Bernie Madoff's Son Kills Himself

Mark Madoff, son of infamous Bernie Madoff, is dead at the age of 46, on the exact two-year anniversary of his father's arrest.

Madoff’s eldest son Mark hanged himself Saturday by a dog leash on a metal ceiling beam in his Manhattan loft apartment. The death was officially ruled a suicide by hanging Sunday by the city medical examiner.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Bernie Madoff says he's not attending the funeral because he wants to protect his family's privacy, but the New York Post noted that it's against the prison's rules to let an inmate leave for a funeral, even of an immediate family member, unless the prisoner has two years or less left on their term.
I feel like Bernie said what he said for some good PR, which is a sad thought, but a true one. I think this serves as a cruel lesson to show that a life of deception and greed is not worth living, and that you can ruin your entire family by doing so; not just yourself.

Mental Sickness Break 4

Netflix Stock is Up

Netflix stock has been steadily rising over the course of its lifetime. It seems like a great investment opportunity, as the field of online movie rentals is expanding while physical rentals are declining. The highest point of the stock at $209.24 happened when Netflix announced a new streaming-only option for a different price, as opposed to streaming and mail rentals for more money. This looks to me like a solid opportunity to make money.

Salesforce, Inc. Stock is Up

Stocks of Salesforce, Inc., ticker symbol CRM, are up higher than usual these days.

This is due to a number of things-- but not much that will hold up over time. It would've been a great idea to invest in mid-November, as you can see-- but now might be a good time to sell short.  It's at the 52-week high, and the yearly patterns don't get higher than this. Buy buying these stocks, you may make some profit, but it doesn't look bound to be much.

Mental Sickness Break 3: Doing It Our Way

Plastic Bags Banned in Parts of Los Angeles

In Los Angeles, a measure was passed that bans plastic grocery bags from use in some parts of Los Angeles.

County supervisors approved the measure 3-1 on Tuesday in hopes of preventing billions of bags from polluting neighborhoods and waterways. It bans stores from giving customers single-use plastic bags and would require them to charge 10 cents for each paper bag.


An exception exists for small bags used to keep fruit, vegetables or raw meat separate from other products.
The county says 25 percent of the litter it picks up is plastic bags.
The ordinance, which goes into effect starting in July, would apply to unincorporated parts of the county where an estimated 1.1 million people live. It does not include the 88 cities within the county, including Los Angeles. -msnbc.com

I believe this is a smart move. It's more environmentally friendly, since an entire quarter of litter, as mentioned, is plastic bags. It will also increase the use of reusable and recyclable paper bags. They will cost 10 cents, but most supermarkets give you discounts around a dollar anyway, so it's not intrusive on your budget, and having any kind of cost on the bag will encourage people to bring their own, further increasing environmental sustainability. I was disappointed to learn that this was only in parts of Los Angeles. Maybe the trend will spread to the city, and hopefully to different parts of the state, and the country. 

Angry Travelers Protest Airline Security Measures

Many travelers are currently upset about the invasive nature of airport security checks. But is it really as bad as people are making it out to be?

Many airports now use walk-through 3D X-ray machines, which detect anything dense on or inside a person, or in their clothes. Some fliers detest the idea that this machine can "see through their clothes," giving the TSA screener a quick look at the vague shape or outline of a flier's genitals, as pictured.
This is not the only option, however. Fliers who don't want to do this have the choice to be checked the old-fashioned way-- patted down and scanned with a metal detector instead. However, they contend that this method is invasive even still:

“Am I really supposed to let a total stranger rub my private parts because I bought an airplane ticket?” said Miller, who runs the jewelry and fashion website, ILoveAccessories.com. “Would you allow your daughter to be patted down by a stranger and not feel like punching the person that did it? It leaves scars... just like a rape leaves scars." -msnbc.com

I have a problem with these protests. People are forgetting that this is done for our own security. If this was used right after 9/11, I bet there would be little to no protests; now that fear has mostly subsided, people seem to be upset. Personally, I don't care if a TSA agent, whom I most likely will never see again in my life, sees my x-ray for a few seconds, out of hundreds of other people that day. The images aren't (supposed to be) stored-- some images were leaked from one airport, which should never have happened, but in all other airports, the images are deleted right after the person is cleared to enter the terminal. I don't feel the invasion of privacy is that bad if it's for my own safety.

I also have a problem with the quote above: getting patted down is not getting raped. That statement alone is offensive-- not only to me, but I'm sure rape victims wouldn't be happy to have people who were patted down try to sympathize with them. These are two very different things and this person shouldn't have even thought of saying that. What other people who can phrase better are saying is that the pat-downs are too "aggressive," saying that they feel slightly violated afterward. I take issue with this, as TSA personnel should be regularly checked by other TSA workers or bosses to ensure they're patting down in a professional (and legal) manner. Any messing around on the TSA's part in this situation would be hugely disgusting and means for legal action.

However, a metal detector alone would not ensure safety on a plane by any means. Some chemical solutions with little metal can be used to rapidly heat something, and other solutions or materials can be used as fuel. Also different types of materials, such as glass, wood, and different plastics, can be used as weaponry that will not be detected by a metal detector alone. Patting down is necessary if one chooses not to be X-rayed, but it should be done respectfully and reasonably.

Even with patting down, however, a non-metal item could be smuggled onto a plane. In bodily orifices, a wooden, glass, or plastic knife or nail could easily be smuggled. A pat-down and metal detector would not find this, but a 3D X-ray machine would detect all 3, even glass even though it's clear, since the X-ray detects by densities.

An argument is that fliers pay to travel, so they shouldn't have to have their privacy violated. But this argument only takes the flier's self into account-- it neglects the fact that by paying for your plane ticket, you're paying for peace of mind that everyone on the plane will be checked, including you. I'd be a lot more comfortable knowing that everyone was checked the same, thorough way that I was.

In short, I'd rather have everyone get over their small momentary violation of privacy than have a plane crash.

Mental Sickness Break 2

3 Shootings Targeting US Military Being Investigated

On October 18 and 19, the Pentagon, the National Museum of the Marine Corps, and a Marine Corps recruiting station were targeted and hit by high-velocity rifle bullets. There's no suspects and no motive, and there were no threats, so the FBI is more confused than offended, but they are taking full measures to get to the bottom of the issue. Luckily nobody was injured in any of the shootings. They seem to be random:

On the morning of the Pentagon shooting security officers heard five to seven shots about 4:55 near the south parking lot. Bullet fragments were later found lodged in two windows of unoccupied offices on the third and fourth floor.
The civilian Pentagon Force Protection Agency's director, Steven Calvery, said last week that the Pentagon shooting appeared to be "a random event" involving a high-velocity rifle.
On Tuesday, protection agency spokesman Chris Layman said that initial description was preliminary, though officials still don't believe there is a specific threat against the Pentagon.

This is strange because there's no sense behind it. The person doesn't have any intention to hurt anyone, they seem to just be popping rounds into government buildings. I think it might be someone trying to be cool and shooting their new rifle at things they shouldn't, but I really hope they get caught, because really, what's the point? I hope that officers will be more vigilant, and maybe catch the perpetrator the next time he strikes.

Obnoxious iPad User on Plane Arrested

A man on a flight in Chicago was being a complete prick, in a situation that anyone with common sense would consider a fragile one. While on the ground, a flight attendant asked him to turn off his iPad, and he did, but turned it on right when she left. He asked for some alcohol, and the flight attendant said they don't serve it while the flight hasn't taken off yet. He took his iPad out again, and this time the flight attendant told him to put it away or they would turn the plane around and have the police deal with him, and then the captain over the intercom gave a warning about electronics on the plane, and the use of them after warnings being a federal offense. He continued his bad manners during the flight. He asked for alcohol again and they wouldn't give it to him, for obvious reasons, and he got angry, got out of his seat, and started walking behind the drink cart. At this point the captain intervened and told him to stop. When the plane landed, there were officers waiting for the man. Full story here.

Insane Windstorms Across the Midwest

Today there have been some high-level twisters and tornadoes ripping across the Midwest. One in Chicago destroyed power for 76,000 homes in businesses, as well as 60,000 in Indiana and another 60,000 in Cincinatti and northern Kentucky. Homes were destroyed throughout the Midwest, but miraculously there have been no deaths, yet. 500 flights have been canceled due to the winds. The storms are predicted to move into the Northeast:

Stretching as far south as Mississippi, the system was expected to weaken a bit, the Weather Channel reported, but still threaten severe thunderstorms in these population centers:

• Early evening to late night: Buffalo, N.Y.; Pittsburgh, Pa.; Charleston, W.Va.; Knoxville, Tenn.; and Birmingham, Ala.;
• Pre-dawn: Washington, D.C.; Baltimore, Md.; Philadelphia, Pa.; and New York City.

There seems to be a lot of natural disasters going on around the world, displacing thousands of people and destroying lots of property. This is very unfortunate, but bound to happen. It's great when there's an early warning, but they're not always available.

Indonesian Volcano Erupts, 18+ Killed

Earlier today, Indonesia's Mount Merapi erupted, killing at least 25 people, including one baby. Some were injured, but a clear number isn't determined yet, but it's probably at least double the death toll. The area's leading volcanologist had warned a few hours earlier of the danger. Now there is a full-scale evacuation alert:

Scientists have warned that pressure building beneath Merapi's lava dome could trigger one of the most powerful blasts in years.
The alert level for Merapi has been raised to its highest level.

Thousands of residents on the slopes have been evacuated. However most who fled were the elderly and children, while adults stayed to tend to homes and farms on the mountain's fertile slopes.

This is clearly a disaster, magnified by the fact that Indonesia isn't a fully developed country. It's not third-world, but its utilities, roads, and emergency systems aren't streamlined, like they are (supposed to be) in the U.S. This may hinder the healing abilities of Indonesia's emergency relief workforce. There may be another blast soon, so Indonesians are taking extra precautions to make sure everyone is safe, in case the next blast happens.

China's Military Tone is Hostile, Towards U.S.

We've never really been on healthy terms with China. We have portrayed an open attitude towards them since Obama has been in power, showing we only want their trust. But the mistrust still remains, as Lt. Cmdr. Tony Cao says he wants America to stop "spying us with the air or the surface.”Clearly we're still suspicious too if we're still spying. Apparently, China's growing army has been using America to rally their troops:

The younger officers have known only an anti-American ideology, which casts the United States as bent on thwarting China’s rise.
“All militaries need a straw man, a perceived enemy, for solidarity,” said Huang Jing, a scholar of China’s military and leadership at the National University of Singapore. “And as a young officer or soldier, you always take the strongest of straw men to maximize the effect. Chinese military men, from the soldiers and platoon captains all the way up to the army commanders, were always taught that America would be their enemy.”

This is not good. If they're trained to think of us as the enemy, it will only perpetuate mistrust for us. This makes me question whether American relations with China will ever be solid. 

Wall Street Blames Foreclosure Mess on Homeowners

Yes, they're blaming it on the people who were tricked and trapped into villainous loan schemes:

The building furor over whether the largest U.S. mortgage lenders used so-called robo-signers and incomplete paperwork to force delinquent borrowers from their homes has mushroomed into a probe by the attorneys general in all 50 states, with U.S. Congressional hearings not far behind. Those on Wall Street, however, are largely unsympathetic, insisting that possible errors in the foreclosure process are beside the point, that the process begins only when a borrower starts missing mortgage payments.

 They had the nerve to simply brush aside the "possible errors" in the way they handled the foreclosure process. Errors with finances are not a simple thing, they usually involve huge penalty and lawsuits, and sometimes prison terms. Furthermore, Wall Street blamed it on the homeowners for not being able to pay off impossible loans that the banks set up fully knowing that barely anyone would be able to pay them.

Even more aggravating is that the banks apparently didn't help their clients to avoid foreclosure:

Thousands of people reported that despite efforts to seek loan modifications or other relief many financial institutions "routinely fail to respond in a timely manner, misplace requested documents, and send mixed signals" about what is required to avoid foreclosures, the lawmakers said.

There's no words for this, it is truly a disgrace on the most massive of scales.

McDonald's Food Lasts for 180 Days, No Decay. I Think It's Cool.

 Food critics, soccer moms, health nuts, and the general public are going crazy over the experiment by Sally Davies from New York. She purchased a McDonald's Happy Meal and let it sit on her shelf in the above condition for 6 months. Everyone is making a huge deal about it, jumping to the conclusion that McDonald's uses some kind of industrial-strength toxic preservative in their food, or that it's composed of mostly chemicals, etc.

So what?

I love McDonald's. The food is delicious, cheap, and fast, plus I'm not dead yet. It is unhealthy, as 4 burgers a day will pretty much max out the 2,000 calorie daily recommendation, but that's why you practice moderation, just like with anything else. I don't care how long it lasts. It dissolves in my stomach and I move on. But for reliability's sake, let's take a look at some facts.

First of all, McDonald's says they don't use preservatives:

“McDonald’s hamburger patties in the U.S. are made with 100 percent USDA-inspected beef. They are cooked and prepared with salt, pepper and nothing else — no preservatives — no fillers,” said Todd R. Bacon, McDonald’s senior director of quality systems and supply-chain management.
“Our hamburger buns are made from North American-grown wheat flour,” Bacon continued. “Our world-famous French fries are made from potatoes and cooked in a canola-oil blend. These are the same foods that consumers buy every day in their local grocery stores — bread, meat and potatoes.” (msnbc.com)

Now while that is somewhat reassuring, it's important to not believe everything you read. After all, this burger did survive 180 days. But what most people are missing is that fast food is packed with salt and fat, which are both natural preservatives that have been used for hundreds of years worldwide.

The next point is that it's important to not solely blame this on McDonald's. Any fast food restaurant will have the same or worse results.

It's no news that fast food is caked with fat and salt, so there isn't really a point to this experiment. I just see it as a funny incident.

Mental Sickness Break 1

Palestine Open to Recognizing Israel as of 1967 Borders

Source: wikipedia.org

Israel and Palestine have been battling over land rights since the early 20th century. Each believes they have the right to the land. Israel has been making offers to Palestine to help resolve the conflict, but the offers are very weighted towards Israel's benefit, so Palestine has been quick to dismiss most of the offers. The most recent offer is that Israel would stop building new settlements if Palestine recognizes Israel as the Jewish state. Palestine recently rejected it, but counter-offered with the proposition for Palestine to recognize Israel as the Jewish state within the 1967 borders, without the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem.

I believe this conflict has been going on for way too long. They're next door neighbors and they haven't been able to settle the fight for many years. A resolution would provide peace of mind and drastically improve the standard of living for the combined 11 million people living in Israel and Palestine. It would also put the United States at ease from worrying about defending Israel in case they got into a war. Many Middle-Eastern nations are tired of the fighting and would like it to end, so a solution should really be found soon.

Political Philosophy Quiz

So we took a quiz to see how we are (probably) grouped politically. You can take the quiz yourself here if you like. Here's my results:


The following are your scores. They are based on a gradual range of 0 to 12. For instance, a Conservative/Progressive score of 3 and 0 will both yield a result of social conservative, yet 0 would be an extreme conservative and 3 a moderate conservative

Conservative/Progressive score: 8
You are a social moderate. You think the progressive movement is overall well meaning, but sometimes it goes too far. On issues like abortion and affirmative action, you see the negatives of both extremes on the issue. You probably value religion, but at the same time you think it should still stay separate from the government

Capitalist Purist/Social Capitalist score: 9
You're a Social Capitalist, you think that, left to its own, Capitalism leaves a lot of people behind. You think that Health Care should be free to all, that the minimum wage should be raised, and that the government should provide jobs to all that are capable of having them. You likely hated the Bush tax cuts, and believe that the middle class has gotten poorer, and the rich have gotten richer over the past several years. The far extreme of social capitalism is socialism.

Libertarian/Authoritarian score: 4
You're a Moderate. You think that we all have certain inalienable rights that must be protected, but that sometimes laws need to be made to protect the majority's lives or quality of lives. You might think that the 2nd amendment isn't necessary anymore because letting everyone a gun is extremely dangerous to the community. You might also be against illegal drug use or public pornography because of its possible harmful effects to society.

Pacifist/Militarist score: 0
You're a Pacifist. You are angered that the United States thinks it should dominate the world through its military force. You think that the only time war is necessary is when we are in direct danger of being attacked. You also believe the US spends way too much of its money on defense, as we can practically cut it in half and still easily defend ourselves, and use that money to fix all our economic problems.

Overall, you would most likely fit into the category of Democrat.

---

I somewhat agree with this, but I wouldn't say I'm a democrat. I answered all the questions according to my own opinions, I didn't answer any questions based on the position of any party, which is what most pure Democrats and Republicans do.

Levee Breaks in Portage, WI

A levee failed in Portage, Wisconsin today, causing the evacuation of a neighborhood. About 60 homes were destroyed, with potential to ruin about 100 total. 20 businesses were destroyed. Many roads are currently flooded and rendered useless, and many more will be with the continued flooding.

This is terrible for the people of Portage. The levee was pretty old, and the 11 inches of rain they got pushed it over the edge. I'm glad we don't have floods like this in California.

Republicans' "Pledge to America" Doesn't Even Look Good On Paper

Yesterday, the GOP released their video designed to get them votes in the upcoming election:

source: youtube.com

Setting aside the fact that this is probably the dullest video ever made, there are several points that discredit the GOP in this video. One in particular is when they are bashing the country's current leadership:

An arrogant and out-of-touch ruling class of a few makes decisions, issues mandates, and enacts laws without accepting or requesting the input of the many.
Rising joblessness, crushing debt, and a polarizing political environment are fraying the bonds among our people and blurring our sense of national purpose.

 The video seems to forget that our massive debt was incurred during the Bush administration, and it will take more than a couple years to clean up the mess.
Another flaw in their video is that they want to cut taxes and shrink regulation. But isn't that mostly what got us into all this debt? The war in Iraq is the second war (first in 1840 against Mexico) when taxes were decreased. The problem is that wars cost a ton of money, and when we cut taxes, the government didn't have that money, so they borrowed it, hence our debt. Also, lack of regulation is pretty much how the banks failed. People were tricked into impossible mortgages, and the banks couldn't back them up when things got bad. Bankers got money every time they gave a loan, so they didn't care if the person could pay it or not. If we had less regulation, think of the consequences.

Drug Cartels Govern Mexico

Source: nytimes.com

In Mexico, drug cartels have long held more power than the authorities, and recently a photographer for a Mexican newspaper was shot and killed, presumably for a story he was writing that somehow offended one of the gangs.

“We want you to explain to us what you want from us,” the front-page editorial in El Diario in Ciudad Juárez asked the leaders of organized crime. “What are we supposed to publish or not publish, so we know what to abide by. You are at this time the de facto authorities in this city because the legal authorities have not been able to stop our colleagues from falling.” -New York Times

Ciudad Juárez is one of Mexico's most dangerous cities, with thousands of homicides each year. In Mexico, police get more money from bribes than they would get from the government for doing their job right. This leads to Mexican police being lenient with gang members. Obviously they don't allow the gangs to murder innocent people, but when the drug cartels have more money and power than the police force, the strong arm turns limp.

This is important to the United States because if Mexico cleans up their government, reforms their social policies, and gets rid of the gangs once and for all, the country would be much safer, and would be one less reason for Mexicans to illegally immigrate to the US. I believe immigration is a great thing, but only when done legally. Now Mexico just needs some money. Too bad we don't have any to help them out.

Quran Burning Is "Suspended," Not Cancelled

Pastor Terry Jones apparently made a deal with imam Muhammed Musri of Florida. Jones said the deal was that he would not burn the Qurans on the condition that the imam moved the location of the mosque being built 2 blocks away from the World Trade Center memorial. But there's a disagreement on how the deal went: imam Musri says that was never the deal.

But later on "Countdown with Keith Olbermann," Musri said that Jones was wrong about what he had said about the mosque. He said what he offered was a meeting among Jones, the New York imam and himself to talk about moving the mosque if Jones agreed to cancel the Quran burning.

MSNBC has the full interview of both Jones and Musri here.
Personally I believe a lot more in Musri's story. He seems a lot more studious and educated, as Jones' intelligence can be defined by his moustache. His defense is always something like "no it's not," and he barely uses any logical reasoning when making an argument. Any religious leader with any compassion and understanding would recognize the burning of someone else's sacred book as a horrible act of hate and a disgusting exhibition of values that could be misinterpreted as America's own. Jones doesn't seem to understand that not all Muslims are terrorists. In my honest opinion, I wish someone would put him out of his misery.

Easing Depletion

In "Hot, Flat, and Crowded" by Thomas L. Friedman, he says that global warming is a man-made mistake, caused by "our vastly increased emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from the burning of fossil fuels such as coal and oil, as well as from deforestation, large-scale cattle-grazing, agriculture, and industrialization."
As kind of a reflex I read through these topics a second time and tried to think of ways to solve them, but I got hung up. We can make power with a combination of solar cells, wind power, wave power, nuclear power, and more, instead of burning coal and oil. Within a few years we'll have compressed-air-powered cars and electric cars, so we'll use a lot less oil, as long as people are motivated to make the switch. For deforestation, we can't really solve that. I don't see the world using less wood any time soon. All we can really do is plant more trees, which we really should do. Large-scale cattle-grazing was the most puzzling one to me. The gases emitted are mainly methane and carbon dioxide from their digestive systems. Methane in the atmosphere traps heat 21 times more efficiently than CO2 traps heat. I had an idea that if a lot of cows were in a warehouse, their gas would float to the ceiling, and there could be chimney-type openings in the ceiling with torches that would burn the methane. This may sound far-fetched to you. But methane, when combusted, turns into CO2 and H2O (CH4 + O2 --> H2O + CO2), or carbon dioxide and water vapor. The drawback to putting a bunch of cows in a warehouse is that it would most likely be inhumane, and it's not worth abusing animals to break down methane, so I couldn't solve this one. As far as agriculture, we need it to live. All we can do there is streamline our current processes, if possible. For industrialization, all we can do is make more efficient machines powered on more efficient energy.

We Owe Them One

In the book "Hot, Flat, and Crowded" by Thomas L. Friedman, he makes an interesting point about military nurses in Iraq:

I walked away shaking my head, thinking: "What have we done to deserve such good people?" I don't know the answer, but I do know this: They deserve a government with a national agenda equal to their dedication and idealism. If this many Americans were ready to enlist for nation-building in Iraq, imagine how many would enlist in nation-building at home-- in the chance to revive and reinvigorate America so that it realizes its full potential?

This grabbed my interest because it made me realize that while here at home, we have incompetent politicians bickering over minute issues and battling against the opposite party for only the sake of battling the other party, whereas overseas in Iraq, we have dedicated people with a love for our country getting things done. This is especially contrasted when you take into account that this war is not of any particular importance to the U.S. (This is not just my personal opinion-- in a CBS news poll from August 20-24, 2010 of 1,082 adults nationwide, the question was "Do you think the result of the war with Iraq was worth the loss of American lives and other costs of attacking Iraq, or not?" and 20% voted "Worth it", 72% voted "Not worth it", and the remainder were unsure. These data disregard the political party of the people.) With the way our government is (not) operating, I could never have the motivation that these people have to work in Iraq-- but I'm proud that someone does. I think that anyone fighting for our country deserves a country worth fighting for. We should probably think about rebuilding our nation so that it's one to be proud of.

Energy Efficiency - U.S. vs. Denmark

In "Hot, Flat, and Crowded" by Thomas L. Friedman, a fascinating contrast is made between the United States' oil dependence and Denmark's oil independence:

"We decided we had to become less dependent on oil," Connie Hedegaard, Denmark's minister for climate and energy, explained to me. "We had a huge debate on nuclear, but in 1985 we decided against it. We decided to go instead for energy efficiency and renewable energy. We decided to use taxation, so energy was made relatively expensive and [therefore] people had an incentive to save and do things in their homes to make them more efficient... It was a result of political will."

 Later, Friedman talks about how Denmark implemented a CO2 tax, which charges households based on their CO2 production, which promotes efficiency in households:

Surely all of this killed the Danish economy, right? Guess again. "Since 1981 our economy has grown 70 percent, while our energy consumption has been kept almost flat all those years," she said.

Friedman continues and reveals the most resilient fact:

"In 1973 we got 99 percent of our energy from the Middle East," said Hedegaard. "Today it is zero." I know: Denmark's a small country and it is a lot easier to make change there than across a huge economy like ours. Nevertheless, it's hard to look at Denmark and not see the road not taken.

These facts may be depressing, but they are real. We, as a nation, have had so many opportunities to explore alternative routes to practical energy. We've been manipulated by the oil industry giants to be dependent on their oil. We haven't raised taxes on gas to influence demand for more fuel-efficient cars. We haven't charged for CO2 usage (which, personally, I don't think would be effective in the U.S. at this point-- people would be concerned about their freedom.) I think the most important opportunity we've managed to destroy is that of nuclear power. Today, France is ~80% powered by nuclear power. We've had nuclear programs in the past, but after the accidents at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania, 1979 and at Chernobyl in Russia, 1986, the public has had a scientifically irrational fear of nuclear power, obstructing our progress towards nuclear power innovation, and strengthening the oil industry's vice grip on our wallets. People are less comfortable having a clean, emission-free nuclear reactor near their town, and more comfortable digging up coal and fossil fuels and shoving them into ovens like savages.

I sincerely hope we don't wait until the last second before we make a change.

Still Bad Fuel Economy.

I was reading an excerpt from a book called "Hot, Flat, and Crowded" by Thomas L. Friedman, and I came across this line that surprised me:

In 1975, Congress passed the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, which established corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards that required the gradual doubling of passenger vehicle efficiency for new cars-- to 27.5 miles per gallon-- within ten years.
Not surprisingly, it all worked. Between 1975 and 1985, American passenger vehicle mileage went from around 13.5 miles per gallon to 27.5, while light truck mileage increased from 11.6 miles per gallon to 19.5...

I couldn't help but notice that since 1985, our fuel economy is still remarkably close to 27.5. I looked up the average fuel economy of 2010. I couldn't find an average, but I found this chart: (Data is for 2010 only)

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/FEG2010.pdf

For each class of cars, we can find the average by adding the high and low MPG values and dividing by 2. Working with compact cars, the average MPG is 26.5, and with midsize cars, the average MPG is 30.5. These fuel economy data were boosted by the increasingly popular fuel-efficient hybrid cars on today's market. But still-- the corporate average fuel economy standards in 1985 were 27.5 MPG. How can we, 25 years later, still be hovering slightly over a midsize car's average of 30.5 MPG? And how can any regular car even be below 20 MPG in today's industry?
What are we waiting for?