i have a theory that within two weeks of the government legalising cannabis there will be packs of benson & hemp or silk cut grass filter tips available to buy in every newsagent in the land.
the tobacco industry can't wait for the day and they will be ready at the drop of the hat to make sure that they get their greedy grubby paws on the proceeds of such a product line extension.
the conspiracy theorists out there have long argued that the motor industry have long hidden the research into cars that don't need petrol to work. some say that they have perfected the technology and fossil fuel free cars are possible.
i am not so sure.
one of the scare stories that has been with us for a number of years is the one of oil running out.
it is a nightmare because so much of our way of life is dependent on oil.
the recent revolts in the middle east bring home the worry.
unrest in libya has seen oil prices reach a new two year high. the big fear is that the wave of public discontent spills into saudi arabia kicking off serious changes there that could lead to a hard-line islamic take over. then we are fucked. oh yeah.
none of this is new though. oil shortage, carbon emissions are two big stories. big enough that you would have thought that one of the car manufacturers would have come forward and said: "solution? we got your solution right here. this baby runs on spit and fart gas."
it is not like ford, hyundai, toyota etc are tied into the oil companies. if they were rational they would be making sure that they had a product that was going to be working long after the oil had gone. it seems they are not.
likewise you would think that companies like shell and bp would be moving heaven and earth to be the first to come up with a sensible cheap alternative to oil. instead they seem to want to drill in places that are very dangerous or that have previously been untouched by commercial concerns.
given the current geo-political situation now is the time for companies to step forward to show that they are indeed ingenious and have solved the problems of reliance on fossil fuels and the dangers of climate change.
they haven't.
i can't decide if it is because they just don't have the answers. (which would be scary.)
or they think they can hold the status quo a little longer because they understand how the current model works. (which doesn't strike me as sensible because being first to market is crucial - as several people have told me apple don't make the best mp3 players, the best phones of the best tablet computers - yet for all intents and purposes no one talks about the other manufacturers as much as they do about apple).
or they have decided that the way things are makes them lots of money and that is all that matters. (this is one that is more likely - they just want to fill their pockets with everything that they can, while going on about how they are seeking alternatives. the only problem is: sooner, rather than later, we are going to be in a heap of trouble and then people won't be in a position to buy the new only works on wishes car and those companies will be dead in the water like betamax.)
the alarm is ringing.
you can't hit snooze forever.
the tobacco industry can't wait for the day and they will be ready at the drop of the hat to make sure that they get their greedy grubby paws on the proceeds of such a product line extension.
the conspiracy theorists out there have long argued that the motor industry have long hidden the research into cars that don't need petrol to work. some say that they have perfected the technology and fossil fuel free cars are possible.
i am not so sure.
one of the scare stories that has been with us for a number of years is the one of oil running out.
it is a nightmare because so much of our way of life is dependent on oil.
the recent revolts in the middle east bring home the worry.
unrest in libya has seen oil prices reach a new two year high. the big fear is that the wave of public discontent spills into saudi arabia kicking off serious changes there that could lead to a hard-line islamic take over. then we are fucked. oh yeah.
none of this is new though. oil shortage, carbon emissions are two big stories. big enough that you would have thought that one of the car manufacturers would have come forward and said: "solution? we got your solution right here. this baby runs on spit and fart gas."
it is not like ford, hyundai, toyota etc are tied into the oil companies. if they were rational they would be making sure that they had a product that was going to be working long after the oil had gone. it seems they are not.
likewise you would think that companies like shell and bp would be moving heaven and earth to be the first to come up with a sensible cheap alternative to oil. instead they seem to want to drill in places that are very dangerous or that have previously been untouched by commercial concerns.
given the current geo-political situation now is the time for companies to step forward to show that they are indeed ingenious and have solved the problems of reliance on fossil fuels and the dangers of climate change.
they haven't.
i can't decide if it is because they just don't have the answers. (which would be scary.)
or they think they can hold the status quo a little longer because they understand how the current model works. (which doesn't strike me as sensible because being first to market is crucial - as several people have told me apple don't make the best mp3 players, the best phones of the best tablet computers - yet for all intents and purposes no one talks about the other manufacturers as much as they do about apple).
or they have decided that the way things are makes them lots of money and that is all that matters. (this is one that is more likely - they just want to fill their pockets with everything that they can, while going on about how they are seeking alternatives. the only problem is: sooner, rather than later, we are going to be in a heap of trouble and then people won't be in a position to buy the new only works on wishes car and those companies will be dead in the water like betamax.)
the alarm is ringing.
you can't hit snooze forever.
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