Drought?

[Al Agnew]

We're at about 5000 feet. It's been in the 90s during the day, but the mornings are cool. Nice breeze most of the time, and if you're in the shade it's very pleasant even during the hottest part of the day.

Check out Snopes for the old, tired, "Al Gore said he created the internet" thing...he never claimed that in so many words, and he really DID have some part in the creation of the internet. There have been lots worse hyperbole uttered by politicians. I still wish Bill Bradley had taken the nomination in 2000 instead of Gore, though...he was the last politician that I really got excited about. And I saw him play basketball against my high school team (although I was still in grade school at the time).

[ness]

Check out Snopes for the old, tired, "Al Gore said he created the internet" thing...he never claimed that in so many words, and he really DID have some part in the creation of the internet. There have been lots worse hyperbole uttered by politicians. I still wish Bill Bradley had taken the nomination in 2000 instead of Gore, though...he was the last politician that I really got excited about. And I saw him play basketball against my high school team (although I was still in grade school at the time).

Yeah, I'm not an Al Gore fan by any means -- but geez. That is one tired, old, argument that never held water. If you can't find issues with him for legitimate reasons, then just 'hesh up', as my junior high (that's middle school to you young pups) gym teacher used to say.

[Goggle-Eyed]

I just returned from the USA back to my home in China. I can tell you that there is not much the USA can do to affect the GLOBAL conditions. I am all for everyone doing their own part but living first hand in a developing country puts a lot of things into perspective.

I live on the 20th floor over looking a very polluted lake, on the days that I can actually see through the smog the water is a "neon green" with less than 1" of visibility. Many days I can't even see the lake because the air is so thick. On very bad days you can actually "taste" the metal in the air.

I have travelled all over China and been to some VERY rural areas that don't have much industry within 200-300 miles, the air still sucks.

I applaud the efforts of the individual person but they will never be enough to overcome the rest of the world.

I will point out that China had some major rain storms over the weekend and the air around Shanghai all the way up to Beijing has been excellent for four days. Actually saw BLUE skies and could see the moon and a couple of stars. In a year, I have seen less than 10 days of blue sky. On a Cloudless day the sky is usually grey.

[jdmidwest]

I just returned from the USA back to my home in China. I can tell you that there is not much the USA can do to affect the GLOBAL conditions. I am all for everyone doing their own part but living first hand in a developing country puts a lot of things into perspective.

I live on the 20th floor over looking a very polluted lake, on the days that I can actually see through the smog the water is a "neon green" with less than 1" of visibility. Many days I can't even see the lake because the air is so thick. On very bad days you can actually "taste" the metal in the air.

I have travelled all over China and been to some VERY rural areas that don't have much industry within 200-300 miles, the air still sucks.

I applaud the efforts of the individual person but they will never be enough to overcome the rest of the world.

I will point out that China had some major rain storms over the weekend and the air around Shanghai all the way up to Beijing has been excellent for four days. Actually saw BLUE skies and could see the moon and a couple of stars. In a year, I have seen less than 10 days of blue sky. On a Cloudless day the sky is usually grey.

What he said in a nutshell...

We know what we are doing, tell the rest of the world.

[Al Agnew]

I wasn't going to get dragged back into this, but gotta say...China isn't stupid. They know what they're doing to their environment. They are playing a big game of chicken to see if they can become the world's leading economy and raise the standard of living of all their people before they totally wreck their own environment and the world's environment. But they are also working full speed to develop solar and other forms of energy. What we should have been doing is working even harder to develop alternative energy, in order to become the world leader in new energy technology and then export it to China. Instead, China is already exporting it to us.

[drew03cmc]

I wasn't going to get dragged back into this, but gotta say...China isn't stupid. They know what they're doing to their environment. They are playing a big game of chicken to see if they can become the world's leading economy and raise the standard of living of all their people before they totally wreck their own environment and the world's environment. But they are also working full speed to develop solar and other forms of energy. What we should have been doing is working even harder to develop alternative energy, in order to become the world leader in new energy technology and then export it to China. Instead, China is already exporting it to us.

Al, I agree with you on this. China is full of very intelligent people.

[Jerry Rapp]

China has some very smart people, mostly educated here. They are also socialist/communist. They could care less about the rest of the world. As long as they expand and make a buck they could care less about the rest of the world. Their environmentalists are either killed or sent to exile. There is no Ozangler forum over there.

[drew03cmc]

China has some very smart people, mostly educated here. They are also socialist/communist. They could care less about the rest of the world. As long as they expand and make a buck they could care less about the rest of the world. Their environmentalists are either killed or sent to exile. There is no Ozangler forum over there.

Right, wrong, right, semi-eh, again semi-eh, right.

I guess that you failed to read the current education numbers. Chinese students kick American students' asses in both math and science, so tell me they are educated here. http://www.pbs.org/n...tion_12-10.html

There is your data. You can disregard it, along with anything else that doesn't fit your mold of American Exceptionalism, but that is the truth.

[Chief Grey Bear]

They could care less about the rest of the world. As long as they expand and make a buck they could care less about the rest of the world.

Sounds just like the 1%'ers we have here. Small world huh?

[Jerry Rapp]

common sense is sure leaving us pretty darn fast.