Wednesday, November 5, 2008

CO2, CH4 and Temperature over 450 Kyears

NVDL: Notice the green line going 'off the charts'. The level for the last 450 000 years peaked at under 300 ppm. We're now 25% above that level, at 377ppm (recorded in 2004). CH4 is worse (from 800ppm to 1755ppm).

The experts argue that these gasses don't matter since they form about 1% of the atmsophere. Problem is, they are the gases that inercept/reflect visible light - meaning, they can reflect it completely, or allow it in but not out again (Greenhouse effect|). In this sense, the level of these gasses is critical.
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Tuesday, November 4, 2008

1.2 million killed in road accidents each year around the world

If you have a 50 000 seater stadium, you will need 24 for all the dead bodies. The number of injuries is over 20 million globally.
clipped from autos.canada.com
A memorial and fatality sign mark the spot in this file photo from Edmonton where two young women and a young man died in a car crash.

MUMBAI - The twisted metal of smashed up cars lining highways is a grim testament to India's road toll, one of the worst in the world with around 100,000 people killed in traffic accidents last year alone.

And the toll is not just human. The World Bank estimates that every year road accidents cost India about 3 percent of its gross domestic product which was more than $1 trillion in 2007.

Road accidents could become the No. 3 public health issue in India by 2020, overtaking such deadly diseases as tuberculosis and AIDS, the World Bank predicts.

The World Bank estimates that the number of deaths from car accidents globally will rise to 2 million per year by 2020 from 1.2 million unless driving skills are taught and road laws are enforced.

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Monday, November 3, 2008

Air Cars - A New Hope [?]

Automakers aren't quite ready yet to gear up huge assembly line operations churning out air cars or set up glitzy dealer showrooms where you can ooh and aah over the color or style.

But the vehicles will be built in factories that will make up to 8,000 vehicles a year, likely starting in 2011, and be sold directly to consumers.

NVDL: This looks promising.
clipped from finance.yahoo.com
Air1.gif

An air-powered car? It may be available sooner than you think at a price tag that will hardly be a budget buster. The vehicle may not run like a speed racer on back road highways, but developer Zero Pollution Motors is betting consumers will be willing to fork over $20,000 for a vehicle that can motor around all day on nothing but air and a splash of salad oil, alcohol or possibly a pint of gasoline.

The air car can tool along at a top speed of 35 mph for some 60 miles or so on a tank of compressed air, a sufficient distance for 80% of consumers to commute to work and back and complete daily chores.

Air2.gif
The inventor of this technology is Mr. Guy Negre, who is the founder and CEO of MDI SA, a company headquartered in Luxembourg with its R and D in Nice, France.
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