[Roma]

I love being around those as passionate as I. Thank you all for being you.

[Phoenix]

Same back at you, Elegance.
Phoenix

[Roma]

Local news Trump report. Last night in evening rush hour, Massive Ego,I mean Trump decided to take his 'motorcade' from NYC to Jersey and the entire Lincoln Tunnel was shut down and closed due to all the extra traffic.

Why not travel at times when there is less traffic and less of an inconvenience to the residents?

Please move to DC quickly. Traffic here is bad enough.

- Local NYC/Northern NJ Residents

[calamity]

Let us not forget that the atmosphere is heating up because of man's super consumption of the earth's resources.  We are all responsible and we can all make a difference.  I have always thought that both climate change and global warming do little to spell out this fact. This is not nature that is doing this.  This is man.

You're right Kikki, this isn't a naturally occurring event as these terms suggest.

Overpopulation, conspicuous consumption...I'm having flashbacks. 

[Sally Wood]

Velika,

My comment was:  When I see the wealthy entertainers and politicians who spout off about global warming giving up their 10,000 square foot homes and vacation pads and limos and riding in Air Force One to vacation on Martha's Vineyard, then I will take them seriously.  Yeah.  That'll happen.

Your response was:Wealthy celebrities and public figures should not be our role models in this regard. We should look to the average citizen of other nations and see where we can improve.

To clarify - since my comment was misconstrued:  I was not advocating using wealthy entertainers and politicians as role models.  I was pointing out their hypocrisy.

My comment was: By recent calculations, China produces 10 Million tons of greenhouse gasses per year, the U.S. about half, then the EU and India after that.

Your response was: One fourth of China's carbon footprint is created in manufacturing products consumed abroad. Per capita China consumes less than the U.S.

So because they are producing greenhouse gasses for products consumed abroad it doesn't count.   How about the EU and India or other developing countries. 

My comment was:  I speculate that if we reduced our emissions to zero (which is impossible because we would have to prevent cows from farting and we would have to stop breathing outward) it wouldn't change the trajectory of China and developing countries any time soon. 

You response was: We can reduce methane from cows and other animals if we adopt a healthier plant based diet and avoid factory farmed meat.

Seriously?   I was attempting some humor and you missed the part where I stated that no matter, it will not halt the trajectory of China or developing countries because they are going to do whatever it takes.  However, if you personally can convince them to adopt your strategies - kudos.

I have no intention of reducing my carbon footprint any further than it is already. However, if it makes you feel good then you go ahead and do whatever you believe is necessary.  All I can say is that I think you will be disappointed when you find out that all of your sacrifices haven't make one bit of difference in the larger world.

This is my last comment on this thread.  It is pointless and fruitless when there is no further exploration of ideas or opinions, when beliefs are fixed in stone and exploration stops and when dissenting opinions are not considered.  The earth is flat and off with your head if you believe any differently.

[Mermaid]

I have no intention of reducing my carbon footprint any further than it is already. However, if it makes you feel good then you go ahead and do whatever you believe is necessary.  All I can say is that I think you will be disappointed when you find out that all of your sacrifices haven't make one bit of difference in the larger world.

It's up to each of us to do what we can, and to be as informed as possible.

Up to a point, you may be right Sally. We may do everything possible as individuals, but it might not make a difference. The big polluters are industry, and there aren't enough controls or incentives to change this. That's why national measure and international agreements are so important. That's also why it's so worrying having Trump, a climate change denier, at the head of one of the biggest economies in the world.

Renewable energy is vital, as is putting a price on carbon emissions, and targets for reducing energy use. Hopefully soon we'll have more non polluting cars and planes.

As for celebs, they influence what people think. That's why they matter.

[Velika]

China is actually moving toward cleaner energy out of necessity; I think many Americans lack an idea of what other nations really are like in the 21st century and therefore miss out on appreciating what we can learn from them.

If people ate a more plant-based diet and purchased fewer consumer goods, as well as other measures, then we would also -- collectively -- reduce the global carbon footprint. This can be ground-up solution that ends up affecting policy.

Celebrities would not be so important to us culturally if we were more connected in our daily lives. American life is isolating in a way that makes many people more vulnerable to materialism and disconnection -- and results in our identifying more with people in the media than we do with our own neighbors.

I am not sure these simple statements = off with your head. They are topics I think are on many people's minds these days.

[Roma]

Are there any serious calls to repeal the Electoral College in congress?

Hillary Clinton 1.7 million votes ahead of Donald Trump

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-elections/us-election-hillary-clinton-popular-vote-donald-trump-electoral-college-a7429291.html
 

[Thunder]

Yes, they will try but they've tried before...and nothing changed.  You need to get both parties on board.
Good luck with that.   

[Roma]

Thanks Thunder. The Electoral College will forever boggle my mind.

For anyone out there, I can't blame you for the news you choose to receive. Most people just take what the news caster says as fact, when it's far from truth.

I suggest when you take in news, take it with a grain of salt and if you are interested in fact checking what you heard go to snopes.com and type it in there to find the truth.