[pedromorgan]

QUOTE (alastairq @ 17 Mar 2007, 12:41) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>But, go to a third world nation, where their own simple ambition is to provide electricity to their poverty-stricken population...and hear THEIR tales of woe, about so-callled 'environmentally-concerned' first world nations telling these folk, they CAN have power, but it has to be of the 'wind-turbine' variety, or not at all?
Then see the truth about how costly this approach is, in order to deliver their needs?

In my view, supporting the Environmental lobby in cleaning up the results of our own selfish materialistic nightmare is admirable....but we need to be aware that in doing so, we are also supporting those who have hijacked the whole environmentalist lobby for their own,'personal' and political gain, to the detriment of other less fortunate folk.

Actually the cleaner varieties of fuel are ideally suited to third world nations. particularly africa. they tend to be far more localised forms of power than fossil fuel variaties.

as to supporting people who have hijacked the environmental loby, would you trather support them or the oil companies?

QUOTE (alastairq @ 17 Mar 2007, 12:44) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>to go one further......do 'smoke' units emit fumes that eat the ozone layer?

No you are basically boiling oil not burning it. it will condense on your walls and ceiling.

Peter

 

[Gary]

For those who wish to learn more of the alledged con-trick here is a link to the programme website. There is a forum for discussion of the programme where things are very heated. The forum there may be a better place to offer up any views on this subject not directly linked to model railways.

The Great Global Warming Swindle

Happy modelling
Gary

 

[alastairq]

QUOTE as to supporting people who have hijacked the environmental loby, would you trather support them or the oil companies?

the lesser of two evils?

Certainly the oil companies!

For it is they that keep our economies buoyant, and allow us as individuals to pursue our hobby.

the extremeists simply want to impose an unproven viewpoint, to the detriment of our very lifestyle.

 

[Rail-Rider]

Readers might reasonably ask whether an OP based around a politically contentious subject would produce anything other than a politically contentious discussion . . .

 

[Brian Considine]

With all this talk of changing lightbulbs/lamps in the home to energy efficient ones, turning off appliances from standby & so on it occured to me last night what a complete waste of effort this really is.

Last night we carried out some work to a shop facia in a shopping centre (mall to our American friends). This centre is covered and at the time closed completley to the public, no staff in any over the other shops & just a few security people.
Walking up just one "arm" of the centre (there are 6 arms on three levels plus food court) I estimated some 26kW of lighting left on !
How many TV's, PC's left on standby would that power.

The authorities need to stop bullying the public & start on the bigger fish - the real culprits (if they dare ! - most of the shops in question belong to national chains). This example is just one small part of one centre in one town.

Is this energy consumption that big a problem - if it is then we had better start slowing down the Eurostars & so on - that should save a few kWh.

Well, that's my Monday morning rant over.

 

[Gary]

I had this same rant with the manager in the Co-op which has recently extended its opening hours. Co-op make a big thing about using renewable energy and promotes this fact in all its stores. However at 9:30pm with just one checkout open and one customer (me) in the store all the lighting and heating was on!

24 hour store opening and Sunday opening is actually crazy in a "green" world!

Model railway hobby stores with their 9-5 opening hours and traditional style of shopkeeping and Sunday closing are being very green and should be supported by all those who purport to be green.

Happy modelling
Gary

 

[PhilH]

QUOTE 24 hour store opening and Sunday opening is actually crazy in a "green" world!

Not if the place is going to be restocked etc at night and at weekends-in fact it makes perfect sense to get the extra use out of it by admitting customers.

 

[owen69]

hi folks,just thought i would remind everyone that good old" gordo" has jumped on band wagon we all now face loads of green taxes, which no one will oppose cos its not pc.

 

[Gary]

Maybe good old Gordo would reduce VAT on hobby activities that are considered green such as railway modelling where lots of waste gets recycled and recycled plastics and materials can be used in production. Gordo could give the public the incentive to become railway modellers and manufacturers the incentive to recycle materials and enable lower priced models to be offered as a result of the big rebates given!

Hornby and Bachmann could build their own wind farms next to their premises given a positive result to planning applications!

Happy modelling
Gary

 

[neil_s_wood]

It certainly does seem that the government is using global warming as an excuse for yet more stealth taxes. Fortunately, I'm in Australia at the moment and the government here doesn't give a monkeys about the environment. I had a look at that link Gary provided to the Channel 4 show, which I'd like to have seen, and a lot of the information and arguments were the subject matter I studied at university. One of the subjects which I did was “Pleistocene environmental change”, and involved analysing peat bog and ice cores and several other climatic indicators to recreate the environment and, to cut a long story short, the climate has been oscillating up and down in terms of temperature for the last two million years and the current warming trend is probably part of this process. The argument that more significant greenhouse gas inputs to the system are occurring from volcanoes etc than humans is correct. However no-one really knows the impact we have had as it is not readily quantifiable and hence the ongoing debate.

So what does all this have to do with model rail, well if it gets too hot our trains wont function correctly!

 

[Gary]

Trix offered a train set in the 1940's that had a hand wound generator and the faster you turned the generator the faster the train went.

Maybe Hornby should now offer the same?

And link it to the wife's or partner's exercise bike?

How would this affect DCC with its need for constant voltage?

You would have a very fit wife or partner!

Thinking about it DCC is not as green as DC as with DC the power is off when trains are stopped.

Thought provoking stuff!

Happy modelling
Gary

 

[pedromorgan]

Gary i think you just solved the child obesity problem!!

Peter

 

[Rail-Rider]

QUOTE So what does all this have to do with model rail

It's clearly the pilot for an 'innovative' new series which will include

Model Rail: Its Contribution to the spread of Avian Flu
Model Rail: The Money Laundering Connection
Model Rail: The Part it Plays in Prostitution.
Model Rail: The Tragic Truth Behind Illegal Immigration
Model Rail: Political Corruption - Honours For Limited Edition Locos
Model Rail: How it Led to the Need for Speed Cameras
Model Rail: The Unsuspected Cause of British Binge Drinking
Model Rail: Its Contribution to Recreational Drugs and Substance Abuse
Model Rail: New Stealth Taxes based on OO/HO differentials
Model Rail: The Underlying Cause of Street Crime.
Model Rail: The REAL reason for the Iraq War?

The Grand Finale will of course be entitled
Model Rail: The Effect of Model Rail Forums on The Nation's Mental Health

Produced by the prolific "Padded Cell Studios" team in Birmingham.

 

[7113]

QUOTE (Rail-Rider @ 21 Mar 2007, 09:26) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>It's clearly the pilot for an 'innovative' new series which will include

Model Rail: Its Contribution to the spread of Avian Flu
Model Rail: The Money Laundering Connection
Model Rail: The Part it Plays in Prostitution.
Model Rail: The Tragic Truth Behind Illegal Immigration
Model Rail: Political Corruption - Honours For Limited Edition Locos
Model Rail: How it Led to the Need for Speed Cameras
Model Rail: The Unsuspected Cause of British Binge Drinking
Model Rail: Its Contribution to Recreational Drugs and Substance Abuse
Model Rail: New Stealth Taxes based on OO/HO differentials
Model Rail: The Underlying Cause of Street Crime.
Model Rail: The REAL reason for the Iraq War?

The Grand Finale will of course be entitled
Model Rail: The Effect of Model Rail Forums on The Nation's Mental Health

Produced by the prolific "Padded Cell Studios" team in Birmingham.

You forgot the following:

Model Rail: It's role in the increase in one parent families.
Model Rail: It's part in the black economy.
and of course
Model Rail: Its place in defrauding the government.

Added by the man in the white van fron the Planet Thanet.

Regards

John

 

[Brian Considine]

QUOTE (BRITHO @ 23 Mar 2007, 14:04) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Added by the man in the white van fron the Planet Thanet.

Regards

John

They are now silver