The Shrine

<div style='font: 10pt "EngraversGothic BT", "Copperplate Gothic Light", "Century Gothic"; text-align: left; '><b>Link:</b> <a href="http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm ... ature5/</a>

Front page of National Geographic, June 2004: The End of Cheap Oil. This isn't bullshit, people.</div>

<div style='font: 12pt Arial; text-align: left; '>Tell it to the fucking morons who drive SUVs (with the exception of the Escape Hybrid)... and if I offended anybody with that statement... Good! Gas can double in price and I'll still pay less than an idiot with a Hummer or an Excusion pays nows!</div>

<div style='font: 10pt Tahoma; text-align: left; '>You know, the public drivers are only a pieceof the driving market. How would you move commerical goods? That needs to be addressed as well, since basically 95% of what people buy has been transported by truck at one point or another.</div>

<div style='font: bold 9pt ; text-align: left; '>I would love a Civic Hybrid or something like that. I get about 28-30 mpg, but 45 would rock.</div>

<div style='font: 10pt Arial; text-align: left; '>Although I share your attitude toward SUVs, the kind of people who tend to buy them probably don't even notice the cost of fuel, or don't care.</div>

<div style='font: 11pt ; text-align: left; '>don't forget about gas guzzling classic cars, were bad enought >=]</div>

<div style='font: 12pt ; text-align: left; '>There was a fairly massive series of topics in Ruminations on the subject over the summer.</div>

<div style='font: 9pt ; text-align: left; '>One word: freight. I wouldn't be at all suprised to see trains become the prominent method of transportation during the next 10-20 years - for both goods and people.</div>

<div style='font: 9pt ; text-align: left; '>I love mine, it rules. There are few better feelings I've had as a driver than the one where I'm sitting in a totally silent car at a stoplight because the gasoline engine has shut itself off.</div>

<div style='font: 9pt ; text-align: left; '>Unfortunately, I agree with you. I would tend to place more blame on the car companies who produce and market the hell out of SUVs, the only benefit of which goes to the guy who pockets the profit.</div>

<div style='font: 12pt Arial; text-align: left; '>That's not really the issue Flip. I was referring to the people who drive SUVs by CHOICE.</div>

<div style='font: 10pt verdana; text-align: left; padding: 0% 10% 0% 10%; '>Actually, I think his point is more important. I think SUVs are unncessary extravagances for multiple reasons, but replacing every SUV with a compact car won't solve any problems. Our society, economy and way of life depend on cars and trucks, and moving away from that is not a trivial problem.</div>

<div style='font: 9pt ; text-align: left; '>My 2001 normal Civic is almost silent when stopped, and it hasn't shut off :-)</div>

<div style='font: 10pt "EngraversGothic BT", "Copperplate Gothic Light", "Century Gothic"; text-align: left; '>Yeah, I know, but this board isn't viewed by millions.</div>

<div style='font: 10pt "EngraversGothic BT", "Copperplate Gothic Light", "Century Gothic"; text-align: left; '><b>Link:</b> <a href="http://cars.about.com/od/helpforcarbuye ... l_2.htm</a>

Heh...that's 45MPG minimum. The Prius goes 60MPG in the city.</div>

<div style='font: 10pt "EngraversGothic BT", "Copperplate Gothic Light", "Century Gothic"; text-align: left; '>Gas isn't even the problem, guys. Plastics. Lots and lots and lots of plastics. And --ALL-- of them are petroleum-based.</div>

<div style='font: 10pt "EngraversGothic BT", "Copperplate Gothic Light", "Century Gothic"; text-align: left; '>Which runs off of coal, another non-renewable resource.</div>

<div style='font: 10pt "EngraversGothic BT", "Copperplate Gothic Light", "Century Gothic"; text-align: left; '>They are only responding to the consumers' whims. Of course, if these commericial didn't make them believe that they NEED "more power than they are used to", it wouldn't be as much as a viral train of thought.</div>

<div style='font: 10pt "EngraversGothic BT", "Copperplate Gothic Light", "Century Gothic"; text-align: left; '>Whoa...there's a hybrid SUV?</div>

<div style='font: 10pt verdana; text-align: left; padding: 0% 10% 0% 10%; '>I think their marketing has some effect on consumer whim.</div>

<div style='font: 12pt Arial; text-align: left; '><b>Link:</b> <a href="http://www.fordvehicles.com/escapehybri ... dex.asp</a>

Yep. Can get the same gas mileage as a Honda Accord (from what I understand) and it can also go fully gas, half/half, or fully electric (true hybrid).</div>

<div style='font: 12pt Arial; text-align: left; '>Good point. I wasn't even thinking of that.</div>

<div style='font: 12pt Arial; text-align: left; '>Although a centralized industry like freight shipping would be easier to switch over to an alternative fuel source (with gov. funding of course). Shipping by truck is more decentralized with more competitors in the market.</div>

<div style='font: 11pt arial; text-align: left; '>Haha. My friend always has the problem with his Civic. You can't tell if the damn thing is running or not.</div>

<div style='font: 9pt ; text-align: left; '>Yeah, I sometimes have to look down at the RPM gauge :-)</div>