emisphere until the Short-faced bear became extinct.
These 'hunted to extinction' arguments certainly resonate with our modern environmental consciousness and are often the lede in news reports on any archaeological excavations that feature the remains of Pleistocene megafauna. This gives the whole argument a certain ad hoc flavor of sensation-seeking that may sometimes be deserved.
In a broader sense the 'hunted to extinction' argument is ad hoc, as climate change alone can easily explain the late Pleistocene extinctions. Either that, or there remains undiscovered the clan that hunted the Smilodon and Short-faced bear. As by some lights these folks must have existed, I think I'll jump on the naming priority by calling them the Ferrous Huevos Culture.
"Wind. Sun. Hydrogen. They are odorless, tasteless, invisible and abundant. And they can be harnessed to generate electricity, power cars and heat homes. So, hey, let's stop dallying! Replace those shameful fossil fuels with clean renewables. What is taking so long?" Says James K. Glassman, via Reason Express.
Glassman goes on to point out: "But there is a reason that renewables, despite a history of generous government subsidies stretching back to 1982, haven't made a dent in the dominance of oil, gas and coal - which together account for 85 percent of the energy used in this country. The reason is cost. As energy sources, wind, sun and hydrogen are hugely expensive and inefficient. Fossil fuels aren't.
The renewables have their own environmental costs as well. Wind turbines sparkling in the sun as far as the eye can see isn't my favorite vision of the future of southern Wyoming, but it's fast becoming a reality in some areas. They may be clean, but they're mighty unsightly. So are all the shiny power lines strung across miles of the Big Empty.
One area where renewables do have promise is in new rural development. The REA expansion of electric lines to rural customers was hugely subsidized and these subsidies are now largely ended. The cost for new rural power lines is in the close approximation of several thousands of dollars per pole. If living in a rural subdivision isn't your style, Central Vermont Solar and Wind say they can fix you up, with 19 years of experience "living off the grid." I can't vouch for them but it's an intriguing idea with cellular and broadband via satellite becoming more of a reality.
With a couple of solar panels I really could become Hermit Blogger! Live from my cave in the hills! Except that we all saw what living in a shack in the woods did to Ted Kaczinski's head. I think I'll stay here in town where folks can toss a net over me before I get nearly that bull-goose loony.
There are good environmental arguments to be made for going 'off the grid,' even where the economic argument doesn't apply. An isolated house with on-site solar and wind electric generation, and perhaps propane for heat and hot water, would be less of a visual intrusion on the landscape than the miles of power line that have been strung in the past to serve REA's rural customers. I understand that there are govmint subsidies available in Wyoming for installing these renewables in rural settings, although we here at Coyote Headquarters don't like to encourage such munificence with the taxpayer's dollars.
These certainly are isolated (no pun intended) circumstances (Ok, I intended it) and not about to become the norm until Butt Weasel Browne gets elected, divvies up the western public estate, we all get our 1.2 acres, and we're ordered to move there to disperse the threat from WMDs, since Bush II has so cravenly allowed OBL to win the war in Afghanistan.
If the date line on this was April 1st, I'd have thought it was a bad joke.
Many at the Department of the Interior are still off the internet and this is still causing wide-spread problems. Among those problems, many in Indian Country have still only received one check since early December from the Individual Indian Trust.
Glen Loveland, a spokesman for Rep. Tom Udall, D-N.M., one of the lawmakers upset over the disconnection, 