Comments by trustbutverify

Those concerned about us tinkering with the climate should rest easy. The article depicts how half a dozen scientists cant agree on launching a baloon. Imagine the degree of world cooperation necessary to "authorize" an actual climate modification program. In the last 2000 years humanity has not agreed on anything greater than the Olympics.

How dares The Economist attack the one ubiquitous religion in this country?! Our roads and bridges may be crumbling, but they still lead to gleaming arenas of devout Sunday worship. And by Peyton, that's the way we like it!

Those foreign investors are trying to tie up some prime property before the Castros check out and a flood of capital comes in. But there are risks to being the first mover. After all, they say it's the second mouse that gets the cheese.

Mitt Romney is first and foremost the Republican nominee, and there is so much that Obama could go after the Republicans for. The baseless wars, irresponsible tax cuts, deficit spending, underinvestment in everything except the military, widespread corruption, etc. etc. To go after Romney's professional career (and an envyable one at that) is just uninspired and cynical politicing.

A very uplifting article. Go U of H!

"If people are serious about carbon capture and storage, they will have to pay for it."

Where are these "people"? Not in America or China at least.

Note to self: Don't be smarter than Peter Thiel, and wait until FB misses a couple of quarters of earnings estimates.

It is not too late to have a proper trial. One would hope any sentence these people get would not have been shorter than 10 years anyway. Disruptive or not, we should have held the trials in Manhattan, with the world watching.

“…appropriately, Mr Cameron is indeed one of the company’s backers”

Given the nagging, teachy conservationist message of Avatar, isn’t it rather inappropriate?

"But there’s something undeniably weird about making something gritty and grown-up out of a concept as wonderfully daft as superheroes."

True. But the unbridled success of the new Batman movies has cemented in director's minds that the audience wants grit. Even the preposterous Transformers are movies trying to strike serious notes!

Mr. Hollande couln't ask for a more shining endorsement than a scathing cover story in a leading British paper. Now he really is a shoe-in!

"at least it's nice to drive a car with high seats so you can look down on other motorists"

How miopic are Western car-makers to try and breed another SUV-driving fad in a country of a billion residents, just as the world runs out of cheap oil?!

The visual dazzle of the first Avatar is now a known quantity. I'm afraid any sequels whould have to stand up on plot - not Avatar's strong suit.

If in 2003 George W Bush and Dick Chaney had this wonderful model, they would have input their grand military plans and hit "calculate". After a few seconds the screen would flicker and "BAD IDEA" would appear. Would we be living in a different world today?! I doubt it.

John McCain famously proposed indexing our military spending to GDP. It was a dumb-sounding idea, like indexing your rent to your salary. I guess after 40 years in Washington, he understood the alternative would be worse.

Launching a far-flung war every decade or so to justify maintaining a strong military makes about as much sense as cutting yourself to justify continuing to buy health insurance. Nations should maintain an army so they DONT have to fight frequently.

"...bestselling dystopian trilogy for teenagers (and others)"

No, not others. Only teenagers.

Come November, when he'll be speaking to the rest of the nation, Mr Romney should be able to claim with some pride that he failed to "woo" the current incarnation of the Republican base.

I'll take space Nazis on a shoe-string budget over multi-million all-CGI-and-no-plot sci-fi shlock like this weekend's John Carter any time!

Poor Ukraine! They might not have a "first world" GDP/capita, but on social matters, they as progressive a society as any other in Europe. Oh well, I guess someone had to be the other endpoint on the graph. Next time, to change it up a bit, please use the UK.