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Politics : Rat's Nest - Chronicles of Collapse -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Wharf Rat who wrote (1362)	7/29/2005 10:47:01 AM
From: Wharf Rat	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 24232

Hybrid Cabs Get a Look from New York City July 28, 2005 — By Jonathan Lemire, Daily News NEW YORK, N.Y. — Yellow cabs are going green -- and the new air-friendly models could be on the road this fall. The city Taxi and Limousine Commission gave its tentative approval yesterday to six makes of hybrid cars -- which run on a combination of electricity and gasoline -- to join its cab fleet after hearings in September. "Within months, we could have anywhere from a handful to a thousand on the road," said TLC Chairman Matthew Daus. Hybrid cars would provide less legroom than the Crown Victorias that currently make up most of the TLC's fleet. But Daus said the benefits of the hybrids, particularly with fuel costs skyrocketing, outweighed comfort. The hybrids -- which range from about $19,000 for a Honda Civic to $40,000 for a Lexus RX 400H, as opposed to $27,000 for a Crown Victoria -- normally get double the gas mileage of traditional taxis and spew much less pollution. If the plan goes through, New York would become the first U.S. city with significant numbers of hybrid cabs. San Francisco has just 10 vehicles as part of a pilot program. To see more of the Daily News, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to nydailynews.com. Source: Knight Ridder/tribune Business News enn.com

To: Wharf Rat who wrote (1362)	7/29/2005 3:17:49 PM
From: SiouxPal	Respond to of 24232

07.28.2005Laurie David Our Sizzling Planet A recent study published in the journal Nature clearly stated that severe heat waves are now four times as likely to occur because of increased carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. This summer's miserable heat and extreme weather are going to be the norm. Las Vegas last week had a low of 95 degrees. Casper, Wyoming, tied its highest temperature ever with a reading of 104 degrees. The temperature in Denver last Wednesday reached 105 degrees (making it the hottest day there since 1878). Power grids across the United States are reporting record usage (power shortage, here I come). And just look at what's happening in India, where that country's heaviest-ever rainfall has killed close to 800 people. Officials in the National Weather Service estimate that more than 200 heat records have been broken in the United States in the past two weeks alone. As a deadly heat wave grips much of the nation, U.S. weather forecasters remain in a state of denial about the connection to global warming. Las Vegas meteorologist Andy Bailey was quoted in the New York Times as saying "this is the most intense heat wave the city has ever seen." I wonder what the date will be on Mr. Bailey’s first broadcast acknowledging that the high temperatures are a result of global warming? And who knew about airplanes and heat waves? Apparently you can't fly if the temperature gets too high, and dozens of flights were cancelled around the country. Maybe that will get someone's attention: cancelled flights are pretty inconvenient. And now we need to add to the popular vernacular the heat wave equivalent of SNOW DAYS, as the blistering heat cancelled summer school classes in Philadelphia. The death count from the heat is mounting...and it's only July. Those dying are not just homeless people, but people of all ages and income levels, including a 29-year-old hiker in Kentucky, a 40-year-old woman in Ohio, children in Oklahoma and a very healthy marathon runner in Europe. And let’s also add to the list animals at risk, including 1,200 cattle deaths in Nebraska this summer. The Times article I mentioned had an ironic first sentence, calling the current problem "a relentless and lethal blanket of heat that has settled on much of the western United States” –- which is exactly the definition of global warming. The carbon dioxide goes into the atmosphere and surrounds the planet like a giant heavy blanket, which traps in the heat. Seems to me a pretty obvious connection that the New York Times should be pointing out...along with our trusted weather forecasters.