Finger Pointing at the USA (sorry)

Gruntboy · Post by **Gruntboy** » Thu Apr 11, 2002 4:08 am

Originally posted by Un-Maimed
Maybe it even makes my point stronger..........

No. I don't even live in the US.

Alright, so we all have to be conscientious little NZers, living in perfect hydro-powered paradise (how convenient, this ain't Sid Meier's "Civiilization" you know). You realise just by how much the world population is going to have to be reduced to achieve the pinacle of Kiwi Utopianism? Any suggestions as to how we achieve this as opposed to lashing out at the US?

Hmm, how did this world invent and harness hydro power in the first place, I wonder.

Sometimes I wish I had been born in a more fortuitious area of the globe and in a different time so I could go on the web and hurl accusations at people. And then I remember that is the only thing that differentiates us to begin with (chance).

EDIT - oh yeah, grabbed our attention? Who do you think you are? Young journalist of the year? I choke down London smog every day on the way to work. Get over it, I know it exists. When the world finally destroys itself I'll go happily (despite not living in the Heaven-on-Earth of New Zealand).

BTW, just 'cos the filmed LOTR there doesn't give you carte-blanche to dictate to the world how to live. There is just as much a range of beautiful scenery in North America, I've seen it.

Kameleon · Post by **Kameleon** » Thu Apr 11, 2002 4:23 am

Originally posted by Gruntboy
more fortuitious area

Yes, I believe that every geordie would rather be starving in Ethiopia than be born anywhere near Newcastle

Kayless · Post by **Kayless** » Thu Apr 11, 2002 4:45 am

Originally posted by Gruntboy
There is just as much a range of beautiful scenery in North America, I've seen it.

You should visit Alaska sometime Grunt. Plenty of wildlife and open spaces up here.

Mr Sleep · Post by **Mr Sleep** » Thu Apr 11, 2002 4:50 am

Originally posted by Un-Maimed
Hello again everyone - since there has been a few replys to this post Im quessing its grabbed the attention of a few....

I think everyone is fairly aware of Green House gases etc, they are hardly a revelation, but will you give up plastics and other such luxuries to save our planet?

Gruntboy · Post by **Gruntboy** » Thu Apr 11, 2002 4:51 am

Well exactly. I'll bet Ethiopians don't give a damn about the environment as long as they're fed.

Come up to Newcastle, Kameleon, and I'll see how long you last, I mean show you.

Ode to a Grasshopper · Thu Apr 11, 2002 5:02 am

Grunty's just jealous because they didn't film LOTR in London.

Gruntboy · Post by **Gruntboy** » Thu Apr 11, 2002 5:04 am

No, I'm jealous I don't live in Alaska.

Mr Flibble · Post by **Mr Flibble** » Thu Apr 11, 2002 5:16 am

Originally posted by Mr Sleep

I think everyone is fairly aware of Green House gases etc, they are hardly a revelation, but will you give up plastics and other such luxuries to save our planet?

Giving up plastics and other manufacted goods is defintely no solution, but cleaning up after their production is certainly a good start. The whole world seems to have this idea that if we put our rubbish somewhere it can't be seen, then it can't hurt us anymore. Sorry to say it doesn't work like that.

I may not want to go live in a cave and hunt for food with a spear, but I definitely don't want to have to wear a gas mask or lead suit just to take a walk outside.

Kameleon · Post by **Kameleon** » Thu Apr 11, 2002 5:17 am

Never mind, I'm jealous you don't live in Alaska too

Mr Sleep · Post by **Mr Sleep** » Thu Apr 11, 2002 5:24 am

Originally posted by Mr Flibble
Giving up plastics and other manufacted goods is defintely no solution, but cleaning up after their production is certainly a good start. The whole world seems to have this idea that if we put our rubbish somewhere it can't be seen, then it can't hurt us anymore. Sorry to say it doesn't work like that.

I was using that as an example, apparently the world is screwed regardless of what we do. I think that culture would have to change far too much for any kind of impact, can you see people with V8's moving over to Electric cars?

Does anyone else find it amusing that text books from the 80's said that the world oil supply was running out in 10 years.....funny how i still use my car to get to work

Mr Flibble · Post by **Mr Flibble** » Thu Apr 11, 2002 5:43 am

@Mr Sleep - too true

Originally posted by Mr Sleep

Does anyone else find it amusing that text books from the 80's said that the world oil supply was running out in 10 years.....funny how i still use my car to get to work

Yeah, supposedly we're all supposed to have supercomputers the size of wrist watches too.

I guess we kinda fell short of the 80's expectations a bit.

Tamerlane · Post by **Tamerlane** » Thu Apr 11, 2002 5:45 am

Damn it, when I was little I was itching to get one of those flying cars.

The waiting continues...

Kameleon · Post by **Kameleon** » Thu Apr 11, 2002 5:51 am

Originally posted by Mr Flibble
wris****ch

now thats the funniest censoring I ever did see...
And Tamerlane, I always wanted a laser pistol...*sniff*

Mr Sleep · Post by **Mr Sleep** » Thu Apr 11, 2002 5:53 am

Originally posted by Mr Flibble
Yeah, supposedly we're all supposed to have supercomputers the size of wris****ches too. I guess we kinda fell short of the 80's expectations a bit.

LOL

Hey if you watch Space 1999 we are already half way across the universe

Blade Runner: 2010 we have replicants, flying ships, kipple....seems unlikely at the moment

HighLordDave · Post by **HighLordDave** » Thu Apr 11, 2002 6:01 am

The problem with a lot of pollution is that it is not "point-source" pollution. That is, the majority of pollutants are not released from factories or industrial facilities, they come from the millions of cars in a metro area or from the garbage produced by cities or any one of a number of other sources. As such, people don't individually take responsibility for keeping garbage, waste and greenhouse emissions down.

Don't get me wrong; that doesn't mean that factories should pump hundreds of tons of CFCs into the air or that companies should dump their industrial sludge into waterways just because the people living in the same cities generate more pollution per capita. However, as our friend Mr Sleep says, we will need a complete change of culture in order to stop generating as much waste as we do.

I live in the United States. I generate a lot of waste. I could do more to recycle, conserve and be more environmentally conscious. The catch is that I enjoy a lot of the conveniences that do not happen to be friendly to the planet's ecosystem. I like to drink a Pepsi(TM) out of a plastic bottle every morning. The ballfield where my kid plays Little League sells their concessions on styrofoam plates and in styrofoam cups. I buy disposable diapers for the little girl I babysit. I throw a lot of stuff away that I could pass on to someone else or otherwise recycle.

Sure, I do a few things that I consider "environment-friendly". I drive a car with an internal combustion engine that gets around 29 mpg in the city; that's pretty good, but not as good as an electric or hybrid car, but it's not as bad as an SUV or a Chevelle 454SS, either. I recycle alumninum cans, glass bottles and newspaper. I turn lights off when I leave a room, and dispose of my car's oil and coolant at state-approved drop-off sites.

The fact of the matter is that right now, I am not willing to drastically change my lifestyle for the sake of the planet. And I'm not alone. The United States generates more garbage, both in raw tonnage and per capita, than any other country in the world. It's sad and unfortunate, but until we as a society make recycling more economical than disposal, our culture won't change.

Gruntboy · Post by **Gruntboy** » Thu Apr 11, 2002 6:07 am

Kamel-boy. If you want to flame me, do it in a no spam thread - Fable has already cleaned up the filth your "oxford chum"

Frogus made.

Kameleon · Post by **Kameleon** » Thu Apr 11, 2002 6:14 am

Originally posted by Gruntboy
Kamel-boy. If you want to flame me, do it in a no spam thread - Fable has already cleaned up the filth your "oxford chum" Frogus made.

filth? where?? gimme!!!

and that wasn't a flame, nor did it come close - I class that under "banter"...and since when is this a totally no-spam thread?

K0r/\/f1@k€$ · Post by **K0r/\/f1@k€$** » Thu Apr 11, 2002 6:35 am

Originally posted by HighLordDave
The fact of the matter is that right now, I am not willing to drastically change my lifestyle for the sake of the planet. And I'm not alone.

In that case, once we've finished trashing this planet, why dont we move on to another one? This is a serious point by the way. Why doesnt Dubbya divert his defence budget into something with a little more long-term effect?

Gruntboy · Post by **Gruntboy** » Thu Apr 11, 2002 6:48 am

Originally posted by Kameleon

...and since when is this a totally no-spam thread?

That's what I thought... [casts evil eye at Fable]

Gruntboy · Post by **Gruntboy** » Thu Apr 11, 2002 6:49 am

Originally posted by K0r/\/f1@k€$
Why doesnt Dubbya divert his defence budget into something with a little more long-term effect?

So we'll have a nice clean planet, if only for the terrorist dirty bombs going off every 5 seconds.

Uranium in my water supply? Yummy!! I *can* be as ugly as Kameleon!