar bears are nomadic.
They roam the ice fields daily.
Are used as long as they exist to be free and have the wide-open spaces for themselves.
But suddenly, in Cochrane, they have a very limited space to move around in.
Where they must be bored to death because even hunting, their favourite activity, is taken away from them.
Buckets full of dead fish are poured in front of them and the only thing the polar bear has to do is swallow them.
The Polar Bear made idiotic by idiots.
That is one thing.
But the worst thing they have come up with in Cochrane to make the lives of the imprisoned polar bears even more miserable is the pool.
Yes, fervent and loyal blog readers, our polar bears in Cochrane, Canada, have a nice, big pool.
Not as big of course as the ocean they are used to swim in forever and ever.
But a pool where they reach the end after moving their front legs 4 times.
Most fervent and loyal blog readers will think it is a joke what is going to be revealed here and now.
But the pictures the reader soon will see, will make every non-believer turn 180º.
These people up in Cochrane have made halfway the polar bear pool a bullet proof, shatterproof glass that is almost 9 centimetres (3.5 inches) thick.
Visitors of the Polar Bear Conservation and Education Habitat, as it is called officially, can get into the pool and swim towards the glass wall.
11,000 swimmers in the first 6 months, ladies and gentlemen.
There they meet the polar bears who wonder what the hell is going on.
By nature, and this is only to survive on the North Pole, a polar bear is a ferocious carnivore.
So, his instincts are to grab any form of living creature with legs and arms, crush it to death and eat it.
Don’t blame the polar bear for that.
We are exactly the same!
Now, a polar bear has never learned what is glass.
But he comes to understand that these delicious creatures in his pool cannot be grabbed as a snack before eating the daily death fish.
Something is stopping him to get them.
This must make the polar bear extremely frustrated.
It is sure he would love to catch one of those delicious children pestering him on the other side of the glass wall.
And have a bite.
It is one thing to lock up a polar bear in a zoo.
By doing that we can see what we are making disappear from this earth.
But to torture, pester and frustrate the animal on top of his captivity, really, that goes too far.
That we may call animal cruelty.
See it from the point of view of the polar bears and send these idiots in Cochrane an e-mail.
That they return these polar bears back to where they belong.
Or else to take a swim on the polar bear side of the glass wall.
info@polarbearhabitat.ca
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Many thanks to fervent and loyal blog reader Dawn Pier for bringing this issue to our attention.
You can learn more about the Polar Bear Conservation and Education Habitat in Cochrane, Canada, by clicking on:
http://www.polarbearhabitat.ca/
.
Up north roaming the North Pole.
Needing space and low temperatures that is becoming more and more difficult for them to find because we use air conditioners.
Polar bears are on the list to disappear from this world and become a memory only.
Something we, human beings, could avoid no problem but we prefer to criticize Al Gore instead of listening to what he has to say and follow up on that.
Yes, fervent and loyal blog readers, we are idiots.
The polar bears show that to us.
Destroying the own planet we live on while thinking we are smart and good.
But recently it has been discovered there is a graduation in being an idiot.
We all are idiots, that is for sure, but some are bigger idiots than others.
The biggest idiots today we find in the town of Cochrane, Ontario, Canada.
Yes, for those who didn’t know, even Canadians can be idiots.
What did these Cochranians do to qualify for today’s gold medal?
First, they captured some polar bears.
And locked them up in their local zoo.
Euphemistically, they call it the “Polar Bear Habitat”.
Of course, no polar bear, when asked, would ever want to move into that specific habitat.
As the name already explains, a polar bear has his habitat on the North Pole.
Not in some zoo in Cochrane, Canada.
So, a more correct name would have been: “Polar Bear Prison”.
But the truth can sometimes be too painful.
So, a good idiot believes in the other side of truth and demonstrates in that way a mind turned upside down and inside out.
Now it is one thing to keep polar bears in a prison.
Where they suffer tremendously.
Polar bears are nomadic.
They roam the ice fields daily.
Are used as long as they exist to be free and have the wide-open spaces for themselves.
But suddenly, in Cochrane, they have a very limited space to move around in.
Where they must be bored to death because even hunting, their favourite activity, is taken away from them.
Buckets full of dead fish are poured in front of them and the only thing the polar bear has to do is swallow them.
The Polar Bear made idiotic by idiots.
That is one thing.
But the worst thing they have come up with in Cochrane to make the lives of the imprisoned polar bears even more miserable is the pool.
Yes, fervent and loyal blog readers, our polar bears in Cochrane, Canada, have a nice, big pool.
Not as big of course as the ocean they are used to swim in forever and ever.
But a pool where they reach the end after moving their front legs 4 times.
Most fervent and loyal blog readers will think it is a joke what is going to be revealed here and now.
But the pictures the reader soon will see, will make every non-believer turn 180º.
These people up in Cochrane have made halfway the polar bear pool a bullet proof, shatterproof glass that is almost 9 centimetres (3.5 inches) thick.
Visitors of the Polar Bear Conservation and Education Habitat, as it is called officially, can get into the pool and swim towards the glass wall.
11,000 swimmers in the first 6 months, ladies and gentlemen.
There they meet the polar bears who wonder what the hell is going on.
By nature, and this is only to survive on the North Pole, a polar bear is a ferocious carnivore.
So, his instincts are to grab any form of living creature with legs and arms, crush it to death and eat it.
Don’t blame the polar bear for that.
We are exactly the same!
Now, a polar bear has never learned what is glass.
But he comes to understand that these delicious creatures in his pool cannot be grabbed as a snack before eating the daily death fish.
Something is stopping him to get them.
This must make the polar bear extremely frustrated.
It is sure he would love to catch one of those delicious children pestering him on the other side of the glass wall.
And have a bite.
It is one thing to lock up a polar bear in a zoo.
By doing that we can see what we are making disappear from this earth.
But to torture, pester and frustrate the animal on top of his captivity, really, that goes too far.
That we may call animal cruelty.
See it from the point of view of the polar bears and send these idiots in Cochrane an e-mail.
That they return these polar bears back to where they belong.
Or else to take a swim on the polar bear side of the glass wall.
info@polarbearhabitat.ca
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Many thanks to fervent and loyal blog reader Dawn Pier for bringing this issue to our attention.
You can learn more about the Polar Bear Conservation and Education Habitat in Cochrane, Canada, by clicking on:
http://www.polarbearhabitat.ca/
.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Gruelling Gore
Every day a visit was made to the workshop where the Fuso Szulc is getting a new sub frame.
And pictures were taken of the different stages of the building process.
To publish on this blog for all those enthusiasts concerned with expedition vehicles.
But yesterday the owner of the workshop, who is also the person who is building the sub frame, announced that the presence was “counter-productive”.
Therefore no more pictures.
Meanwhile a special friend from Mexico has been sending around an e-mail scrutinizing Al Gore.
Saying that he has a 20-room mansion (not including 8 bathrooms) heated by natural gas.
Add on a pool (and a pool house) and a separate guesthouse, all heated by gas.
In one month this residence consumes more energy than the average American household does in a year.
The average bill for electricity and natural gas runs over $2400 per month.
In natural gas alone, this property consumes more than 20 times the national average for an American home..
These facts are known for quite a while.
They have been repeatedly going around.
And one may ask why.
What sense does it make to repeat over and over again the information about the way Al Gore is living privately?
Isn’t the purpose to blur the message he is giving us?
To take away attention of his message?
Not to have to feel guilty for what he is saying?
To avoid to have to accept consequences in the own life.
Isn’t this killing the messenger because the news he brings is too hard to take?
Osho was telling people to lose their ego.
To become unattached.
Meanwhile he had a collection of Rolls Royce’s: his aim was to have one for every day of the year.
365 Rolls Royce’s.
This way of dealing with life had two kinds of responses.
One group of people were screaming and protesting.
How could a Guru preaching losing ego be so egocentric as wanting 365 Rolls Royce’s?
How could a Guru exploit his disciples so blatantly to use their money for excessive materialism?
The other group of people saw it in a complete different way.
Seeing Osho celebrate life.
Enjoying himself tremendously.
Having pure pleasure.
And not being a hypocrite.
This cannot be said of Al Gore.
When you inform people so effectively what is going on with the environment and you tell them to drastically change things for us to survive on this planet, you would expect the messenger to show an example.
This Al Gore does not.
His message is essential, vital and most important.
But what he shows as a role model for how to deal personally with the environment is condemnable.
Unwise.
And hypocritical.
Al Gore is like preachers in the church.
They instruct their flock to be faithful to their wives.
To their husbands.
While the married preacher himself fucks part time the conductress of the choir.
.
And pictures were taken of the different stages of the building process.
To publish on this blog for all those enthusiasts concerned with expedition vehicles.
But yesterday the owner of the workshop, who is also the person who is building the sub frame, announced that the presence was “counter-productive”.
Therefore no more pictures.
Meanwhile a special friend from Mexico has been sending around an e-mail scrutinizing Al Gore.
Saying that he has a 20-room mansion (not including 8 bathrooms) heated by natural gas.
Add on a pool (and a pool house) and a separate guesthouse, all heated by gas.
In one month this residence consumes more energy than the average American household does in a year.
The average bill for electricity and natural gas runs over $2400 per month.
In natural gas alone, this property consumes more than 20 times the national average for an American home..
These facts are known for quite a while.
They have been repeatedly going around.
And one may ask why.
What sense does it make to repeat over and over again the information about the way Al Gore is living privately?
Isn’t the purpose to blur the message he is giving us?
To take away attention of his message?
Not to have to feel guilty for what he is saying?
To avoid to have to accept consequences in the own life.
Isn’t this killing the messenger because the news he brings is too hard to take?
Osho was telling people to lose their ego.
To become unattached.
Meanwhile he had a collection of Rolls Royce’s: his aim was to have one for every day of the year.
365 Rolls Royce’s.
This way of dealing with life had two kinds of responses.
One group of people were screaming and protesting.
How could a Guru preaching losing ego be so egocentric as wanting 365 Rolls Royce’s?
How could a Guru exploit his disciples so blatantly to use their money for excessive materialism?
The other group of people saw it in a complete different way.
Seeing Osho celebrate life.
Enjoying himself tremendously.
Having pure pleasure.
And not being a hypocrite.
This cannot be said of Al Gore.
When you inform people so effectively what is going on with the environment and you tell them to drastically change things for us to survive on this planet, you would expect the messenger to show an example.
This Al Gore does not.
His message is essential, vital and most important.
But what he shows as a role model for how to deal personally with the environment is condemnable.
Unwise.
And hypocritical.
Al Gore is like preachers in the church.
They instruct their flock to be faithful to their wives.
To their husbands.
While the married preacher himself fucks part time the conductress of the choir.
.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Mining money
It is difficult to decide how President Bush should be punished.
He is a warmonger.
He is a war criminal.
He destroyed the American and the world economy.
He worked against peace in the world.
He sabotaged all global efforts to protect the environment denying there was a climate crisis and refusing to sign international agreements.
He did everything possible to have a few make a lot without having consideration what are the costs for the lower and now middle class incomes, for the world and for the environment.
The man and his administration have been a devastating and total disaster.
For the United States most particularly.
And he continues his disastrous policies even in his last days in office.
Now Bush has sided with the National Mining Association.
This organization represents companies that are involved in open pit mining.
In the Appalanches Mountains and elsewhere in the USA these mining companies want to access coal reserves by blasting off whole mountaintops.
To dump the resulting debris consisting of chemicals, rocks and sand into mountain streams.
The Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, an official USA Government institution,
at least twice previously has said discarding debris into streams can violate the Clean Water Act and will kill wildlife.
It came to this conclusion once in a 2006 study and again in a legal filing.
This stopped mining companies to get permits to do their destructive work.
But now, miraculously, ignoring its own scientific study, the Environmental Protection Agency EPA said on Tuesday that dumping debris from coal mining into mountain streams doesn't conflict with the Clean Water Act anymore.
Why Environmental Protection Agency EPA changed its stance remains a mystery.
They won’t tell or explain.
Environmental Protection Agency EPA approval was needed before the Department of the Interior, under Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, could finalize the rule before Bush leaves office next month.
The Environmental Protection Agency EPA reversal clears the way for a new Bush administration rule that critics call a gift to mining interests.
This is a terrible thing.
The Bush rule-change allowing suddenly mining companies to blast mountains will be in effect by the time Barack Obama takes office.
Overturning Bush’s recent decision would require starting the rulemaking process all over again, which could take years and prompt legal challenges.
In the meantime, the mining companies can go ahead and have their ball.
There are two sides to this story.
One is that making money has been allowed by the Bush Administration without paying much attention of the consequences.
But the other side is even more serious.
The United States is supposed to be a democratic country and pretends to be a shining example for the rest of the world to follow.
But Bush has been demonstrating it is in fact a banana republic where a dictator-like puppet will do anything, violating many democratic principles, to guarantee a few the material privileges they paid him for.
There are many decent and democratic people living in the United States.
For them it is the hardest.
To see their Government act like bandits and criminals.
Soon this will end.
But of the legacy many people will suffer for years to come.
Bush should be put on trial.
To be condemned to clean for the rest of his life polar bear’ droppings on the North Pole.
.
He is a warmonger.
He is a war criminal.
He destroyed the American and the world economy.
He worked against peace in the world.
He sabotaged all global efforts to protect the environment denying there was a climate crisis and refusing to sign international agreements.
He did everything possible to have a few make a lot without having consideration what are the costs for the lower and now middle class incomes, for the world and for the environment.
The man and his administration have been a devastating and total disaster.
For the United States most particularly.
And he continues his disastrous policies even in his last days in office.
Now Bush has sided with the National Mining Association.
This organization represents companies that are involved in open pit mining.
In the Appalanches Mountains and elsewhere in the USA these mining companies want to access coal reserves by blasting off whole mountaintops.
To dump the resulting debris consisting of chemicals, rocks and sand into mountain streams.
The Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, an official USA Government institution,
at least twice previously has said discarding debris into streams can violate the Clean Water Act and will kill wildlife.
It came to this conclusion once in a 2006 study and again in a legal filing.
This stopped mining companies to get permits to do their destructive work.
But now, miraculously, ignoring its own scientific study, the Environmental Protection Agency EPA said on Tuesday that dumping debris from coal mining into mountain streams doesn't conflict with the Clean Water Act anymore.
Why Environmental Protection Agency EPA changed its stance remains a mystery.
They won’t tell or explain.
Environmental Protection Agency EPA approval was needed before the Department of the Interior, under Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, could finalize the rule before Bush leaves office next month.
The Environmental Protection Agency EPA reversal clears the way for a new Bush administration rule that critics call a gift to mining interests.
This is a terrible thing.
The Bush rule-change allowing suddenly mining companies to blast mountains will be in effect by the time Barack Obama takes office.
Overturning Bush’s recent decision would require starting the rulemaking process all over again, which could take years and prompt legal challenges.
In the meantime, the mining companies can go ahead and have their ball.
There are two sides to this story.
One is that making money has been allowed by the Bush Administration without paying much attention of the consequences.
But the other side is even more serious.
The United States is supposed to be a democratic country and pretends to be a shining example for the rest of the world to follow.
But Bush has been demonstrating it is in fact a banana republic where a dictator-like puppet will do anything, violating many democratic principles, to guarantee a few the material privileges they paid him for.
There are many decent and democratic people living in the United States.
For them it is the hardest.
To see their Government act like bandits and criminals.
Soon this will end.
But of the legacy many people will suffer for years to come.
Bush should be put on trial.
To be condemned to clean for the rest of his life polar bear’ droppings on the North Pole.
.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Save money and the environment
More than ever we depend on innovation.
With the tools and toys we are using now, slowly we are destroying the earth we are living on.
Every little step of innovation therefore is vital and one of those is now made by a company in the Netherlands called Spranq.
They have come up with a way to save 20 % on the use of ink when printing.
Any kind of printing.
It can be the newspaper or a book.
And even the print you make at home with any computer printer saving you dramatically on spending money on ink cartridges.
What did these smart fellows invent then?
They were inspired by Swiss cheese.
Besides tasting well, Swiss cheese has holes in its substance.
Result of air that was inside the cheese during the fermentation process.
The Spranq people figured out that if they would make holes in the letters, less ink would be needed.
This is what they did.
They took an existing letter: the Vera Sans.
And put the font full of holes.
This technique can be applied to any font of course.
The good news is that this font is available for free.
Any person can download it from the website of Spranq.
To use it, save money and most important: to be eco-friendly.
Isn’t that a nice Xmas present?
To learn more about the Ecofont and to download it for free, click on:
http://www.spranq.nl/en/
.
With the tools and toys we are using now, slowly we are destroying the earth we are living on.
Every little step of innovation therefore is vital and one of those is now made by a company in the Netherlands called Spranq.
They have come up with a way to save 20 % on the use of ink when printing.
Any kind of printing.
It can be the newspaper or a book.
And even the print you make at home with any computer printer saving you dramatically on spending money on ink cartridges.
What did these smart fellows invent then?
They were inspired by Swiss cheese.
Besides tasting well, Swiss cheese has holes in its substance.
Result of air that was inside the cheese during the fermentation process.
The Spranq people figured out that if they would make holes in the letters, less ink would be needed.
This is what they did.
They took an existing letter: the Vera Sans.
And put the font full of holes.
This technique can be applied to any font of course.
The good news is that this font is available for free.
Any person can download it from the website of Spranq.
To use it, save money and most important: to be eco-friendly.
Isn’t that a nice Xmas present?
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
To learn more about the Ecofont and to download it for free, click on:
http://www.spranq.nl/en/
.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
The airplane that becomes a clock
When life was in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, airplanes were molesting peaceful living.
Very near the city is the international airport called Schiphol.
It is one of the busiest in Europe.
When the wind is from the east, the smaller planes, like Boeing 737’s, are landing flying right over the city centre.
At very low altitudes.
Making tremendous noise.
Of course the people that live in the city centre are very much annoyed by this.
They are afraid one day a plane may crash on their houses.
They are annoyed and irritated by the noise.
And worried by the pollution: kerosene can be smelled.
But not much can the people do.
The Government has a telephone number available people can call to complain.
But that is only to take pressure away from the suffering people.
Nothing is actually done with the complaints.
The economic stakes are too high for the business people and politicians to care about the well being of the people.
This problem with low over flying airplanes molesting existence in Amsterdam, the Netherlands was one major disadvantage of living there.
It made every citizen go through a lot of fear, irritation and annoyance.
Now, in the dry riverbed called Punta Boca del Salado in Baja California, Mexico, every afternoon at around 2.30 a plane comes from the east to land at nearby San Jose del Cabo’s airport.
And interestingly, this plane is never experienced as annoying or irritating.
To the contrary.
When the sound of the airplane is heard, the mind thinks: it is 2.30.
The plane becomes a clock.
The sound is now one of the nice aspects of being here.
Part of feeling at home.
Something one can trust is there.
In Amsterdam there were hundreds of planes passing over in a day when the wind was from the east.
At Punta Boca del Salado it is only one.
Making the difference between love and hate.
Very near the city is the international airport called Schiphol.
It is one of the busiest in Europe.
When the wind is from the east, the smaller planes, like Boeing 737’s, are landing flying right over the city centre.
At very low altitudes.
Making tremendous noise.
Of course the people that live in the city centre are very much annoyed by this.
They are afraid one day a plane may crash on their houses.
They are annoyed and irritated by the noise.
And worried by the pollution: kerosene can be smelled.
But not much can the people do.
The Government has a telephone number available people can call to complain.
But that is only to take pressure away from the suffering people.
Nothing is actually done with the complaints.
The economic stakes are too high for the business people and politicians to care about the well being of the people.
This problem with low over flying airplanes molesting existence in Amsterdam, the Netherlands was one major disadvantage of living there.
It made every citizen go through a lot of fear, irritation and annoyance.
Now, in the dry riverbed called Punta Boca del Salado in Baja California, Mexico, every afternoon at around 2.30 a plane comes from the east to land at nearby San Jose del Cabo’s airport.
And interestingly, this plane is never experienced as annoying or irritating.
To the contrary.
When the sound of the airplane is heard, the mind thinks: it is 2.30.
The plane becomes a clock.
The sound is now one of the nice aspects of being here.
Part of feeling at home.
Something one can trust is there.
In Amsterdam there were hundreds of planes passing over in a day when the wind was from the east.
At Punta Boca del Salado it is only one.
Making the difference between love and hate.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Get a gift of $ 1.300
Heavy lobbying and serious discussions are now going on in Washington to bail out the auto industry.
The auto industry wants 25 billion dollars and this pronto.
What they exactly need it for is unclear.
The sales of automobiles has dropped dramatically.
Hence, is the 25 billion dollars intended to continue to build cars nobody buys?
The other vital question is what will happen when the 25 billion dollar has been spend by the auto industry.
Will they suddenly have become profitable because of this financial injection?
Ford alone burns now 1 billion dollar a month from its reserves.
Hence, 25 billion dollars obtained by the three car companies will have evaporated within a year and then what?
Will they have suddenly car models to offer everybody wants after this loan of 25 billion dollars?
Ford makes a fuel-efficient car in the U.K. doing 65 MPG running on clean diesel and is unable to market this vehicle in the USA.
Unable to start a factory in the USA or Mexico to build them there for the American market.
25 billion dollars is not going to change that.
President Bush this week wanted to donate 5 billion dollars to the auto industry from a fund to develop more fuel-efficient cars.
Cars that already exist in Europe and Japan.
Where they have started developing fuel-efficient cars decades ago.
The American auto industry has always refused to go into that direction and if they suddenly would do now, it will take years and years before they come up with something that makes sense.
Meanwhile the fuel efficient cars are already there and while the Americans are learning how to design a perfect circle, the Europeans and Japanese advance even further, getting even more far ahead than they already are.
Meanwhile a stunning development has been taking place.
The ban on importing fuel-efficient cars running on diesel in the USA has been lifted!
The first car now available is the German Volkswagen Jetta.
Equipped with a 2 litre, 4 cylinders, “common rail” direct injection turbocharged diesel engine running on ultra low sulphur fuel.
Doing in town 30 MPG and on the highway 41 MPG.
A very nice car.
No strong sound coming from the engine and no smell nor fumes.
Fast and quick.
Costing $ 21.990.
$ 2.000 cheaper than a Toyota Prius Hybride.
Truly amazing is that any American that buys this Volkswagen Jetta TDI imported from Germany, gets a Federal Income Tax Credit of $ 1.300
.
The auto industry wants 25 billion dollars and this pronto.
What they exactly need it for is unclear.
The sales of automobiles has dropped dramatically.
Hence, is the 25 billion dollars intended to continue to build cars nobody buys?
The other vital question is what will happen when the 25 billion dollar has been spend by the auto industry.
Will they suddenly have become profitable because of this financial injection?
Ford alone burns now 1 billion dollar a month from its reserves.
Hence, 25 billion dollars obtained by the three car companies will have evaporated within a year and then what?
Will they have suddenly car models to offer everybody wants after this loan of 25 billion dollars?
Ford makes a fuel-efficient car in the U.K. doing 65 MPG running on clean diesel and is unable to market this vehicle in the USA.
Unable to start a factory in the USA or Mexico to build them there for the American market.
25 billion dollars is not going to change that.
President Bush this week wanted to donate 5 billion dollars to the auto industry from a fund to develop more fuel-efficient cars.
Cars that already exist in Europe and Japan.
Where they have started developing fuel-efficient cars decades ago.
The American auto industry has always refused to go into that direction and if they suddenly would do now, it will take years and years before they come up with something that makes sense.
Meanwhile the fuel efficient cars are already there and while the Americans are learning how to design a perfect circle, the Europeans and Japanese advance even further, getting even more far ahead than they already are.
Meanwhile a stunning development has been taking place.
The ban on importing fuel-efficient cars running on diesel in the USA has been lifted!
The first car now available is the German Volkswagen Jetta.
Equipped with a 2 litre, 4 cylinders, “common rail” direct injection turbocharged diesel engine running on ultra low sulphur fuel.
Doing in town 30 MPG and on the highway 41 MPG.
A very nice car.
No strong sound coming from the engine and no smell nor fumes.
Fast and quick.
Costing $ 21.990.
$ 2.000 cheaper than a Toyota Prius Hybride.
Truly amazing is that any American that buys this Volkswagen Jetta TDI imported from Germany, gets a Federal Income Tax Credit of $ 1.300
.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Impossible cars
A pretty scaring thing is going on with the tax money of the American people.
The Bush administration doesn’t want to bail out the bankrupt auto industry.
White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said yesterday that the auto companies had made business decisions "over the years that have led to this situation, but we have gone as far as we can with the authority Congress has given in order to help industries."
Hence, the Bush administration doesn’t want to do more.
But the Democrats have a different opinion.
"In order to prevent the failure of one or more of the major American automobile manufacturers ... Congress and the Bush administration must take immediate action," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said.
Will that be throwing good money at bad money?
We may think so because the American auto industry is a failure in many ways.
Let’s take General Motors, running out of money and going bankrupt next year without Government help.
General Motors has a brand called Chevrolet.
The most simple, smallest and cheapest Chevrolet for the year 2009 is called the Aveo.
This car is equipped with a 1.600 cc gasoline engine and makes 25 miles to the gallon.
A similar car is build by the French company Renault.
The Renault Grand Modus.
This French car is equipped with a 1.500 cc diesel engine and makes 52 miles to the gallon.
That is pretty stunning.
One gallon delivering in one case 25 miles and in the other case 52 miles.
The French car is more than twice as economic as the American vehicle.
Both cars are equipped with the most modern technology and the best the engineers of the two companies have to offer.
This example, based on naked facts, shows how outdated and behind Chevrolet is.
A company that is still building and selling a car called the Corvette doing 15 miles to the gallon…
There are two reasons why it is important a car has an engine using as little fuel as possible.
The least reason is economic: we are spending less money on fuel and on importing oil.
The major reason is the environment: the more fuel we use, the more we destroy this planet.
This concept of thinking lives actively for many years with the European and Japanese carmakers.
This is why they are the ones who have now the fuel-efficient cars to offer.
Chevrolet/GM, Ford and Chrysler have missed that boat completely.
It makes therefore no sense to carry billions of tax Dollars now to the US automakers.
It will only be to keep the workers in their jobs.
Who are making outdated cars extremely harmful to the environment and expensive to drive.
One reason for this mess the American auto industry is in comes from the fact that the Renault Grand Modus is not for sale in the USA.
Renault cars and other European sophisticated cars, as are made by Peugeot, Fiat and Citroen, are not allowed to be imported into the USA.
The American Government preaching to other countries the edict of free trade and opening the borders for the USA to export their products, closes their own border to protect their own auto industry.
This has been devastating because competition was eliminated.
The Big Three had no motivation and incentive to do their best.
What is the solution?
It is unavoidable that large sections of the American auto industry need to be closed down.
It is unavoidable that most of the management of those companies have to be fired and replaced by progressive and innovative thinking persons.
It is unavoidable, to have a quick solution, to start building in license European cars in the USA.
Meanwhile, too many Americans are stuck with a car polluting heavily and using large amounts of gasoline.
Those Americans will not be able to change that situation soon.
Their current cars have no trade in value and they can’t get or afford credit to buy a more environmentally and economic vehicle.
This is a fabulous opportunity for innovative Americans to come up with a solution that makes the engines in the American cars now around more clean and economic.
Imagine that for $ 200 a person can bring his Chevrolet Impala, the 2009 model doing a poor 19 miles to the gallon, to a place where they install something in the engine so that the MPG goes up to 52 like the Renault Grand Modus?
Impossible?
Everything seems to be impossible until later it turns out to be an innovation.
Hence, it MUST be impossible for something to become progress.
The fact it is impossible is exactly the positive aspect.
How else to do the impossible?
The current state of the American auto industry has a lot of impossibilities.
Too many to justify showering billions of Dollars on it.
But it is a golden opportunity to demonstrate how brilliant and innovative Americans still can be.
.
The Bush administration doesn’t want to bail out the bankrupt auto industry.
White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said yesterday that the auto companies had made business decisions "over the years that have led to this situation, but we have gone as far as we can with the authority Congress has given in order to help industries."
Hence, the Bush administration doesn’t want to do more.
But the Democrats have a different opinion.
"In order to prevent the failure of one or more of the major American automobile manufacturers ... Congress and the Bush administration must take immediate action," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said.
Will that be throwing good money at bad money?
We may think so because the American auto industry is a failure in many ways.
Let’s take General Motors, running out of money and going bankrupt next year without Government help.
General Motors has a brand called Chevrolet.
The most simple, smallest and cheapest Chevrolet for the year 2009 is called the Aveo.
This car is equipped with a 1.600 cc gasoline engine and makes 25 miles to the gallon.
A similar car is build by the French company Renault.
The Renault Grand Modus.
This French car is equipped with a 1.500 cc diesel engine and makes 52 miles to the gallon.
That is pretty stunning.
One gallon delivering in one case 25 miles and in the other case 52 miles.
The French car is more than twice as economic as the American vehicle.
Both cars are equipped with the most modern technology and the best the engineers of the two companies have to offer.
This example, based on naked facts, shows how outdated and behind Chevrolet is.
A company that is still building and selling a car called the Corvette doing 15 miles to the gallon…
There are two reasons why it is important a car has an engine using as little fuel as possible.
The least reason is economic: we are spending less money on fuel and on importing oil.
The major reason is the environment: the more fuel we use, the more we destroy this planet.
This concept of thinking lives actively for many years with the European and Japanese carmakers.
This is why they are the ones who have now the fuel-efficient cars to offer.
Chevrolet/GM, Ford and Chrysler have missed that boat completely.
It makes therefore no sense to carry billions of tax Dollars now to the US automakers.
It will only be to keep the workers in their jobs.
Who are making outdated cars extremely harmful to the environment and expensive to drive.
One reason for this mess the American auto industry is in comes from the fact that the Renault Grand Modus is not for sale in the USA.
Renault cars and other European sophisticated cars, as are made by Peugeot, Fiat and Citroen, are not allowed to be imported into the USA.
The American Government preaching to other countries the edict of free trade and opening the borders for the USA to export their products, closes their own border to protect their own auto industry.
This has been devastating because competition was eliminated.
The Big Three had no motivation and incentive to do their best.
What is the solution?
It is unavoidable that large sections of the American auto industry need to be closed down.
It is unavoidable that most of the management of those companies have to be fired and replaced by progressive and innovative thinking persons.
It is unavoidable, to have a quick solution, to start building in license European cars in the USA.
Meanwhile, too many Americans are stuck with a car polluting heavily and using large amounts of gasoline.
Those Americans will not be able to change that situation soon.
Their current cars have no trade in value and they can’t get or afford credit to buy a more environmentally and economic vehicle.
This is a fabulous opportunity for innovative Americans to come up with a solution that makes the engines in the American cars now around more clean and economic.
Imagine that for $ 200 a person can bring his Chevrolet Impala, the 2009 model doing a poor 19 miles to the gallon, to a place where they install something in the engine so that the MPG goes up to 52 like the Renault Grand Modus?
Impossible?
Everything seems to be impossible until later it turns out to be an innovation.
Hence, it MUST be impossible for something to become progress.
The fact it is impossible is exactly the positive aspect.
How else to do the impossible?
The current state of the American auto industry has a lot of impossibilities.
Too many to justify showering billions of Dollars on it.
But it is a golden opportunity to demonstrate how brilliant and innovative Americans still can be.
.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Beautiful words but?
The people in the United States can sleep peacefully again.
Barack Obama has returned home.
Back from his visits to Afghanistan, Iraq, the Middle East and Europe.
Now we know his ambition is to become President of the World.
It has been a long time that a politician has been so popular.
Not only in his home country but abroad as well.
A young US Senator inspiring over 200.000 people to come and listen to him in Germany…
However, if one has studied and learned from history, as soon as a politician gets as popular as Barack Obama, one must get suspicious.
Imagine the monumental expectations he has triggered and is now carrying on his back.
Can he deliver in case he is elected?
Are all those beautiful and sweet words now spoken so eloquently, transformed later in concrete decisions?
And will those decisions make the changes that are needed and promised?
There is a convincing theory that this is in the USA not possible.
The necessary changes can never be achieved.
Promised, yes.
But not enforced.
The reason is that there are pressure groups with enormous influence on the politicians.
The lobby groups.
For example, a politician has no chance whatsoever to be elected if he declares that the Palestinians must stop their attacks on Israel immediately.
And that Israel must stop immediately the illegal building of more settlements on occupied land.
A politician will be banned and boycotted by the Arab and Jewish lobbies right away.
Loosing not only their considerable votes but their financial support as well.
Another example are the gun laws.
Basically anybody in the USA can buy a gun.
There are restrictions but the principle is that an American can buy and have a gun.
This has gotten completely out of hand.
The most sophisticated and deadly hand guns can be bought that will not serve any purpose except for being extremely dangerous in case they are used.
Machine guns, bazookas, and military guns: any gun is available.
This is completely idiotic.
If the principle of a country is that any person must have the option to defend him or herself with a gun, why can somebody buy an M-60 machine gun?
It would be an excellent idea of a US politician to limit the availability of weapons.
For example, only small handguns and only for qualified customers.
All the rest of the war machines banned.
But in the USA is a strong gun lobby.
There have been politicians, like John Kerry, who wished to be elected and went on a hunting trip shooting innocent animals only to demonstrate they were not opposed to guns.
To try to lure the gun lobby on their side.
The same is going on these days concerning the energy crises.
All the politicians are shouting that the USA should become less dependent of foreign oil.
That the oil should come from nature reserves in Alaska.
Or that wind and solar energy should be developed quickly.
But not one politician is talking about changing the way of living.
Saying that an average American is using enormous amounts of energy compared to people in the rest of the world.
Simply by the way the American decides to live.
Even Barack Obama does not have the courage to say that the way most Americans are living and consuming energy now is not only morally intolerable but also impossible to sustain.
The message should be that drastic changes should come into the lives of the Americans.
To simplify their lives and let go of many of their devastating and destructive habits.
How can a politician come to power opposing all those lobbies?
Presenting a real alternative that would result in the people having to simplify their lives?
No way.
It’s impossible.
Barack Obama is charismatic and refreshing.
But after all those disastrous Bush years people are dying to embrace a new leader they can believe in.
However, all the current expectations building up by the day guarantee deep disappointment later.
Therefore, the sweet and well-spoken words of Barack Obama are alluring.
But not more than that.
50.000 guns for sale at:
http://www.gunsamerica.com/Search.aspx?T=machine%20gun
.
Barack Obama has returned home.
Back from his visits to Afghanistan, Iraq, the Middle East and Europe.
Now we know his ambition is to become President of the World.
It has been a long time that a politician has been so popular.
Not only in his home country but abroad as well.
A young US Senator inspiring over 200.000 people to come and listen to him in Germany…
However, if one has studied and learned from history, as soon as a politician gets as popular as Barack Obama, one must get suspicious.
Imagine the monumental expectations he has triggered and is now carrying on his back.
Can he deliver in case he is elected?
Are all those beautiful and sweet words now spoken so eloquently, transformed later in concrete decisions?
And will those decisions make the changes that are needed and promised?
There is a convincing theory that this is in the USA not possible.
The necessary changes can never be achieved.
Promised, yes.
But not enforced.
The reason is that there are pressure groups with enormous influence on the politicians.
The lobby groups.
For example, a politician has no chance whatsoever to be elected if he declares that the Palestinians must stop their attacks on Israel immediately.
And that Israel must stop immediately the illegal building of more settlements on occupied land.
A politician will be banned and boycotted by the Arab and Jewish lobbies right away.
Loosing not only their considerable votes but their financial support as well.
Another example are the gun laws.
Basically anybody in the USA can buy a gun.
There are restrictions but the principle is that an American can buy and have a gun.
This has gotten completely out of hand.
The most sophisticated and deadly hand guns can be bought that will not serve any purpose except for being extremely dangerous in case they are used.
Machine guns, bazookas, and military guns: any gun is available.
This is completely idiotic.
If the principle of a country is that any person must have the option to defend him or herself with a gun, why can somebody buy an M-60 machine gun?
It would be an excellent idea of a US politician to limit the availability of weapons.
For example, only small handguns and only for qualified customers.
All the rest of the war machines banned.
But in the USA is a strong gun lobby.
There have been politicians, like John Kerry, who wished to be elected and went on a hunting trip shooting innocent animals only to demonstrate they were not opposed to guns.
To try to lure the gun lobby on their side.
The same is going on these days concerning the energy crises.
All the politicians are shouting that the USA should become less dependent of foreign oil.
That the oil should come from nature reserves in Alaska.
Or that wind and solar energy should be developed quickly.
But not one politician is talking about changing the way of living.
Saying that an average American is using enormous amounts of energy compared to people in the rest of the world.
Simply by the way the American decides to live.
Even Barack Obama does not have the courage to say that the way most Americans are living and consuming energy now is not only morally intolerable but also impossible to sustain.
The message should be that drastic changes should come into the lives of the Americans.
To simplify their lives and let go of many of their devastating and destructive habits.
How can a politician come to power opposing all those lobbies?
Presenting a real alternative that would result in the people having to simplify their lives?
No way.
It’s impossible.
Barack Obama is charismatic and refreshing.
But after all those disastrous Bush years people are dying to embrace a new leader they can believe in.
However, all the current expectations building up by the day guarantee deep disappointment later.
Therefore, the sweet and well-spoken words of Barack Obama are alluring.
But not more than that.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
50.000 guns for sale at:
http://www.gunsamerica.com/Search.aspx?T=machine%20gun
.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Back to Earth
Sometimes it is interesting to play with figures.
To reveal truth and reality.
Today we use this method to shine a light on the price of gasoline.
People in the United States complain, suffer and are disturbed because the price of gasoline has been going up so much.
Depending in which State, the price of a gallon of gas ranges from 3,85 $ in Missouri to 4,61 $ in California.
If we accept an average price of 4,00 $ a gallon, we can translate this into litres and Euros.
4,00 $ a gallon is 0,67 € per litre.
Seen from a European perspective, this is a bargain.
One litre of gasoline in Europe costs 1,68 €.
That is 0,67 € in the USA and 1,68€ in Europe.
For the convenience of our loyal and fervent American readers, a gallon of gas would cost in Europe 6,36 $.
Hence, 4,00 $ a gallon is still 59 % cheaper compared with what the Europeans pay for their gas.
Remarkable is that the European economies are doing rather well.
In spite of the higher price they pay for gasoline and diesel.
There are positive aspects to the rising price of oil.
It makes people think in a more conscious way about the way they live.
The realization will come that this lifestyle of consuming in excessive ways, as is now happening, is unsustainable.
Too many people do not want to listen to Al Gore and to become conscious of the elite position they occupy.
But now, because of what they consider a high price to pay for gas, they are waking up and are buying Hybrid cars.
Leaving the gas guzzling RV in the driveway to spend the weekend in the garden.
Once people are used to an excessive material life style they believe their happiness and wellbeing depends of it.
The idea that part of it will not be available anymore, scares them to death.
This is why no politician ever mentions to his or her electorate that more sober and simple times are needed.
This perspective will turn voters away, while it is not only very true but highly needed as well.
Because politicians are avoiding and evading this matter, the changes will come too late and in a painful and dramatic way.
Now one or two loyal and fervent blog readers may mention that yesterday Presidential hopeful John McCain plans to build 45 new nuclear power plants if he gets into the White House.
Isn’t that offering a solution to the current problems?
Maybe.
We must realize that nuclear technology is still not ideal.
We are left with garbage coming out of these plants that we don’t know what to do with and that is very dangerous in many ways.
The suggestion of McCain to build 45 nuclear power plants implies that the way many people live in the USA, using the highest amounts of energy in the world, is something that doesn’t need to change and can continue.
For example, houses have been visited in the USA that are having a central air-conditioning system.
Not only this system was used while the temperature outside was not that high and opening the windows would have been as effective to get coolness into the house.
But also every room of the house was cooled.
Even the rooms that were not used.
This is an expression of a mentality and an attitude.
That are very hard to change.
Except if the price of electricity would go up to realistic levels like the price of gasoline and electricity in Europe is having.
One KWH (Kilo Watt per Hour) costs in the USA on average 0,09 $ and in Europe 0,20 $.
No way a European cools all the rooms in the house with air conditioning.
That would cost a fortune and it does.
Not only having to dig into the own pocket but it costs Earth a fortune as well.
It has been calculated that one person in the United States is using on average 10.000 litres of oil annually.
A European uses less than 5.000 litres per year.
And someone in South America about 1.250 litres.
There is much to say for having gas cost in the USA over 6,00 $ a gallon.
And electricity at least 0,20 $ per KWH.
To bring everybody back to Earth.
To learn more about energy consumption worldwide, click on:
http://timeforchange.org/prediction-of-energy-consumption
.
To reveal truth and reality.
Today we use this method to shine a light on the price of gasoline.
People in the United States complain, suffer and are disturbed because the price of gasoline has been going up so much.
Depending in which State, the price of a gallon of gas ranges from 3,85 $ in Missouri to 4,61 $ in California.
If we accept an average price of 4,00 $ a gallon, we can translate this into litres and Euros.
4,00 $ a gallon is 0,67 € per litre.
Seen from a European perspective, this is a bargain.
One litre of gasoline in Europe costs 1,68 €.
That is 0,67 € in the USA and 1,68€ in Europe.
For the convenience of our loyal and fervent American readers, a gallon of gas would cost in Europe 6,36 $.
Hence, 4,00 $ a gallon is still 59 % cheaper compared with what the Europeans pay for their gas.
Remarkable is that the European economies are doing rather well.
In spite of the higher price they pay for gasoline and diesel.
There are positive aspects to the rising price of oil.
It makes people think in a more conscious way about the way they live.
The realization will come that this lifestyle of consuming in excessive ways, as is now happening, is unsustainable.
Too many people do not want to listen to Al Gore and to become conscious of the elite position they occupy.
But now, because of what they consider a high price to pay for gas, they are waking up and are buying Hybrid cars.
Leaving the gas guzzling RV in the driveway to spend the weekend in the garden.
Once people are used to an excessive material life style they believe their happiness and wellbeing depends of it.
The idea that part of it will not be available anymore, scares them to death.
This is why no politician ever mentions to his or her electorate that more sober and simple times are needed.
This perspective will turn voters away, while it is not only very true but highly needed as well.
Because politicians are avoiding and evading this matter, the changes will come too late and in a painful and dramatic way.
Now one or two loyal and fervent blog readers may mention that yesterday Presidential hopeful John McCain plans to build 45 new nuclear power plants if he gets into the White House.
Isn’t that offering a solution to the current problems?
Maybe.
We must realize that nuclear technology is still not ideal.
We are left with garbage coming out of these plants that we don’t know what to do with and that is very dangerous in many ways.
The suggestion of McCain to build 45 nuclear power plants implies that the way many people live in the USA, using the highest amounts of energy in the world, is something that doesn’t need to change and can continue.
For example, houses have been visited in the USA that are having a central air-conditioning system.
Not only this system was used while the temperature outside was not that high and opening the windows would have been as effective to get coolness into the house.
But also every room of the house was cooled.
Even the rooms that were not used.
This is an expression of a mentality and an attitude.
That are very hard to change.
Except if the price of electricity would go up to realistic levels like the price of gasoline and electricity in Europe is having.
One KWH (Kilo Watt per Hour) costs in the USA on average 0,09 $ and in Europe 0,20 $.
No way a European cools all the rooms in the house with air conditioning.
That would cost a fortune and it does.
Not only having to dig into the own pocket but it costs Earth a fortune as well.
It has been calculated that one person in the United States is using on average 10.000 litres of oil annually.
A European uses less than 5.000 litres per year.
And someone in South America about 1.250 litres.
There is much to say for having gas cost in the USA over 6,00 $ a gallon.
And electricity at least 0,20 $ per KWH.
To bring everybody back to Earth.
++++++++++++++++++++++
To learn more about energy consumption worldwide, click on:
http://timeforchange.org/prediction-of-energy-consumption
.
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