Oil Spill, a slippery slope

[Jim Koepke]

All life is doomed to extinction. Sometimes its from a rock slamming into the earth, or a giant volcano, a virus/germ, and sometimes you just get out bred and extinction happens through an evolutionary process.



Curing polio wasn't dumb, nor was any of the other diseases that have kept the numbers in check. But we haven't cured a lot of things that could put the population back under a million world wide. The various strains of Ebola come to mind. It has a better than 80% mortality rate, it disables and kills its host in such a short amount of time that the chances of it spreading very far isn't all that great. Some new strain that has a longer incubation period very well could spell trouble.

My point isn't that we use too much as individuals, its just that there are far too many individuals using. At some point we won't be able to grow enough food. When is that? Technology keeps bailing that one out too, but at some point we will hit critical mass and our numbers will become unsustainable.

If you wish to accept a defeatist attitude that is certainly your right.

My preference is to take side with those who feel our technology can not only lead us out of our fossil fuel dependence, but lead us into a society that is more caring for the earth and each other as opposed to promoting constant conflict. My choice of hoping for a better future may never come to be. My feeling is that it suits my demeanor better than expecting and accepting the worst for the future of Mankind.

jim

[Pat Germain]

Maybe the human race is doomed to extinction.

jim

That would indeed solve many problems.

[Greg Peterson]

If you wish to accept a defeatist attitude that is certainly your right.

Well stated Jim. I too feel there is tremendous upside (and very little, ir any downside) in finding ways of breaking our dependence on external sources to maintain our standard of living.

The global appetite for energy continues to grow while the supply has been largely limited to 19th century thinking. Other than 'That is the way it's always been done' mentality, there is no reason for one person to use a V8 SUV to commute twenty miles each day. If anything, we lack a terrible lack of imagination in addressing the myriad ways in which we can harness energy.

Matching the source to the application is critical, but the default attitude has always been more power.

[Jim Koepke]

Karl, if you go first, can I have your shoes?


.

You may not want them, they could be full of some terrible virus.

jim

[Greg Peterson]

Karl, if you go first, can I have your shoes?

So you are saying you would want to walk a mile in those shoes?

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Greg,

He's just looking for another pair of shoes.....he has no pride....and he will accept used.....

[Mitchell Andrus]

Greg,

He's just looking for another pair of shoes.....he has no pride....and he will accept used.....

Two great end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it movies:

Road and Book of Eli.

In each, shoes were highly prized. I'm thinking that by calling 'dibs' now, I'm ahead of the curve.

I'm also collecting goats.
.

[Jim Koepke]

Two great end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it movies:

Road and Book of Eli.

In each, shoes were highly prized. I'm thinking that by calling 'dibs' now, I'm ahead of the curve.

I'm also collecting goats.
.

I will be rich. Before retirement my employer would buy workers a new pair of safety shoes once a year. Now there are about 10 pairs of steel toed shoes in my closet. Just what is needed in one of those end of the world need to kick something situations.

Size 13 for anyone who wants to line up for when I'm gone.

Can't be sure my kids won't grab them first to build their fortunes.

jim

[alex grams]

I have about 4-5 pair of steel toe boots also Jim. When I can get the company help pay for a pair of redwings every year, I am ALL over it.

I even once convinced the company shell over 250$ for a pair of these one time:
http://www.shoeline.com/asp/dcpItem....le=B350-602494

[Greg Peterson]

...BP was a major contributor to the Obama campaign ...

No contributions were excepted from any corporately funded PAC. He did accept $71K from the BP Employee PAC which was funded by individuals working for BP and family members of the employees.

Just clarifying the misperception.

[Chuck Wintle]

No contributions were excepted from any corporately funded PAC. He did accept $71K from the BP Employee PAC which was funded by individuals working for BP and family members of the employees.

Just clarifying the misperception.

of course BP would NEVER contribute money under the guise of an employee pac.

[Greg Peterson]

of course BP would NEVER contribute money under the guise of an employee pac.

What evidence can you present that they did? The BP Employee PAC accounted for less than 1/10th of one percent of contributions. Hardly an influential amount.

[Brian Elfert]

What America really needs is another Race to the Moon type program devoted to alternative energy sources. It is unlikely any source of energy will ever be as inexpensive as fossil fuels, but fossil fuels will run out some day and the price will sky rocket as supplies become scare. Some day gasoline prices will be so high that everyone will be lusting for 2008 prices of only $4 a gallon.

Some American pasttimes such as RVing may go by the wayside in the future. There is no way I could afford to replace my motorhome with a newer one that used an alternative fuel source. If they could replace diesel with a synthetic fuel that used the same engine I could maybe still afford to drive it.

The American way of life is a lot different than many European and Asian countries. Europeans and Asians tend to live in very dense housing developments such that mass transit works well. The distance between cities is also a lot less. I can drive for many miles in the Western USA without encountering a large city.

[Kent E. Matthew]

Without fossil fuel most of us would not be here. Oil if what fueled man kinds greatest achievement. Modern agriculture. In 1900 it took 78 percent of the population to grow and distribute the food. Today it takes just 2 percent. Today the population is much higher, and growing much higher in the future, and food production is much higher. The United States leads the world in food exportation. Most everything we do is enabled by fuel and limited by material science. People die without energy and the ability to use it. They die because they lack shelter, food, pharmaceuticals processed from petroleum, transportation to get supplies to where they need to be, or power a military to keep us safe. All of this is based on energy. Have you noticed that the wealthy nations are cleaner because they have the resources/money to reduce pollution. They can afford smoke stack scrubbers, toilets, advanced sewer systems, water treatment plants, catalytic converters, etc. Our wealth and population have been made possible by fossil fuel. The incredible economical energy has given us much. So, what does that mean for the future. Let's look back to the past. Man's first energy. Fire from wood. When we discovered coal was it because we ran out of wood? No. Coal was better and ushered a more powerful and productive steam engine. When gasoline prevailed did we run out of coal? No. Gasoline ushered in the more powerful and better internal combustion engine. What is next will come through the free market and will replace oil when something better and economically advantageous to switch The BP oil spill is indeed a tragedy. But, balance that against the total good fossil fuels have provided man kind I think our path is clear. A glimpse into the future? Not from me, but the Navy sure did solve their propulsion problem.

[Jim Koepke]

When I can get the company help pay for a pair of redwings every year, I am ALL over it.

Some of the RedWing stores also have an outlet for discontinued and factory seconds. They are usually about half price. I have been told some of the stores will actually write a receipt for one pair at regular price and let you take the second pair free.

jim