Terrible news

[MisterCat]

Please read the relevant article, by clicking on the hyper-link below:

China's Rare River Dolphin Now Extinct, Experts Announce


Qi Qi, a rare Chinese river dolphin, was rescued from the Yangtze River in 1980 and lived in Wuhan Baiji Aquarium, until she died in 2002. A recent six-week search on the Yangtze failed to find any trace of the endangered dolphin species, leading scientists to announce that the animal is "functionally extinct."  AFP/Getty Images

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[Raffaele the Amigan]

That is really a pity.

Any species which became extinct made our Earth lesser and lesser wealthy...

And sure I don't approve what Chinese and USA made to their countries without accomplishing Kyoto treaty about pollution.

(and Kyoto treaty it is at least too much old)...

Chinese for example are doing really bad things on their homeland.

There is an entire region in China famous to being the place where computers die and are recycled...

They simply crash the motherboards and then they melt it to recycle precious metals...

Chemical residuals entered the ground, so all water supplies are now contaminated...

Also there is an enormous cloud of pollution in the entire south east Asia whcih could stay for months.

Both USA and China contine to bury Coke carbon for electricity and heating houses, but this is very very dangerous and pollute terrain and air.

Maybe with technology of reducing Coke into GAS it could be reduced the pollution but no USA neither China want to upgrading their eletricity facilities to reduce pollution because it is not economic...

I wonder how it could be economic in the future to sustain all weather climate problems, and bear pollution!

We hope that USA and China governments will consider better the economic problems for the future, learning how to change NOW, and how it could be really a true bargain to realize new technologies to reduce pollution.

It is not all expenses... It is just investing for the future ouf us and our childrens.

We in Europe are not good but at least try to introduce new technlogy and new solutions by law.

For example law says that soon only Euro-4 automobile standard cars could be used into streets...

Or another good law for example is the one about new rules regarding chemical elements and compounds present into electronic products.

It is called RoHS (Reduction of Hazardous Substances) into electronic appareils and any kind of electric devices such as radios, TV sets, computer motherboards, in order to reduce the amount of lead, chromium and other dangerous elements in the ambient.

From 2007/2008 no more Cathodic tube Television sets (CRT) could be sold in European Community.

In Italy starting rom 2010 all plastic bags should be out of market, and replced by biodegradable materials bags.

[NewYinzer]

China will destroy us all!
But not militarily or economically. Their plan is to:
- Use the world's natural resources
- Pollute the world (right now, they are close to polluting more than the United States)
- Colonize the moon
- Take their money and move to the moon
- Leave the rest of the nations to clean up the mess

On the other hand...

There is a benefit behind the coming crisis:
There is an innovative flame in America which has not died. If the government does not go into another war in the next ten years and spends billions funding research into new energy solutions, we could decrease our dependence on oil, keep our position of the most technologically advanced nation on Earth, save the environment, and:

LEAVE CHINA TO CHOKE ON THEIR ON EXHAUST!
DOWN WITH THE PRC!

[SleepyD]

I read about the extinction on wikipedia... sad news indeed.

I'm not surprised that China is polluting like mad.  I'm not an expert on China or economies, for that matter, but it seems they're zooming through the industrial phase most countries go through before they get to more technological and commercial stuffs.  

Industry is quite a polluting thing.  Industry also requires water... hence, the ginormous dams that messed up the dolphins' homes.


As for the US's situation... I assume it would take a lot more than 10 years to reduce our dependence on oil.  Solar, wind, and geothermal power is pretty expensive. Well... unless people don't resist nuclear power. That stuff can probably replace a bunch of oil and coal power plants.  (Of course, there's the dealy with nuclear waste...)

...My bet is on Japan colonizing the moon first. lol

[NewYinzer]

The problem with Japan is that they're through the growing phase. Right now their economy is recovering from the events of the late 90's and is trying to regain a lost lead. However, they'll recover, but not in time for moon colonies. They haven't launched a man into space, which is a big step. China has already launched several men into space and is working on plans for a spacewalk next year. My bets are on the United States for moon colonies. However, lets remember some things about growing nations. China's growth depends entirely on the United States importing their goods. They have a very small service and consumer industry. The European Union, Japan, Canada, and the United States are very heavy on the service industry, while still carrying on a powerful industrial might. If a recession were to strike the United States and consumers stopped buying goods at the rate they are now, China would be worse hit. The yuan is pegged to the dollar, so inflation in the US means inflation there. Also, China's rise is going to slow down and stop soon. That means that they might not take the #1 spot from the US in 2050. In fact, peak oil should hit by 2015, crippling China's dependence on oil. Also, China suffers from testy political situations with personal freedom and Taiwanese independence. On top of this is the situation in North Korea. India's growth is more sustainable and is not prone to fluctuations. In India there is a solid industrial as well as service market, allowing for a more stable rise. Face the facts, China is starting to overheat and will burst like and inflamed appendix if energy prices go up. As for the United States, we can weather a worldwide recession. We've been through worse. As for China, yes they'll be in the top ten, but my bets are on:
- The United States
- Japan
- The European Union
- India
- Canada
- Australia
- and Mexico (I frankly think that in the event of the loss of China's industrial power, there are enough cheap laborers in Mexico and South America to take up the slack. Word to the wise: Cheap labor will now move SOUTH toward the new industrialized nations of Central and South America. Just look at where your clothes were made and you'll understand)

Nuclear power? I support it.
The rise of Central and South America? It's coming.
Japan's space empire? Now, it kinda looks unlikely.
Steps to reduce the threat of China and India surpassing the US, EU, and Japan:

- Increase funding for education
- Tear down policies which prevent the smartest people from reaching the best colleges
- Increase intellectual scholarships - sport scholarships should be stopped
- Provide subsidies to companies who support education and science
- Undertake billion-dollar projects which promote science (IE: Space programs, disease research, new energy technology)
- Throw vast amounts of money into research labs, like they did with Xerox PARC and Bell Labs
- Start funding of safer nuclear power plants and ignore the red tape while maintaining safety
- Support companies who develop cleaner, more fuel efficient cars
- Put harsh punishments on companies whose pollution do not meet or exceed federal standards
- And, finally, buy yourself some CFC's!

[SleepyD]

ok, true true. Like I said, I don't know much about economics.

Well, you can at least say that JAXA has talked about (no funds just yet) it: http://www.moondaily.com/reports/Japan_Plans_Moon_Base_By_2030_999.html

I have a feeling that long post of yours will throw this topic way off track. XD

[Raffaele the Amigan]

China will destroy us all!

Chinese will harm none, don't worry...

But not militarily or economically. Their plan is to:
- Use the world's natural resources
- Pollute the world (right now, they are close to polluting more than the United States)
- Colonize the moon
- Take their money and move to the moon
- Leave the rest of the nations to clean up the mess

No probs... Chinese want to market and market, and market...

If their insane behaviour will destroy the market, making other peoples became poor and starving...
...then they could not sell anymore their products, and they will starve too...

here is an innovative flame in America which has not died. If the government does not go into another war in the next ten years and spends billions funding research into new energy solutions, we could decrease our dependence on oil, keep our position of the most technologically advanced nation on Earth, save the environment, and

In USA there are plenty of deserts which could be filled with solar panels...

And regarding Hydrogen.

Hydrogen it is more dangerous than oil and gasoline.

If exposed to flames of just sparkles, it detonates in a single explosion burnt...

Have you seen movies of Hindenburg airship burning in 1936??

Then imagine a collision between two hydrogen cars. It will be devastating...

And more devstating if some collisions o_o  will occour into the city limits...


But if not into cars, at least Hydrogen could be used by big vehicles such as trains, ships, trucks...

[CaptBrenden]

Actually New Yinz, like it or not, WAR is the number one cause of advancements in technology.  And not just for military application.  In most cases the technologys learned for military purposes prove to be just as useful in the peacetime world.  If not for the primal barberic force of war we would not be as advanced as we are today.  

As for the USA staying the technological might that it claims to be, the start of the current war showed us how out dated our technology was.  Had we faced stronger opponents we would have been in for a harsh lesson indeed.  It took about 2 years or so to update our forces over there with the equipment peacetime budgeters denied us.  Heck, untill recently cops had better body armor then the soldier on the front line ( for the most part they still do) At the start of the war most of our trucks and humvees lacked adiquate armor to even stop small arms rounds, now ive seen trucks take an RPG and the men inside walk away with minor injurys.  

I am not a fan of war.  I know more dead people then anyone ever should and I still have nightmares of some of the stuff I saw out there, but war is a nessicary evil in many cases.  Heck, war it self is not evil, the politics involved behind it are what make it evil.  When Nazi germany went to war for power, it was evil, but when the allies went to war to defend, war was noble and very nessicary.  As for the current war.. good and evil are not so clear.  On one hand, we did something that needed to be done.  The US cant claim to love freedom and that all people have the right to life liberty and the persuit of happienes and then sit back and watch a dictator exploit coerce and murder his people simply because it is not in their borders.  However the politics over oil and power that are also there tarnish the noble ideals of saving the Iraqi people..

Anyhow.. I kind of strayed for the original point of this post.  My point was, simply avoiding war and pulling out of this one does not mean the money going to it will go to anything "more productive" or will make us "more advanced"  The goverment will surely find frivilus things to spend that money on other then the noble things they should.  This war probobly did more to bring us up to date then had we simply not gone to war 4 years ago.

[NewYinzer]

True, war does help technology. However, in recent years, it serves to lower the country's spirits if we stay there too long. I prefer not to comment too much on Iraq, much due to the fact that it's a war we're still fighting. I agree that it has helped progress military technology, oust an evil dictator, and secure a supply of oil, but it's become a black mark in the minds of the American people. However, I think that there will always be war, no matter how hard the United Nations tries. I think we've become distracted from the real purpose as to why we went into Iraq - to stop the spread of global terrorism. Now there are two evil dictators with nukes who hate the United States. Iran wants to destroy Israel to make the area Islamic. North Korea wants a missile that they can shove in peoples faces when they ask for food, aid, or electrical power. However, war in both countries would be deadly. The North Koreans have been brainwashed into hating the United States. Just look at their propaganda. In Iran's case, they've always hated the US as well. War with those two countries would be worse than Iraq and Vietnam combined. In this nucking futs world we're living in, preserving peace without appeasement has become more important than ever. But a bigger question remains:

Will there be any dolphins left in 2050?

[CaptBrenden]

War is never popular after a while -_- the american public was foolish to belive it would be over quickly. those of us in the military knew it wouldnt be so. However,  pulling out because the publics opinion of it is exactly what the terrorists are shooting for.  They will never beat the US military, but they cant beat the US public.  And that is their goal, and they may just win.  The american public dispite the violence on TV and the crime in the streets is pretty much sheltered from the horrors of the world, and its pretty easy to demoralize them, especialy with they way the media depicts things (the average american bases their opinion on what they see on tv, but thats a very scued point of view.  the media never reports buildings that dont burn down) Heck its happened before.  In 1983 a group of terrorists bombed the US Marines barraks in beruit (who I might add were there only to do humanitarian work...) killing over 200 people.  The american people pulled them out in a week.  they won.

It might be a black spot in their minds now... but only history will tell how it truley ends.  We could be stuck in there for a long time and never acomplish anything and it will be a black mark in history.. or maybe democrocy will take root and far down the line this war will be the point remembered in history when something was done to bring peace to the most war torn spot on the globe.

If youll remember... the civil war was very unpopular too.. the people were crying that Lincon was an idiot, that we should give up and let the south suceed... Looking back now, he is viewed as one of our greatest presidents and that war a pivitol moment in history.  Im not saying bush will ever be hailed as anything other then a potato, but who knows how or where this could end up...

As for taking on korea or Iran... I ran would be pretty close to Iraq i hate to admit it, but i dont think as much for Korea.  Korea would be bloody, violent, but conventional.  It would be a true war (as where Iraq isnt a war anymore dispite what people call it.  Its a policing action at best)  But I do belive there is need for something to be done there too.. both places.. But i dont know if we have the manpower to do it at the moment, not with the wavering support of our "allies"

As for the dolphins.. I belive there will be.  at least somewhere... but again time will tell.

i really ught to stop talking about the "war" tho... Im out in 2 days.. it dosent really concernt me anymore... not directly anyways..

[MisterCat]

It's a pity about those dolphins, isn't it?

;018

=^..^=

[Silentbob]

It's a pity about those dolphins, isn't it?

;018

=^..^=

Yeah, I was gonna say...   I wonder if they even made any attempts to save them before it was too late.  Or if it was just another broken egg in that big omelet they're making.

[CaptBrenden]

I blame the tunas.  If the tunas werent so damn tasty we wouldnt be trying to catch them, and thus catch the dolphins!!



wait... thats the wroung dolphins...

[NewYinzer]

Reminds me of the beginning of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"

Every time you buy hentai, God kills a dolphin. Please think of the dolphins (obscure National Lampoon reference).

[CaptBrenden]

great now I want to start singing "So long and thanks for all the fish!"  tho perhaps thats where the dolphins went.. and the end is nieh!