Comments on: Something in the Air http://mullentown.com/something-in-the-air/ Home of Heart, Mind and Really Big Issues Sun, 23 Nov 2008 13:04:58 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.5 by: msteele http://mullentown.com/something-in-the-air/#comment-1419 Wed, 11 Apr 2007 20:47:11 +0000 http://mullentown.com/something-in-the-air/#comment-1419 Three words: Blades of Glory Three words: Blades of Glory

]]> by: chardonnay http://mullentown.com/something-in-the-air/#comment-1418 Wed, 11 Apr 2007 20:45:57 +0000 http://mullentown.com/something-in-the-air/#comment-1418 My personal movie favorite is General Jack D. Ripper of "our precious bodily fluids" fame. Fluoridation was a monsterous Commie plot........... My personal movie favorite is General Jack D. Ripper of “our precious bodily fluids” fame. Fluoridation was a monsterous Commie plot………..

]]> by: gabespop http://mullentown.com/something-in-the-air/#comment-1417 Wed, 11 Apr 2007 19:39:41 +0000 http://mullentown.com/something-in-the-air/#comment-1417 And, as long as the discussion has been completely derailed and Chardonnay has made suggestions that I believe are . . . Jeezuhs H. Christ! I just looked out my window and saw a large group of USU students protesting! The end is near, folks! Anyhoo, what ever happened to the great dystopian film that explored the existential dilemmas of our times? The 60s and 70s had lots of 'em. Strangelove, The Graduate, Easy Rider, Midnight Cowboy, The Planet of the Apes, Soylent Green, The Stepford Wives, Taxi Driver. Nope . . . Jeezuhs, there they go again . . . they don't make 'em like that anymore. And, as long as the discussion has been completely derailed and Chardonnay has made suggestions that I believe are . . . Jeezuhs H. Christ! I just looked out my window and saw a large group of USU students protesting! The end is near, folks!

Anyhoo, what ever happened to the great dystopian film that explored the existential dilemmas of our times? The 60s and 70s had lots of ‘em. Strangelove, The Graduate, Easy Rider, Midnight Cowboy, The Planet of the Apes, Soylent Green, The Stepford Wives, Taxi Driver.

Nope . . . Jeezuhs, there they go again . . . they don’t make ‘em like that anymore.

]]> by: chardonnay http://mullentown.com/something-in-the-air/#comment-1416 Wed, 11 Apr 2007 18:54:31 +0000 http://mullentown.com/something-in-the-air/#comment-1416 This discussion is taking on a life of its own...... "Soylent Green" (1973) is wonderful camp, a classic. Edward G.Robinson`s last film and Leigh Taylor-Young was awesome as Heston`s love interest. But...there are places in Asia with worse air quality than the film depicts. Maybe because the world population has gone from 1.4b to 6.7b in the last one hundred years.Just too many people for the planet. How about this for a start; 1.) Empower women with reproductive control over their own bodies. 2.) Education 3.) Get the Pope to shut-up about the evils of secular Europe...one place where the population is in gradual decline. This discussion is taking on a life of its own……

“Soylent Green” (1973) is wonderful camp, a classic. Edward G.Robinson`s last film and Leigh Taylor-Young was awesome as Heston`s love interest.

But…there are places in Asia with worse air quality than the film depicts. Maybe because the world population has gone from 1.4b to 6.7b in the last one hundred years.Just too many people for the planet.

How about this for a start;
1.) Empower women with reproductive control over their own bodies.
2.) Education
3.) Get the Pope to shut-up about the evils of secular Europe…one place where the population is in gradual decline.

]]> by: gabespop http://mullentown.com/something-in-the-air/#comment-1415 Wed, 11 Apr 2007 17:16:21 +0000 http://mullentown.com/something-in-the-air/#comment-1415 I just checked the census bureau statistics and there does appear to be a bit of net inmigration from other states (for a while there wasn't). mSteele is no doubt correct that this is due to our strong economy. But we agree: the largest contributor to our population growth is too many births and not enough deaths. Therefore, we should introduce our kids to contraceptives . . . Just kidding, kids! Repeat after me, "Within the sacred confines of the marital relationship and for procreation only!" We're not gonna stop reproducin', baby, so we gotta start dyin'. The air-quality problems that were the original topic of this discussion could help us out in this regard. Bring on the smog! We can be "smoked" soylent green! I just checked the census bureau statistics and there does appear to be a bit of net inmigration from other states (for a while there wasn’t). mSteele is no doubt correct that this is due to our strong economy.

But we agree: the largest contributor to our population growth is too many births and not enough deaths. Therefore, we should introduce our kids to contraceptives . . . Just kidding, kids! Repeat after me, “Within the sacred confines of the marital relationship and for procreation only!”

We’re not gonna stop reproducin’, baby, so we gotta start dyin’. The air-quality problems that were the original topic of this discussion could help us out in this regard.

Bring on the smog! We can be “smoked” soylent green!

]]> by: msteele http://mullentown.com/something-in-the-air/#comment-1414 Wed, 11 Apr 2007 16:18:18 +0000 http://mullentown.com/something-in-the-air/#comment-1414 Stats I was reading about our 2% population growth in Utah for 2005 attributed 70% of the growth to more births than deaths, 20% to international net inmigration, and 10% to net inmigration from other states. Didn't differentiate between legal and illegal international migration. This would confirm gabespop's reading of the situation, except for the interstate migration issue. Since Utah has far fewer teenage and single births than the nation, and a higher % of married households, and birth rates also follow the economy, here are some creative approaches to reducing population growth: -Place a moratorium on marriage for a couple of years. -Allow Utah women in their 20's to restate their age to 15-19. -Sabotage the booming economy in Utah. This would reduce both birth rate AND inmigration! Radical solutions, perhaps, but not as radical as a soylent green approach. Stats I was reading about our 2% population growth in Utah for 2005 attributed 70% of the growth to more births than deaths, 20% to international net inmigration, and 10% to net inmigration from other states. Didn’t differentiate between legal and illegal international migration. This would confirm gabespop’s reading of the situation, except for the interstate migration issue.

Since Utah has far fewer teenage and single births than the nation, and a higher % of married households, and birth rates also follow the economy, here are some creative approaches to reducing population growth:

-Place a moratorium on marriage for a couple of years.
-Allow Utah women in their 20’s to restate their age to 15-19.
-Sabotage the booming economy in Utah. This would reduce both birth rate AND inmigration!

Radical solutions, perhaps, but not as radical as a soylent green approach.

]]> by: gabespop http://mullentown.com/something-in-the-air/#comment-1413 Tue, 10 Apr 2007 22:43:35 +0000 http://mullentown.com/something-in-the-air/#comment-1413 I agree with everyone here. However, during the last few years, and perhaps even this year, our population growth has been exclusively fueled by immigration from south of the border and a very high birthrate-to-deathrate ratio. (The census bureau has shown that people have been much more likely to move from Utah to other states than to move from other states to Utah. Historically, Chardonnay has had a much more legitimate complaint about "all those damned Utahns moving to California and driving up property values" than we have had about the reverse, for example. I suppose the recent migration of retirees to St. George is an exception to this trend). The immigrant issue is a debate for another day. Saving that, the solution to our population growth lies with controlling family size (and, no, we're not gonna start knocking off old folks, the denominator in the natural growth ratio. That's off the table). I agree with everyone here. However, during the last few years, and perhaps even this year, our population growth has been exclusively fueled by immigration from south of the border and a very high birthrate-to-deathrate ratio. (The census bureau has shown that people have been much more likely to move from Utah to other states than to move from other states to Utah. Historically, Chardonnay has had a much more legitimate complaint about “all those damned Utahns moving to California and driving up property values” than we have had about the reverse, for example. I suppose the recent migration of retirees to St. George is an exception to this trend).

The immigrant issue is a debate for another day. Saving that, the solution to our population growth lies with controlling family size (and, no, we’re not gonna start knocking off old folks, the denominator in the natural growth ratio. That’s off the table).

]]> by: chardonnay http://mullentown.com/something-in-the-air/#comment-1409 Mon, 09 Apr 2007 17:07:18 +0000 http://mullentown.com/something-in-the-air/#comment-1409 France generates 77% of their electricity from nuclear power and their cars average 43mpg.......just a thought. France generates 77% of their electricity from nuclear power and their cars average 43mpg…….just a thought.

]]> by: msteele http://mullentown.com/something-in-the-air/#comment-1408 Mon, 09 Apr 2007 15:13:52 +0000 http://mullentown.com/something-in-the-air/#comment-1408 Clarification on my radiation statement, which as I read it looks foolish. Of course nuclear power plants generate more radioactivity than coal-fired plants. What I meant to say was that coal-fired plants emit as much radiation into the atmosphere as nuclear-powered plants. Clarification on my radiation statement, which as I read it looks foolish. Of course nuclear power plants generate more radioactivity than coal-fired plants. What I meant to say was that coal-fired plants emit as much radiation into the atmosphere as nuclear-powered plants.

]]> by: msteele http://mullentown.com/something-in-the-air/#comment-1407 Mon, 09 Apr 2007 15:10:49 +0000 http://mullentown.com/something-in-the-air/#comment-1407 I applaud the state of California for the effort to stop transferring its energy pollution problems to neighboring states. For here in Utah, I say no additional coal-fired plants. They are huge polluters, and actually give off as much radiation as a typical nuclear power plant. Let's examine conservation alternatives, along with more friendly power generation alternatives. Maybe we could also stop advertising our state or building up the economy here. If it weren't so attractive a place to live and work, fewer people would come, fewer people would stay. Along with no more coal plants, his would go a long way to slowing down our pollution growth... I applaud the state of California for the effort to stop transferring its energy pollution problems to neighboring states. For here in Utah, I say no additional coal-fired plants. They are huge polluters, and actually give off as much radiation as a typical nuclear power plant. Let’s examine conservation alternatives, along with more friendly power generation alternatives.

Maybe we could also stop advertising our state or building up the economy here. If it weren’t so attractive a place to live and work, fewer people would come, fewer people would stay. Along with no more coal plants, his would go a long way to slowing down our pollution growth…

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