Captain's Quarters -

Ahhh, nothing like cherrypicking the numbers.

Oops- you forgot the part about a global audience of 2 billion and a new internet record of over 10 million streams - yeah, what a complete disaster it was.

I was especially alarmed over the fate of rock music after seeing the lineup and sporadically tuning in. The lack of talent is either a sure sign of the apocalypse or the evil impact of teeny booper girls in shaping the music scene. As the great philosopher Beavis von Butthead once said "Ahhh, this sucks! change it!!! change it!!!! Yeah, but that Bon Jovi chick is hot".

Note to the youth of America---try using the term pollution rather than global warming---it worked in the 1960's and 1970's to raise awareness of the impact we have on the environment. And then get your arses down to the library and check out Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, old Rolling Stones, The Who, Cream, the Allman Brothers, Hot Tuna, Primus, Hendrix, the Doors and Elvis as a start to see what you're missing.

Simple message here really. We don't care. That's right. We just don't care. We are ignorant and apathetic and completely unreachable.

Al Gore could have propped up the two dead Beatles on stage with the two that are still alive to sing Like a Bridge Over Troubled Water and Let It Be and we still wouldn't care....about global warming or climate change or whatever it's being called this week. We don't care.

My apologies to the Beatles fans in the house. No disrespect to the memories of John and George intended.

"global audience of 2 billion"

Super - I'm sure those watching in China and India will have their government comply with the protocols of Kyoto, lickety-split. Soon as they're done, we'll start.

The Chinese can name it "the great leap (off of the cliff), forward".

Dave,

First, you've missed the point of the piece, which was American viewership. Second, that 2 billion figure was *potential* viewership, which is rather obvious considering the fact that they were using that number to promote the events before they started. In the US and UK, the number fell far, far short of the potential.

Now you're cherrypicking your own piece! Half your post is about the Brits and the BBC.

Dozens of news outlets are throwing out that they DID get 2 billion viewers.

"Dozens of news outlets are throwing out that they DID get 2 billion viewers."

Well, that does it then. When do "news outlets" ever report that which is not the unvarnished truth?

How exactly do they measure viewership in the third world? Do they have the mullahs, mandarins, kommissars count the noses?

"Dozens of news outlets are throwing out that they DID get 2 billion viewers"

You should put some sort of news link on here if this is the case....otherwise you lack credibility.

Poor "pathetic" wingers. I remember in their heyday they were the most popular party ever, brimming with enthusiam and champions of all types of conservation, including the earth's resources. Now the repugs hate the earth. I'd wager that they even hate true "conservatives" these days.

The president they held in such high esteem is a proven liar and a lame duck, their top tier presidential candidates all have issues that are spitting their party into smithereens, the republican brand is at a stupendous low, and all they've got is hate and general disdain for their fellow man. If you're not part of their fascist agenda, then you are despised...

Message to the wingers: Hate is not a platform. And y'all wonder why your party is in the crapper and heading for extinction. Well, there you go!

Did the people who DID tune in do so because they wanted to see the performances... or because they wanted to be hectored by a bunch of rich libs?

Anybody know how much energy was used to light up the stages and power the sound systems? How much fuel was used by the performers to get to the concerts? How much electricity did people use to watch / listen to the concerts? Wouldn't it have been better for Mother Gaia for people to have turned off their TVs and computers and gone out and planted a tree?

"I pledge that I will not live in a huge mansion with a heated pool. I pledge that I will not go to parties where enormous amounts of energy are used to prepare expensively-imported food, much of which is wasted anyway. I pledge that I will not travel in a limo or large car. I pledge that I will not fly in an airplane. I pledge that I will not go on tour, requiring huge buses and tractor-trailers to transport me, my band, and all our equipment. I pledge that I will no longer use oil and energy to make and distribute CD's (which are non-biodegradable). I pledge that, to save the earth, I will do what I'm urging all my fellow men to do: live in an unheated cave and forage for my food."

C'mon! The Earth is at stake!

DOA - Conservation (good stewardship) is an important thing. This is precisely why we shouldn't get sucked down the false path Gore is laying out. It leads nowhere, and the crippling effects on the world's economy would leave us unable to adress the real problems that come down the pike later on.

Didn't Phil Collins and "The Boss" make videos of Reagen pushing the button and blowing the world up?

I may be mistaken. I was a teen at the time and thought "these people can make music but have no idea."

2 billion people supposedly watched these concerts? Oh come on. No one really believes that. Because wouldn't that have to include a whole lot of people in the world who even know who these musicians are or enjoy their kind of music? Unless the idea is that a bunch of people sat through it because they felt obligated to do so. And I can't imagine that would be true.

But every sentient being on the planet could have tuned in and we still wouldn't care about global warming. It's the dumbest cause in the world championed by the most boring man on earth. Sing, dance, strum it on a banjo and click two spoons together. We don't care about this subject.

Right now here in FLA it's hot and muggy. Hmmm...I wonder if that's always been true? Or maybe it's the effect of globballl warrrmmming...?

Ahhh, nodonkey -
I get it - you'll find some news outlets that say it was a flop, I'll find some that say the numbers were good, and we'll never ever ever know. Sigh.

Not sure why you're wondering about 3rd world viewership - I would suggest to you that they aren't the worst polluters on the planet.

docjim505 -
Sorry to burst your smug bubble, but they did everything you're asking about:
http://www.liveearth.org/?p=13

"We don't care about this subject."

Rest assured, if the Democrats are able to convince enough gullible voters to give them the White House and Congress in 2008, it will be the last we hear of global warming from them.

"Global Warming" has the same shelf life of any silly fad - it's the bell bottom pants of politics.

It will stick around until a Democrat is responsible for implementing the economy killing policies deemed necessary for combating this non-issue.

By 2009, you'll need to buy a carton of milk to find any discussion about Global Warming. By then, the leftist loons will be stampeding onto the next "crisis".

2 billion would be almost 1/3rd of the world's population. Including infants and children.

When you exclude those too young, those too old, those who don't have access to TV's, those who had to work, etc.

2 billion would be pretty close to 80% of the potential audience was watching the show.

If there actually are any "news" outfits still spouting that number, they are either still using the pre-broadcast propaganda number, or they are just making up something that sounds good and repeating it as fact.

nodonk,

drywall has just admitted that he can't find any sources to back up his claim.

This is what passes for reporting in the MSM:

Reuters - "Live Earth draws small crowds in Rio"
http://www.reuters.com/news/video/videoStory?videoId=59398&feedType=RSS&rpc=23&sp=true

Reuters estimates 100,000 people attended in Rio, about 10% of pre-concert estimates.

Meanwhile, the AP gleefully reports: "400,000 people pack Copacabana Beach for South America's Live Earth Rio concert"

Have to respect those careful estimates by these esteemed news organizations.

A global audience of 2,000,000,000 and only 10,000,000 streams? 0.5%? What, did the kids forget how to operate the computin' box?

Let's just say that I find those numbers, whatever the source, highly doubtful. In fact, it's bull and probably just an AP wire that got regurgitated by those well-known levels of editorial review common to the MSM. The earth's population is about 6.5 billion. Very rough guesstimating, two billion would mean just about every adult on the globe between the ages of 18 to 40 watched... a laughable assumption. (Yes, the target market probably shifts a bit lower than the 18-40 demographic.) Perhaps it was Gore who printed the official press release. It seems it's all as inflated as both his perceived self-importance and the climate-swing hype du jour.

Sorry, MarkW, about the redundancy. Somehow I missed your post. It seems we both came to the same back of the napkin calculation via slightly different approaches.

Sometimes common sense is enough of a check to discount the obvious. And once again, dozens of news outlets manage to miss it.

"Now the repugs hate the earth. I'd wager that they even hate true "conservatives" these days."

And all the 'libs' hate, is dissent. Of any kind. Ask Lieberman, or read up on the Fairness Doctrine. Ask the duly elected officials dubbed 'bigots' for not supporting the immigration reform sham. Hunters (especially the organizations like Ducks Unlimited, etc) are some of the most environmentally conscious citizens the US has, and the vast majority of them are registered Republican. But hey, that just doesn't fit with your convenient notions of "repugs" now, does it?

"The president they held in such high esteem"

I don't think most of us ever held him in high esteem, except as an alternative to Kerry or Gore. I still hold him in high esteem as alternatives to those two.

"is a proven liar and a lame duck"

Lame duck? I thought that term described a President who couldn't get things done. Seems to me it's the Democratic Congress that can't get anything done these days (and their numbers reflect the public's awareness of this fact).

"their top tier presidential candidates all have issues that are spitting their party into smithereens,"

Here's a term for ya; Blue Dog Democrats. Don't act like your candidates are any less 'issued' or the Democratic party any less conflicted. One of the many reasons the Dems never hold power for long, is that they embrace so many different fringe movements, that they cannot ever gain a consensus on anything in their own 'big tent'.

"the republican brand is at a stupendous low, and all they've got is hate and general disdain for their fellow man. If you're not part of their fascist agenda, then you are despised..."

Pot, kettle, black.

Here's some real numbers for you: Live Earth finished DEAD LAST in US TV ratings during Primetime. Nearly twice as many people watched a repeat of COPS than they did LiveEarth. Truly embarrassing.

I guess we can expect an eco-friendly CD case for the "Live Earth Live" recording and the accompanying, premium, carbon offset insert. Remember, this is as much about making green as any other cause célèbre.

Bennett,
'we don't care, we just don't care'
I think countries around the world get that.
That is why america is isolated from the world.
Why should we care if america is attacked?
Should we stop the u.s being able to cross some borders, use others airspace,allow refuelling, share intelligence.
Oddly some won't entertain the concept of 'global warming,' it's bad science.
But won't accept evolution, and believe noah did have an ark.

"Live Earh" a flop? Say it ain't so!

How could so many people not share in Al Gore's narcisissm, megalomania and congenital dishonesty? I mean, hey, the man pays himself for carbon credits!

How could so many of us not want to be lectured by potty-mouthed, chicken-little hysterics and "Do as I say, not as I do" limo-lib celebrities? I mean, Madonna can sing, dance and hang herself on a cross, so that makes her a climate expert, right?

The nerve of the American people. How dare they turn their backs on their moral and intellectual superiors?

Why should we care if america is attacked?
Since you don't anyway (except perhaps to cheer), this is to laugh.

Should we stop the u.s being able to cross some borders, use others airspace,allow refuelling,
The EU pressured Turkey into doing exactly that. Don't think for one second that we've forgotten that fact.

share intelligence.
You mean intel that might have prevented those attacks that have happened practically everywhere but America? That intel? There's an adage about not cutting off your nose to spite your face. You should try it sometime.

To the extent that America is 'isolated' from the world (ignoring all the Starbucks and McDonald's and Coke and the fact you're blithering away here on the internet America created), it's because we've put the world in the timeout corner until it grows the hell up and gets its **** together.

RE: dave rywall's July 9, 2007 9:32 AM:

Let's take my "pledge" apart bit by bit and see how it compares with what the pinkos at Live Earth have said:

I pledge that I will not live in a huge mansion with a heated pool.

The Live Earth website doesn't really address whether or not Gore and his followers are going to move into more energy-efficient (and less ostentatious) housing. Let me know when Gore, DiCaprio, Diaz, et al put their mansions up for sale and start looking for studio apartments... or move into a commune.

I pledge that I will not go to parties where enormous amounts of energy are used to prepare expensively-imported food, much of which is wasted anyway.

They plan to use ceramic coffee mugs instead of disposable paper cups! And packaging material has to be made from corn-based biodegradable plastic. Well, it's a start... Call me after the next Academy Awards and let me know if the stars have Wolfgang Puck in again to prep the meal. California has quite an agricultural industry; I'm sure that they can get all the foods they need locally without having to send off for Maine lobster, Russian caviar, Kobe beef, etc. And NO grilling!

Incidentally, anybody know how much energy it takes to make a ceramic mug vs. a paper or styrofoam cup, especially if the mug gets used only once or twice before it's throw away?

I pledge that I will not travel in a limo or large car.

Nope. They said they'd "encourage" carpooling and drive in hybrid / energy efficient cars "where possible". Somehow, I can't see a big star being thrilled to be picked up in a Prius (unless there are lots of cameras nearby, that is). Will we see a long line of Priuses and Honda Civics at the upcoming Grammys?

By the way, I understand that the TOTAL amount of energy needed to build and operate a Prius is actually pretty staggering. Something about raw materials having to be shipped all over the world to assemble the batteries...

I pledge that I will not fly in an airplane.

No. They said they'd purchase papal dispensations... er, carbon offsets, that is... to handle their air travel. The earth's in the balance! We could very well reach a tipping point at any time! We can't afford to wait for some trees to be planted to offset the CO2 emitted by the stars' Gulfstreams!

I would be very interested in seeing the results of a hard-nosed audit of the "carbon offset" industry. How many trees have to be planted, for example, to "offset" a five-hour flight in a Gulfstream? Is the money spent on the offsets actually being used for the designated purpose, or is it being wasted somehow? Personally, I'll take "Wasted Money" for $500, please.

I pledge that I will not go on tour, requiring huge buses and tractor-trailers to transport me, my band, and all our equipment.

They made no such promise. They are simply trying to make this particular event a bit more "green" and "earth friendly". They won't take the most obvious step of completely halting their climate-changing behavior. Let's face it: music can be done on-line these days: go into a (green, CFL-lighted) studio, make the recording, and offer it for sale over the internet. No CD's to be manufactured / distributed / disposed. All electronic. Yes, a computer uses some electrical power, but it's a pittance compared to the total cost of how the entertainment industry packages and distributes music now.

And think of all the CO2 emitted during concert tours. Not only does the performer have a huge convoy to move personnel and equipment (often all over the world), there are stadiums to be lighted and powered (think of the A/C costs alone), concessions to be cooked and packaged, trash to be disposed, PLUS all the power used by all the fans to get to the concert. If the stars had any love at all for Mother Gaia, they'd tell their adoring fans, "Stay home! Listen to my music on-line. Or, better still, cut the power lines to your home and live like you love our good, green Earth!"

I know, I know: I'm asking these people to essentially give up their (lucrative) professions. But, again: THE EARTH IS IN THE BALANCE! Every pound of CO2 that Madonna DOESN'T put into the atmosphere because she won't be flying off to LA to give a concert (or get her hair done) goes that much further toward saving the planet. And that's the important thing, right?

I pledge that I will no longer use oil and energy to make and distribute CD's (which are non-biodegradable).

They didn't address this. Can we assume that the performers at Live Earth will no longer produce CD's or DVD's?

I pledge that, to save the earth, I will do what I'm urging all my fellow men to do: live in an unheated cave and forage for my food."

No. They DID say they'd turn off their computers at night, though. Oh, and they're going to "encourage" having recycle bins around the office. Hurrah for them!

/sarcasm

If these people TRULY believed that the earth is in mortal peril from global warming, they wouldn't merely "encourage" or "try" or "offset"; they'd be living VERY different lives. You know: something more like the average person... in Papua.

To Mags: so if I say I really honestly do care about global warming:

"Will you love me forever? Do you need me?
Will you never leave me?
Will you make me so happy for the rest of my life?"*

Uh Uh, that's what I thought. Just another tease. I'm American. The world is never going to love me. I can live with that. And I still don't care about global warming.

(*Paradise by the Dashboard Light...where was Meatloaf this weekend anyway? Is he still alive?")

Well said, fellow skeptics!

As AD points out re the 18-40 demographic for whom the message was messianic, Big Al works overtime to manipulate this highly impressionable group. Like his fellow Dems who pander to the entertainment media and are cause celebre through sycophantic interviews in "journals" such as Rolling Stone, Gore uses the impressionable idealism of uncritical youths to further their Lefty socialist agenda. These naive folk will be taxed into oblivion for the "good" of the Super State.

Wow! By buying into Big Al's scam, we might all then enjoy the benefits of living third-world lives, leaving so little of a "carbon footprint" on the world that we trudge like automatons in a little death until the final one ultimately hits us. Bread and circus concerts will keep us comfortably numb so that we don't rebel in a desire for economic liberty, entrepreneurship, and innovation of choice.

Rumor has it that the easily hoodwinked have depleted the extant stores of eucalyptus fronds and white paint. Good Gaia, cannot these useful idiots distinguish between personal responsible stewardship and top-down Central Command via carbon taxes?

Hurrah!!!!!!!!!!

We neocons now have those crazy, commie, faggoty, pinko liberals on the run.

Our neocon victory is close at hand.

That wacko environmentalist concert was a complete flop.

No one watched.

None of the blogs even mentioned it.

It was totally ignored by everybody.

Saturday we defeated those fading rockstars, tomorrow "Victory in Iraq".

(Who the hell is Keith Urban anyway? A friggin Australian. Not only do they speak funny, but those people think upside down. Not like us real 'Mericans.)

(Although MSN reported a record 9 million direct feeds, everyone knows that Bill Gates is commie. Probably gay, too.)

"We neocons now have those crazy, commie, faggoty, pinko liberals on the run."

Can any of them run? I mean literally, not for offices in which they are too irresponsible and unqualified to fill.

But can they run? What does tub o'lard Michael Moore run the 40 in these days? How 'bout fat tub of goo "I lost 40 pounds" Gore? Blimp Ted Kennedy? Zeppelin Rosie O'Donnel?

It seems that any lefty not doing crack is fatter than a Christmas Goose. And almost as smart.

"That wacko environmentalist concert was a complete flop."

Not true. Madonna got to wave her 60 year old mammaries at a bunch of stoned idiots, while singing some screechy, unlistenable ditty. Now that's art.

"No one watched."

Understandable. Heroin makes it difficult to stay awake for long periods of time.

"None of the blogs even mentioned it."

Except this one.

"It was totally ignored by everybody."

No, but it should have been.

"Saturday we defeated those fading rockstars, tomorrow "Victory in Iraq". "

How 'bout we shell the terrorists with the bodies of worthless rockstars/leftwing politicians? Any casualty of that, I look at as a big win.

"Who the hell is Keith Urban anyway?"

A better question is - who the hell cares who Keith Urban is?

"Although MSN reported a record 9 million direct feeds"

So that means 8.95 million computers crashed yesterday (love that Windows OS)?

Bennett, global warming is a real issue,i tend to think you,
Have to do what you can and
let mother nature do the rest.
I believe the world did respond(maybe not love) but compassion after 9/11 and katrina.
'we are all american's'
I might not 'love you forever',but i would respect you and your country if you inter-act ed with different nation's with different opinion's.
A world wide debate.
America shares the world,by not engaging you may find yourselves.
'Cold and lonely in the deep dark night.,

Hey "No Donkey" thanks for taking my message with the spirit in which it was written.

Re Windows OS, stay away from VISTA. I beta tested that sucker, and it furthered my belief that Gates is out to destroy this country.

"America shares the world,by not engaging you may find yourselves.
'Cold and lonely in the deep dark night."

Yes, we should be more like China and Russia, those paragons of communication and love.

By bribing Euro pols, and by killing internal dissenters, the Chinese and Russians have the love of a gutless, gelded Europe.

Used to be, the left fought fascism. Now they trot out tired, millionaire drug addicts to strum guitars, stroke bongos and screech out incomprehensible, childish ditties. And they call it "making a difference".

Not quite, lefties.

Greetings Yashmak :) you said:

Hunters (especially the organizations like Ducks Unlimited, etc) are some of the most environmentally conscious citizens the US has, and the vast majority of them are registered Republican.

I agree, but I wouldn't call it a "vast majority." Many of the membership of groups like ducksunlimted.org is composed of moderates to (real)conservatives, but the fact of the matter is that many of those registered voters no longer trust republicans in this administration on the environment. Why? Because of the exact same thing that's going on in this thread. The utter denial, even when faced with a plethora of peer reviewed reports from the scientific community, that global climate change is real and not just a "fad."

I don't think most of us ever held him in high esteem, except as an alternative to Kerry or Gore. I still hold him in high esteem as alternatives to those two.

Oh you're a damn liar. "Most of you" thought the man walked on water until you pulled your heads out of the sand and realized you'd been hoodwinked.

Seems to me it's the Democratic Congress that can't get anything done these days...

Yes, thanks obstructionists. America ought to remember you all for that around voting day 2008.

One of the many reasons the Dems never hold power for long, is that they embrace so many different fringe movements...

One of the many reasons the Repugs never hold power for long, is that they embrace so many different fringe movements...

There, fixed that for you!

I heard on Drudge's radio show last night that Roger Waters was one of the headlining acts. Pretty funny, considering that his band, Pink Floyd, practically wrote the book on creating mammoth, elaborate concert tours that literally require moving a whole army's worth of people and equipment from one city to the next.

I'd like to see some scientist calculate the amount of carbon emissions and electricity used by Pink Floyd for all their world tours over the past 35 years. I'll bet there's at least 20 countries that haven't used that much energy over the same time period.

I see a strong parallel between the hypocrisy of Roger Waters and the hypocrisy of all the people who were calling for Don Imus' head on a platter. You know, the same people who make excuses for Rap artists who constantly use the "N" word.

The Civil Rights Movement, the Environmental Movement, and the Feminist Movement all started out as legitimate, worthy causes. They all accomplished their main goals, and therefore, outlived their usefulness. Yet these movements have been kept alive by certain people in order to advance a left wing, anti-capitalist, anti-Western agenda.

The people who have kept these movements alive constantly engage in hypocritical behavior, because they know damn well that racism, sexism, and pollution are no longer serious problems.

We've all heard the theories about how alcholic beverage companies, cigarette companies, and fast food chains target Black neighborhoods because there's a conspiracy to keep Black people down by getting them hooked on booze, nicotine and unhealthy food. Yet you never hear these conspiracy theorists accusing record companies of mass marketing Gangsta' Rap to White kids in the suburbs in order to reinforce negative stereotypes of Black people.

That's because all these Black Rap artists, along with Black record producers and Black record executives are getting rich off this stuff. And more importantly, they have no reservations about marketing this crap to White kids in the suburbs because they know that racism is no longer a serious problem.

If racism really was as prevalent today as it was in the first half of the 20th century, Black leaders would be accusing Gangsta' Rappers of being agents of the White man and would be ostracized by the Black community for fostering negative attitudes towards Blacks.

The Fop said:

"I heard on Drudge's radio show last night that Roger Waters was one of the headlining acts. Pretty funny, considering that his band, Pink Floyd, practically wrote the book on creating mammoth, elaborate concert tours that literally require moving a whole army's worth of people and equipment from one city to the next."

Guess what? Roger brought the Flying Pig with him!

To Mags:

You offer respect only, no love? Not much appeal in that then. We have the world's most powerful military. We can get respect just about anywhere anytime (okay, well maybe that's more we inspire fear but that's in the same neighborhood as respect don't you think?).

Well I can't speak for all Americans...but I will anyway. We change only to suit ourselves. The world can scream and wail and beg and plead but in the end it's only if it suits us. It's just how we are. And I can't see us changing to care about global warming. You'll notice in this thread that even those who claim the concerts were a success take that position only because it serves some other political end, criticizing the GOP or castigating the neo-con movement or whatever. They don't care about global warming either.

But you are a better poet than I am, Mags.

The problem with celebrities purchasing carbon offsets, is that there are only so many trees you can plant, before you run out of new places to plant them.

In words even a greenie can understand.
Carbon offsets are a finite, non-renewable resource.

Every offset wasted for an extravaganza like this one, is an offset that is not available for a worthwhile offset, like flying a sick child to a hospital.

Achillea,
'since you don't anyway....',
Strange to assume that i cheer american's dying because i want countries to give some thought to enviromental issues.
Global warming is seeped in hypocrisy for everyone,me included.However if everyone does their bit, like recycling rubbish,which is become routine in places.We try not to use plastic bags because they have a self life longer then yoda to degrade.
Even not leaving t.v's on standby,not having appliances all on for no reasons like every light in the house even if you are out, energy saving light bulbs,walking,congestion charges,smoke free zones,cheaper alternatives, i was too lazy to not use disposible nappies{diapers}.
'Share intelligence',
I think you get the better deal here. How many arabic speakers have you got to translate chatter?. You want other countries to extradite terrorists, and give details of passengers entering the u.s{by the way this does not work the other way around}.You need world co-operation. The U.S has no place to judge when your c.i.a let you all down so badly.
' Turkey-don't think..'
Are you going to invade turkey now ,those evil doers get everywhere. The difference is that it's traditinal allies like ireland and scotland that are protesting against the u.s refuelling in their country,with political consequences to the leaders who allow this.
'Starbucks/mc donalds',
Er nope we have seen what this life style has done to you all. In the u.k advetising junk food to children is banned.
From this day onwards individual countries can only use things that they have invented or discovered. Who discovered america again?.
This would mean you never using d.n.a, i.v.f ,oh it's to long but you get my drift.
I don't know why this is such a political left/right debate in the u.s-nowhere else-just you lot.
You are missing the boat on innovation's ,patents, well money.Between that and stem cell research you are failing to lead from the front and develop idea's that will be huge in the future.
Instead of whining about china/russia/india, why be on that level shouldn't you expect more from the u.s.a. I used to think so,where is the 'beacon' i used see.It is really disappointing.

A worldwide concert viewed by how many, with musicians who travel on private jets to their destinations, who cause all of those concert-goers to waste energy by any means - car, public transportation - just so there would be a big, kumbaya-like chant of "Look! We care! Look what we're doing for the environment!"

Yep: Gore and Co. asking humanity to destroy its economies, while they don't have to lift a finger themselves!

Those hypocrites!

"Save the Earth! Stop Breathing!"

Mags wants to know where the beacon is he used to see.

Sorry, Mags, we had to turn it off. It was using too much non-renewable energy and left a huge carbon footprint.

"The utter denial, even when faced with a plethora of peer reviewed reports from the scientific community, that global climate change is real and not just a "fad.""

Who is in denial? No one here is suggesting that global climate change isn't happening! I'd say that if you think so, you're the one in denial.

"Oh you're a damn liar. "Most of you" thought the man walked on water until you pulled your heads out of the sand and realized you'd been hoodwinked."

I wasn't enthusiastic about Bush Jr the first or second time I voted for the man. However, I was (and remain) convinced that he was a better choice than either Gore or Kerry would have been. You can call me a liar all you want, but it doesn't change the truth of it.

"Yes, thanks obstructionists. America ought to remember you all for that around voting day 2008."

Hey, you guys are the ones who were forced to vote in conservatives (Blue Dogs) who have openly rebelled against the far left agenda of Pelosi. The republicans are sticking to the desires of their constituency, blocking legislation they believe ill-conceived (amnesty) or contrary to those desires. Obstructionism? Oh please. Next you'll tell me that Democrats never engage in such behavior. Then after that you can tell me a bedtime story about how they don't filibuster. Yeah, that's the ticket.

Brilliant, exchanging a word in my quote for the one that doesn't fit there by the way. Funny joke, that.

RE: MarkW (July 9, 2007 3:05 PM)
"The problem with celebrities purchasing carbon offsets, is that there are only so many trees you can plant, before you run out of new places to plant them."

Good point. It sounds nice, conceptually, that adding a tree "here" to offset a lost one "there" is good stewardship. Unfortunately, regional stability of flora and habitat doesn't work that way and can actually be detrimental. If one were to clear-cut a section out of the Amazon, planting some subsidized trees of limited diversity in Arizona, for example, would NOT help. The tree selected to grow in the Amazon. The environment supports it. Another tree of different species chose not to grow in the desert. The environment doesn't support it. Adding one, or in this case many, would suck up the limited resources (water, nutrients) and change another regional environment that had reached an evolutionary homeostasis.

Assuming this whole carbon offset isn't just capitalists cashing in on guilt and politics (which is my view on this global warming publicity tour), even the science behind the process should be questioned. And who is to know which amount of carbon offsetting is appropriate to the balance of nature? What scale of human intervention can be imposed (assuming it even can) and how will such intervention "heal" the other side of the planet? And how does one measure the healing? Is it CO2 alone and no other component (water, respiration rate, N2 balance, biowaste, etc.) matters? Sure, we want to "cure" the planet since no one wants to live in his own filth, but at the same time we don't want to make the patient worse... worse even than just the damage from acute, regional clear-cutting or operating an oil-based engine.

It's a useful and serious discussion we should have. Unfortunately, the attention whores are not being serious or honest enough, nevermind the flawed treaty that is Kyoto (or any derivative of it) which is more an economic than environmental commitment.

Another continent heard from (and the message from Aftica to the condescending Greens and global warming alarmists is not pretty):

"Few people in Africa will get to see Al Gore and his troupe of rock-star ecologists strutting their stuff during the series of Live Earth concerts this weekend --because most have neither television nor electricity.

"That's just as well, because they would be aghast at LiveEarth's bizarre message. In Africa, we have much more serious things to worry about than climate change.

"Indeed, if they achieve their objective the concerts will have done harm to the people of Africa."

Read the rest of the hard truths written by an African here: http://allafrica.com/stories/200707090304.html

The first comment was the truest. I certainly don't agree with the message/politics of Woodstock, but the bands! The Who, Hendrix, etc...what did Live Earth have? Madonna? The Police? Didn't see Sinatra and Robert Goulet at Woodstock...anyhow, the real point is maybe people are finally sick of hearing the opinions of musicians on things other than music. That was a really bad outgrowth of the 60s, when the public decided musicians were statesmen. I thought the last truly great rock genius was Kurt Cobain...but I wouldn't trust him to watch my cat for the weekend, much less look to him for social leadership.

thank you for posting that online. That is truly something that all the fanatics on global warming need to read.

Thanks for the ratings link, Farris. According to Nielsen, the ratings for Live Earth during prime time (8-11pm) was a whopping 0.9. That means it was watched by less than 1% of households in the US.

Bennett,
Offering love usual comes with a monetary donation, in £'s though not $'s then i swear i would love you till the end of time.
Are you really saying that the u.s should use it's military to gain respect through fear? Really? Over an energy saving lightbulb, are these now weapons of mass destruction? Ok i will join a coalition of the willing,round up people in open toed sandals.
Particular attention will be given to those wearing socks at the same time.
One by one we will shove an orange up their arses and take pictures.
We could carpet bomb all those who maintain their own compost facility and believe soap is the real enemy.
I tend to teach my children that it's bullies that try to get respect through fear .Are you talking for all america?
Global warming is hiliarious in it's hypocrisy,and attention is brought to this,especially with famous people.
John travolta was telling us all in the u.k to 'do something',when he had just flown in on his own plane.
Prince Charles waffles on about it whilst being flown in on his helicoptor when he is only going a mile.
Our previous deputy prime minister wouldn't walk a very short distance because his wife said her hair would get blown out.
It is more enviromental issues that i am talking about,save the political / oil/war /u.s over consumption of oil that is underneath your enemies for another day.
More children then ever are dying of ashma and more children are developing it.
Come on,Benny air quality?
My dad is on home oxygen, and some americans must be , does any american care about that?
Thick smog,so no american would care about their own?
When did that happen?
Actually your have already achieved the fear thing.
American tourists in hawiian shirts,shorts and baseball caps whilst , with a booming voice trying to use dollars or asking for american stamps because the post is going to america,scares the shit out of me.

Global warming anyone?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6286484.stm

Piece is entitled, "Gore, Boxer, Suzuki lead an all-star cast exploiting science -
Climate Extremism: the Real Threat to Civilization"

Here is the link:

http://www.canadafreepress.com/2007/global-warming072007.htm

It is the "Breaking News" story on http://www.canadafreepress.com/

Note the extensive reference to the extremism of California Senator and Chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee, Barbara Boxer, especially her foolish statement, "Working Together we can reverse Global Warming!"