G.M. Closing 4 Plants in Shift From Trucks Toward Cars

Problem: Managers asleep at the wheel when a change hits that should have been obvious for at least the last 5 years. Consumers respond in logical, predictable fashion.

Solution: Fire people working for said managers, close plants, blame the consumers.

Responding to a consumer shift to more fuel-efficient vehicles, General Motors said Tuesday that it would stop making pickup trucks and big S.U.V.s at four North American assembly plants and would consider selling its Hummer brand.

The moves, announced Tuesday by the company chairman, Rick Wagoner, will slash 500,000 units from the automaker’s overall production, and pave the way for increased investment in smaller cars and passenger vehicles. Within three years, he said, trucks will account for less than 40 percent of the vehicles that G.M. produces in North America, down from about half today.

Mr. Wagoner said that rising gasoline prices had forced a “structural shift” by American consumers away from truck-based vehicles built by G.M.

“These prices are changing consumer behavior and changing it rapidly,” Mr. Wagoner said in announcing the cuts before G.M.’s centennial shareholders meeting in Wilmington, Del. “We don’t believe it’s a spike or a temporary shift. We believe it is, by and large, permanent.” NY Times

Here in Germany people will probably like this though. Even more German/European cars to be sold to America.

Guess which country has world-record exports, while the other has the world´s biggest trade deficit?

US lists polar bear as threatened

Finally!

The United States has listed the polar bear as a threatened species, because its Arctic sea ice habitat is melting due to climate change.

But even though a Supreme Court ruling said it should:

(…) However, the government stressed the listing would not lead to measures to prevent global warming.” BBC

US Misses Second Deadline to Protect Polar Bears

The United States has missed its own postponed deadline to decide if polar bears need protection from climate change, and critics link the delay to an oil lease sale in a vast swath of the bear’s icy habitat.

“When it comes to the survival of the polar bear, the Bush administration is putting the ‘dead’ back into ‘deadline,’” said Rep. Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat who heads a House of Representatives panel on climate change.

“Now that the Bush administration has taken care of its clear first priority - taking care of their friends in the oil industry - perhaps they can finally give the polar bear, and the global warming that is causing the bear’s demise, the attention it is due,” Markey said in a statement. Reuters

Arrest this polar bear!

I’ve seen a fair number of Greenpeace “protests” that may have achieved the short term goal Greenpeace was gunning for, but has made environmentalists look incredibly bad in the process. The aftermath information released after Greenpeace successfully stopped the oil platform Brent Spar to be dumbed in the Atlantic, comes to mind. (wiki link)

This, on the other hand, is awesome:

congress overturns presidential veto first time in century

Congress. We help you water your lawn.

President Bush suffered the first veto override of his seven-year-old presidency Thursday as the Senate enacted a $23 billion water resources bill despite his protest that it was filled with unnecessary projects. The vote was 79-14 to pass the bill.Senate overrides Bush water projects veto - Politics - MSNBC.com

To bad congressional powers can’t be used on on something worthwhile like war spending, or healthcare for poor children or rebuilding New Orleans. Because that would just be insane.

Gore: No equal time for nutcases

Where was THIS Gore in 2000? Watch him slam CNN’s and the mainstream media’s practice to always show two sides to every story, no matter how ridiculous the “opposing view” is. (For example showing a Holocaust survivor splitscreen next to a Holocaust denier.) The good part starts at minute 2:13.

Greenland melt ’speeding up’

So long, Florida!

The meltdown of Greenland’s ice sheet is speeding up, satellite measurements show.

Data from a US space agency (Nasa) satellite show that the melting rate has accelerated since 2004.

If the ice cap were to completely disappear, global sea levels would rise by 6.5m (21 feet) BBC

Who needs to change if you can just bicker

With gas prices reaching an all time high in the US, the St. Pete Times has a list of things you can do to improve your gas mileage. It starts out with nonsense like this:

“I used to drive 10 miles over the speed limit, figuring I could get away with that,” said Rodriguez, 37, a sales representative from Tampa. “Now if I’m on the interstate and the speed limit is 65, I drive 55. If it’s 70, I drive 60. I read that the 55-to-60 range is where you get the best mileage, and I do see a difference.

Problem is, people pass her, lay on the horn or even cut her off.

“I’m not going fast enough for them,” she said. “I don’t care. I’m saving money, and they’re not.” St. Petersburg Times

Before ending a 900 word article with this gem of wisdom:

Buy a new car

Assuming fuel costs of $3 a gallon and travel of 15,000 miles a year, the difference between a vehicle that gets 20 mph and one that gets 30 mpg is $750 a year, or nearly $3,000 in four years. St. Petersburg Times

Wow. Who knew things have to change to change?

Nah, let’s just tell people they can piss everyone off by driving slower instead of telling them outright that if they have obscenely huge and/or inefficient car they will pay obscenely at the gas pump. I can just see that never-ending rush-hour traffic jam on I275 “drive slower” to conserve energy.

US scientists suggest storing CO₂ in ocean

Don’t get me wrong, this could help:

Storing carbon dioxide under the sea-bed could help to reduce global warming, according to US scientists. BBC

But I still say it’s better to fight the cause then try to fudge the symptoms. If we lower CO₂ emissions, we won’t even have to turn the oceans into our private dump. Again.

Electrical Use Hits New Highs in Much of U.S.

Global warming is a myth. And because the weather is not getting more extreme at all we don’t need to crank up the air conditioning units that would cause global warming, if such a thing did exist, which it doesn’t. Or does it?

Bad Wolf

As the BBC reports it is very likely that Wales receives its very own nuclear reactor based power plant.

If you think you could manage the UK’s energy needs better and without the need for nuclear energy the BBC also put together a pretty nifty simulator that puts you in the planning seat here.

Extinction fear for black rhino

The West African black rhino appears to have become extinct, according to the World Conservation Union (IUCN). BBC

Florida wildlife should be treasured

Sometime this weekend, I stood in front of an exhibit at Busch Gardens and watched a throng of people point at a number of white birds that sat in the oak trees above. The birds — white ibises, to be precise — were native to Florida and were as much a part of the display as the individuals pointing at them.

The encounter gave me a pang of survivor’s guilt that stayed with me for the rest of the weekend. Floridians — myself included — are quickly destroying the world around them, and most don’t even seem to notice, let alone care.
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Administration gambling with global warming

This weekend, the New York Times ran an article with the headline “Climate Expert Says NASA Tried to Silence Him.” It was one of many incidents that are symptomatic of a quite daring bet taken by the U.S. government founded on its seemingly steadfast belief that global warming does not exist.

The New York Times reported that this particular incident involved scientist James E. Hansen, longtime director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies. Hansen claims he had been carefully watched and put under pressure since he had openly lobbied for a restriction on greenhouse gas emissions at a conference last month.

In Hansen’s own words, “they feel their job is to be this censor of information going out to the public.”

The story was quickly picked up by Reuters and has since then caused quite a commotion, something I find rather puzzling since this is hardly a new tactic. If there is one thing the Bush administration is efficient at more than any other, it is denying any other viewpoint than its own, no matter how obvious its shortcoming may be. If this administration put as much effort into all its duties as does into keeping up its appearance, the country would be in a much better shape.

In June 2003, I wrote a column about how the Bush administration edited a report to be issued by the Environmental Protection Agency. Back then the EPA claimed, in various passages of the report, that global warming is a real-life problem that should be addressed. The Bush administration simply edited these paragraphs, or cut entire sentences — like “climate change has global consequences for human health and the environment” — from the report.

It’s sad to hear that these methods continue, but it’s hardly surprising. Even though past years have given more proof that global warming is indeed occurring, the Republican party still largely denies it while Democrats are sure it exists and are reaching new heights in ineptness when it comes to pushing the issue.
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New Orleans levee again overpowered by storm surge

CNN is reporting one of the levees that were overpowered by Hurricane Katrina, flooding New Orleans, has “broken” again.

A CNN photojournalist reported that the water was at least two-feet deep in the ward and was rising quickly.

The Army Corps of Engineers disputed that, saying water was overtopping the Industrial Canal levee but the barrier was still intact. The Corps is “not worried right now,” spokesman Mitch Frazier said.
Dana Finney, an Army Corps of Engineers spokeswoman, said an 8-foot storm surge caused the water to rush over the levee.

The corps will put rescue boats in the water as a precaution, Lt. Gen. Russel Honore said. Helicopters have been grounded by Hurricane Rita’s strengthening winds. CNN

Evacuees of One Storm Flee Another in Texas

Just like last summer in Orlando:

Hurricane Rita prompted a mandatory evacuation of (Houston’s) public shelters on Tuesday, emptying them as quickly as they had filled just three weeks ago and sending still-dazed survivors of Hurricane Katrina packing off to Arkansas, to the bus terminal, to the airport and, for some who considered themselves lucky, to paid and furnished apartments here in the Houston area.
New York Times

Return to moon a worthy goal

NASA outlined a strategy Monday that would put humans back on the moon as early as 2018, a proposal meant as a first stage to manned space flights exploring our solar system.

One of the first questions that come to mind is, “Why did it take so long?” The last time a human walked on a surface other than our own planet’s was in the early ’70s.

The question that will likely be debated more hotly is, “How are we going to pay for it?” What most forget is that the returns on such a mission in terms of scientific research and technological advances would - fittingly – be astronomically high.

When President John F. Kennedy vowed in May 1961, “this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth,” nobody knew for sure if it was even possible. Yet the nation took on what is probably one of humanity’s greatest undertakings ever: exploration of space.

As a reward humans took their first steps on a historically important exploration to the stars, but in the process spawned an entire industry fueled by advances and inventions made in the space program. Computers, plastics and other “space-age” technologies all made considerable advancements during these early space flights, often in ways that had not been foreseen but were always beneficial.

What started as a “space race” between the Soviet Union and the United States quickly evolved away from the nationalistic undertones that had caused the initial spark of research. In later years the space program helped bring about cooperation between Soviet Russia and the United States.

Such cooperation continues to this day and made construction of the International Space Station possible. The space station itself is probably the first truly neutral ground on which scientists from all corners of the globe can work side by side. The diplomatic benefit of such projects is priceless in and of itself.
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New storms, New Orleans to remain closed

Two tropical depressions (Rita and Philippe) are being tracked and could make it our way. The worst case scenario is definitely not a couple of days without power or air conditioning, like my wife and I had last year, but for either one of the storms to come even remotely close to New Orleans. The mayor, at the behest of the president (funny how this works out of a sudden, isn’t it?), has called of the planned return of displaced residents to the city to wait out the situation.

Under pressure from President Bush and other top federal officials, the mayor suspended the reopening of large portions of the city Monday and instead ordered nearly everyone out because of the risk of a new round of flooding from a tropical storm on the way.

“If we are off, I’d rather err on the side of conservatism to make sure we have everyone out,” Mayor Ray Nagin said. AP

Bush to lead inquiry on how he messed up

Talk about the “who’s watching the watcher” syndrome:

US President George W Bush says he will lead an investigation into how the Hurricane Katrina disaster was handled.

“I’m going to find out over time what went right and what went wrong,” he said in reply to criticism that the authorities were too slow to respond.

The US Senate is to hold two inquiries of its own into the disaster which hit the Gulf Coast and New Orleans. BBC

Bush is to ground himself for a month any day now.

Republican Senator: emergency repsonse would get an ‘F’,’ death toll could be above 10,000

Republican Louisiana Senator David Vitter to Agence France Press:

“My guess is that it (the death toll) will start at 10,000, but that is only a guess,” Vitter said, adding that he was not basing his remarks on any official death toll or body count.

(…) Vitter, speaking to reporters at the emergency response center in Baton Rouge, also said he gave the federal government a grade ‘F’ for its response to the disaster so far. link

Bad news?

One thing to bear in mind: The hurricane season is half over and the strongest storms usually hit in September. I am not saying this to create a panic. But maybe that’s what is needed for the Bush administration to take such a threat serious?

Reuters has an article going into the details of how likely it is that another storm will hit the U.S coast. They peg it at 43 percent. link

A Can’t Do Government

New York Times columnist Paul Krugman is asking the right questions:

Before 9/11 the Federal Emergency Management Agency listed the three most likely catastrophic disasters facing America: a terrorist attack on New York, a major earthquake in San Francisco and a hurricane strike on New Orleans. “The New Orleans hurricane scenario,” The Houston Chronicle wrote in December 2001, “may be the deadliest of all.” It described a potential catastrophe very much like the one now happening.

So why were New Orleans and the nation so unprepared? After 9/11, hard questions were deferred in the name of national unity, then buried under a thick coat of whitewash. This time, we need accountability. (…)

econd question: Why wasn’t more preventive action taken? After 2003 the Army Corps of Engineers sharply slowed its flood-control work, including work on sinking levees. “The corps,” an Editor and Publisher article says, citing a series of articles in The Times-Picayune in New Orleans, “never tried to hide the fact that the spending pressures of the war in Iraq, as well as homeland security - coming at the same time as federal tax cuts - was the reason for the strain.”

In 2002 the corps’ chief resigned, reportedly under threat of being fired, after he criticized the administration’s proposed cuts in the corps’ budget, including flood-control spending.
New York Times

Katrina affects gas prices in US, but situation was there before storm hit

In today’s Oracle:

According to Ed Mierzejewski, the director of the Center for Urban Transportation Research (at the University of South Florida), consumers should not have to worry about possible gas rationing.

“I’m not sure we have the mechanisms in place right now to actually implement some form of rationing,” he said.

And according to associate economics professor Christopher Thomas, prices should go back to levels prior to Hurricane Katrina in the near future.

“I don’t see disaster looming for the United States or the Southeast,” he said. “The impact of the storm should play out in three to six months. We’ll probably still have high prices, but it will be because of the situation we were in before Katrina.”

(…) “I think it’s important that we all do our part in reducing our consumption,” Mierzejewski said. “We should try to limit unnecessary trips and, if we can, use a vehicle with better fuel economy.” The Oracle

Of course that would require leadership.

Above it all

President George W. Bush has been criticized for being inaccessible and on vacation. The destruction brought to New Orleans and large stretches of the Gulf Coast by Hurricane Katrina earlier this week proved once again that such criticism is more than justified.

Part of New Orleans lies 20 feet below sea level, a fact that was widely broadcast to persuade residents of the city to evacuate. The worst-case scenario spun on television news shows and in various newspaper reports was that the levee system protecting the city would fail, which is precisely what happened.

Even if the president had not paid attention to the media coverage, he cannot deny having knowledge of this fact. He was responsible for cuts to the funding for the levee and pump system in 2003. The money allotted for such projects — so the reasoning at the time — was needed for the so-called War on Terror and in Iraq.

The destruction in New Orleans may not be a direct result of the president’s actions, but the cut in funding for such an essential system hardly improved an already-dire situation.

Even though he must have known that the looming situation was not only going to be bad but could also quickly turn catastrophic, Bush continued a five-week vacation at his ranch in Crawford, Texas. One of the few photos released of the president showed him lounging in front of a TV set while parts of the nation were being pummeled by torrential rain and torn to shreds by winds exceeding 150 mph — hardly an image that inspired trust in his leadership skills.
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