Thoughts on the World Opinion and analysis of current events: Politics, global warming, alternative energy and more. A realistic, moderate (but slightly left leaning) look at the world. Statistics Unique Visitors: Total Unique Visitors: Outgoing: Total Outgoing: 21 0 52 1665

Articles from Thoughts on the World

Alternative Energy Linkathon! 2007-07-11 20:10:00 Enjoy!Alternative Energy Mega ProjectsI’m going to say it straight off the bat; I’m a greenie, I love my bike above all other modes of transport, our Earth is going to hell in a hand-basket, and it’s the rich and industrialized nations of the world that are doing it to us! My kids, and my kids' kids future may already be irrevocably screwed!.. That political statement out of the way though, I want to take a look at the latest alternative-energy projects , and how they can ensure our living on Earth without gills for as long as possible.Ocean Waves Could Power the Entire PlanetThe ocean occupies 70% of the earth’s surface and the waves that occur in them have the highest energy density. That means in a relative small area substantial energy can be generated making it the most viable and virtually inexhaustible energy source. Alternative Energy - Things you didn't knowAs our energy needs rise, as our supplies of fossil fuels run out and as the state of our planet become more pr ...

AIM 2007-07-10 19:31:00 You can now contact me through AIM: bSimmons666 ...

Carbon Tax: A Simple and Efficient Way to Fight Global Warming 2007-07-10 19:19:00 Global warming is a serious threat to not only the United States of America, but to humanity as a whole. If the Earth heats to the dangerous level it is expected to, more than our national security is at stake. But the homeland will come under fire if something is not done to slow global warming. Droughts are becoming increasingly common, as are heat waves. The fight for water in poorer nations, such as those in Africa, is only aggravating conflicts there. As we saw around the turn of the century, countries in turmoil spawn frustrated, angry people that can turn in die-hard terrorists willing to do anything. Global warming has to be slowed.Placing a small carbon tax on emissions will not amount to much to the average consumer, but it will to big emitters. They will realize that they must invest in renewable energy or nuclear power. Carbon taxes are one flat tax that is predictable and easy to implement. And the tax revenue, which will be a decent amount, can be used for research into r ...

Congress Must Stop Funding For Guantanamo 2007-07-09 19:23:00 The Cafferty File, part of The Situation Room on CNN, poses a question every hour The Situation Room is on. This is today's 4:00 question, and Thoughts on the World's response.------------------------------------------------------------Should Congress stop funding the detention center at Guantanamo Bay?Of course. Guantanamo is an illegal facility, illegal under both U.S. and international laws. The majority of America (and of course, the rest of the world) believes Guantanamo should be shut down. Stopping funding would be a simple, uncontroversial way to correct one of the Bush Administration's biggest mistakes. Then, President Bush would be forced to relocate the terrorists to normal prisons to be tried constitutionally. ...

Bill Gertz China Applause 2007-07-09 18:25:00 If you're looking for the post on Bill Gertz and China, go here:http://thethoughtsontheworld.blogspot.com/2007/05/china-is-not-immediate-threat.html ...

[POLL] Would You Consider Voting for John McCain 2007-07-08 14:39:00 Don't forget to comment.Would You Consider Voting For John McCain?free polls ...

Satellite Moved To Avoid Chinese ASAT Debris 2007-07-07 06:28:00 NASA's Terra Satellite Moved to Avoid Chinese ASAT DebrisWASHINGTON - Flight controllers at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., had to maneuver the Terra environmental spacecraft in late June to avoid orbital debris created by the Jan. 11 test of a Chinese anti-satellite (A-Sat) weapon. As written previously, China's ASAT test was a dangerous act of aggression. The fact that NASA had to reposition a satellite only exemplifies the stupidity of space warfare around Earth. ...

The New 7 Wonders of the World 2007-07-06 17:59:00 The New 7 Wonders of the World poll is about to close (if it isn't closing while this is being written), and the site is crashing. You can't vote online, and many of the site descriptions won't load.Well, if the site wasn't down, here how I would vote:The AcropolisThe Acropolis is a symbol of democracy and the ancient Greeks.The ColosseumThe Colosseum is a symbol of the strongest empire of all time: Rome. During of much of Rome's history, it was a republic, a symbol of (relative) freedom.The Great Wall of ChinaThe Great Wall of China symbolizes the greatness of the ancient Chinese, and of a new superpower.Hagia SophiaThe Hagia Sophia is mix of cultures: European and West Asian.The Pyramids of GizaThe Pyramids are a symbol of the great Egyptians. The Pyramids are the only surviving wonder from the old 7 wonders.The Statue of LibertyThe Statue of Liberty is the symbol of freedom and democracy in the modern world.The Taj MahalThe Taj is one of (if not the best) example of a mixture o ...

The Simplest and Most Effective Way to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint 2007-07-05 19:18:00 Part 2 in a 2-part miniseries.Bottled water is a huge industry but a huge waste of money and resources. No matter which way you look at it, bottled water is harmful to the environment and the economy.Drinking tap water instead of bottled water is one of the simplest and most effective ways to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide you put in the atmosphere. As mentioned in 7 Facts You Never Knew About Bottled Water, 89% of water bottles are not recycled. Even if that number only went down to 70%, the result would be HUGE. And if every single water bottle was recycled…Well, we can always hope.Standard water bottles are made of PET (Terephthalate), which is made of crude oil. One kilogram of PET uses around 6.45 kilograms of crude oil and results in 3.7 kilograms of greenhouse gas emissions [1]. 3.7 kg of emissions for one bottle of water just for making the bottle; let’s not even get in to the transportation emissions (which must be considerably higher).If you had to attempt to give th ...

Happy Fourth of July 2007-07-04 21:09:00 Happy Fourth of July!Bottled Water: Part 2 is delayed until tomorrow. ...

Post of the Month: June 2007-07-03 19:18:00 Part 2 of the Bottled Water Miniseries will be posted tomorrow.Post of the Month for May is... Why Autonomous Regions Won't Work!---------------------------------------Joe Biden and others have proposed that Iraq be cut up in to 3 regions. Here's why it won't work.Autonomous regions would only survive temporarily, before they are swept up by surrounding countries. Sunnis+Saudi Arabia and Shiites+Iran. Turkey has threatened to invade Kurdistan if it becomes any more autonomous than it already is.And how would it be possible to cut up the country? Baghdad is full of Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds? The whole plan is unrealistic.There would be a temporary period of peace before the whole region is engulfed in war.Other options will work. It will take time and patience, but what Petraeus is doing in Iraq right now will work. We need to give them more time, something the majority of Americans are too impatient to do. ...

7 Facts You Never Knew About Bottled Water 2007-07-02 20:03:00 Part 1 in a 2-part miniseries.7 facts you didn’t know about bottled water (you can draw your own conclusions):• Tap water is just as safe as bottled water. In fact, the U.S. government requires more rigorous testing on tap water than on bottled water. [1] [2] • Bottled water is thousands of times more expensive than water from your faucet. [1]• Terephthalate (PET) is the most commonly used plastic for making water bottles. PET is derived from crude oil. [3]• Just in the U.S., 1.5 MILLION barrels of oil are used each year for tasks such as (but not limited to) making PET, transporting bottles and powering water bottle factories. [3]• 2.7 MILLION tons of plastic are used to bottle water bottles every year. [3]• 86% of water bottles aren’t recycled. [4] • About 40% of bottled water starts as tap water. [5]Sources:Food & Water Watch [1]NPR [2]Earth-policy.org [3]Seattle Post-Intelligencer [4]NRDC [5]For More:Wikipedia: Bottled water (Environmental impact)Bottled Water Rep ...

[POLL] Do You Agree With the Supreme Court's Decision? 2007-07-01 16:42:00 Don't forget to comment.For more polls, click here.Do you agree with the Supreme Court decision limiting the use of race by school districts attempting to achieve integration or diversity?free polls ...

Tony Blair Becomes Mideast Quartet Envoy 2007-06-30 15:28:00 Blair is Mideast envoy for 'quartet'The whole Palestinian situation has been stuck in gridlock for decades. Could Blair only worsen the situation? Possibly. It's much more likely he will be able to help; his experience with North Ireland and the IRA will be essential.Any thoughts? ...