Ahh, you are correct. The blocked message was very weird and instead of just saying "blocked" or "not available", it was this long winded line about "This video contains content from the Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific Inc., Honk Kong" that made me think it was a video takedown.

I'm just shocked they found suckers to fund this sequel...Pacific Rim ranks high among my list of worst films ever.

That's interesting. My father told me my grandfather would do something along the same lines. He was a chaplain in the South Pacific and would give clues to where he was, for example by asking about their neighbors with the black dog. That family's name was Marshall so they knew he was in the Marshall Islands.

Excellent. But, I have a reaction to your (Green's?) text in the description.

1. Nostalgia is a motivator. But I think it tends to be a *strong* motivator only of individuals, not of collective societies. If Trump has nostalgia for fossil fuels (personally I think his motivations lie elsewhere), the good news is that that nostalgia won't be very contagious to American citizens. At least not for long.

People like Elon Musk / Tesla are making it clear that electric and renewables are the sexy high-tech future. That appeal to our vanity will be much more effective as a "carrot" motivation, as compared to a "stick" with carbon taxes etc.


2. This essentially boils down to an industrial version of Isolationism. Trump represents a bigger push in that direction by far compared to being motivated by nostalgia. BUT, I think that trying to explain that resistance in him and others purely through that anti-globalization lens misses some things.

Just as nostalgia is a better motivator for individuals than societies, altruism (if you believe it can exist) functions the same way. And that's 90% of what the Paris Accords are: altruism.

On paper, it makes sense for us as individuals in the US to acknowledge that we got a disproportionate level of advancement out of fossil fuel usage through our history. As individuals, we can see the undeniable truth in that. But ask us to act -- collectively -- on that and watch as our collective altruistic tendencies are drastically reduced compared to the sum of our individual altruistic tendencies.

That's not really evil, that's just human nature. But it is precisely the reason that I feel that encouraging people like Elon Musk is by far the superior way to lead us into the future. Tesla makes cars that are better than competing ICE vehicles for many/most use-cases. And not "better" in the sense that our individual sense of altruism gets triggered to reward our brain's pleasure center because we've prevented some Pacific islander's house from getting wiped out in a sea level rise by buying one. No, better in real, measurable criteria: less expensive to operate, better performance / top speed / acceleration, features ... potentially even panty-dropping sexiness. That shit can motivate us as a collective society much more reliably than altruism.

And that's why I think it is more important to encourage the Elon Musks of the future than it is to get TOO overly concerned about the Donald Trumps of the present. Although admittedly, there's certainly ways to try to do both.

Thanks

I do hope he never comes to regret his decision. Way back when Kerry Packer's helicopter pilot gave up his kidney for his long-time boss, it was pointed out that the risks are actually higher for the donor than the recipient.

That story is worth googling btw, it has far more ups and downs than I expected!

*related=https://videosift.com/video/The-Great-Pacific-Garbage-Patch

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch has been added as a related post - related requested by notarobot.

? I can't drive across the Pacific to Hawaii...or the Atlantic to Europe...Although, for low budget buses between city pairs (East Coast NYC-Boston, Washington-Bos, Orlando-Miami? West Coast SFO-LAX-San Diego...) ---maybe?

GOLDEN Birthday Salutations Fantomas! Congratulations on both memorable occasions. Cheers from the Pacific NorthWET my friend

I will follow you, Namor! First, let me use my Quantum Bands to wreak havoc and sink the entire west coast of the United States into the Pacific. And with the help of the Fantastic Four and the more agreeable Deviants, shield the land mass from all harm and construct that utopia: Atlantis 5.

Yeah, the other Atlantises were blown up and or phased out of time and space, but i have high hopes for A5. Better than liberal hubs named after Mesopotamian cities! Death to the Night Watch and beware gov't telepaths...

I believe The Pacific Northwest is one of the most diverse, informed and thoughtful regions of the country. I feel privileged and honored to have been born and raised here.

Cool Pacific Rim needs the competition.

Your video, Moby & The Void Pacific Choir - Are You Lost In The World Li, has made it into the Top 15 New Videos listing. Congratulations on your achievement. For your contribution you have been awarded 1 Power Point.