For all those Green morons calling on us to turn off our lights Saturday evening from 8:30 PM to 9:30 PM to celebrate "Earth Hour", this is what it looks like every night in North and South Korea. The North is in the grip of a Stalinist dictator and the South is a thriving democracy.
Like fire, electricity is truly a gift of the gods. It is the difference between the Dark Age and the present age...but not for everyone. Much of Africa is in darkness. too. People who hate civilization and the humans who created it are welcome to live out in the wilderness or in some primitive backward country where they burn dung to cook their meals.
If America doesn't start building more coal-fired plants, nuclear plants, and other generators of electricity, we too shall live in darkness when the sun goes down. Be warned, the present administration is doing everything possible to make that future happen.
-- Alan Caruba
23 comments:
Alan.
I hope you don't mind if I take some space here for a comment.
That single point of light in North Korea is their Capital Pyongyang. The remainder of the Country has virtually no electrical power whatsoever.
That huge source of light there, Seoul has three times the population admittedly, but that’s a lot more than three times the light there.
A similar situation also applies in China directly to the North of N.Korea there on that image.
Now, see that large gulf at top left.
At the top of that gulf, draw an imaginary half circle around the same size as that gulf.
That is the Province of Liaoning, with the Capital Shenyang being the brightest of those points of light.
That province has around the same population as S.Korea, and Shenyang has around the same population as for Seoul, and the Chinese area is considerably smaller.
Compare the light for the larger Seoul and Shenyang, and also the Province with all of the considerably larger area of S.Korea.
In China, only one residence in six has access to any electricity, and while in S.Korea, (and also in the US) 38% of all power is directed to the residential sector, in China only 10% goes to the residential sector.
China produces just less in total power than the U.S. and China has 4.3 times the population.
Incidentally, that small sized province of Liaoning has the same population as Texas and Florida combined.
As you say, if coal fired power is forced to shut down, then this IS what the US will look like.
Alan, I love this post. Thank you for the wonderfully humorous and yet terribly insightful thoughts. I enjoyed the laugh immensely. (and agree totally, by the way)
Brilliant analogy, but unfortunately many won't get it.
Thank you, each one. An extra bit of thanks to you, Tony, who are always welcome here to provide the kind of information and insight in your comment.
I am a regular visitor to Tony's site
http://papundits.wordpress.com
Mao's ideas cost China some 45 years of stagnation as to industrial development, until around 1990. North Korea's Kims have followed a policy of ignoring the realities inherent in the concept, "The good of the nation."
We now have our own Mao Kim at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue...
So Its time for Earth Hour, that let’s all feel good but do nothing fund raising campaign for the multi billion dollar World Wildlife Federation.
A great con job, with tons of free advertising by all the wannbe green to go along media.
“It invites people to become sanctimonious do-gooders by turning off trivial appliances for a trivial amount of time, in service of some ill-understood abstract concept of “the Earth,” all the while hypocritically retaining the real benefits of electricity. People who want to do without electricity in service of some symbolic solidarity with nature should shut off their fridge, stove, microwave, computer, water heater, lights, TV and all other appliances for a month, not an hour.
And pop down to the cardiac unit at the hospital and shut the power off there too”
http://tinyurl.com/ygjqwq3
Read the whole thing and turn on every frik’n light.
Good point about North Korea.
I just posted on a similar tone, but have used a cartoon instead.
"Why I Will Not Turn The Lights Off For Earth Hour"
Tonight is 'Earth Hour' a propaganda ploy organized by the WWF, World Wildlife Fund, to promote the global warming hysteria.
"2. When is the next Earth Hour?
Earth Hour will take place on Saturday, March 27th at 8:30 p.m. local time. [for one hour]
3. What is in store for Earth Hour 2010?
On Saturday, March 27th 2010 at 8:30 p.m. hundreds of millions of people around the world will turn off their lights for one hour, symbolically calling for action on climate change. In the United States, WWF is looking for continued support from the hundreds of local governments, communities and business, as well as the tens of millions of Americans who voted with their light switch during Earth Hour 09."
Vote with YOUR light switch, too!
Let YOUR light SHINE at 8:30
Pass the word...
Alan:
As the Chinese are alleged to say, "One picture is worth a thousand words," and your photograph of the blackness that is the Communist slave state of North Korea speaks at least 1,000 million words on the horror that is collectivism.
Sadly we live in an age where the lights are going off all over the United States both in metaphor and literally. Clearly, the next order of business for our socialist government after the destruction of the energy business is to shutdown all opposition media by way of the "Fairness Doctrine."
Cheers, Ronbo
Mr.Caruba you rock!!!
ROFL and LOL, this post is 1337! Go for nukes not wind energy. http://tinyurl.com/thewindenergy Save the birds and mountains, go nuclear!! Please tell all your friends on twitter and facebook about my satirical artwork. Earth hour...is kinda of pointless.
One key point that is often missed:
This is a WWF [World Wildlife Fund] event!
It gives them vast amounts of free advertising for their fund raising which garners a half billion a year!
See:
http://nofrakkingconsensus.blogspot.com/2010/03/earth-hour-2010.html
I should hang-up the Christmas lights again.
I was going to make the comment about a picture and 1000 words, but I see Ronbo beat me to it.
That picture is all a person really needs to take to any discussion of the relative merits of capitalism vs socialism.
On the other hand, maybe those Green morons are on to something. By learning to sit in the dark, they will be better prepared for the future they are planning for all of us.
That picture said everything -- I had to show my sons. It's a powerful image to go with your excellent story. Your blog's always enlightening! Thanks!
The ironic part of this whole Earth Hour silliness is that the Green morons (I like that term) are acknowledging how important electricity is in our lives. The only discussion is of voluntarily turning off non-essential lights. No one is recommending unplugging refrigerators, or air conditioners, or runway lights, or traffic and street lights, or anything at all that is important to our comfort and well being.
Jacqueline Peterson of Harrah's Entertainment which owns nine hotels in Las Vegas says:
"We will turn off some external lights, including marques and decorative lighting. But the lights will not go out in the Casino areas."
Well, of COURSE not. Nobody is going to mess with THAT goldmine.
Only meaningless gestures are planned. After all, no one wouldn't want to actually be inconvenienced.
I can only imagine that many Green morons feel guilty, after turning the lights back on, for their feelings of relief, and for thinking "Oh, how much nicer it is having electric lights!"
That is very scary...
Make that
"Only meaningless gestures are planned. After all, no one WOULD want to actually be inconvenienced."
Damn! Even with Preview I can't seem to get it right. :-)
China has become the world leader in green energy in solar and wind power yet they are also building more coal powered plants faster than any other country. China also leads the world in hydroelectric power with more to come when the largest damn in the world goes on line.
China may not have extensive oil reserves but they have a lot of coal. It is true that many in China are without electricity but China is working overtime to change that. Considering how fast they have progressed since Mao's departure, they have accomplished a lot and will accomlish more. The Chinese are not strangers to hard work.
I would like to add one note: S.Korea achieved economic expansion during reign of military junta led by gen. Park Chung-hee. It was only in 1987 when democracy were been installed to S.Korea. S.Korea still have import protection on goods like mobile phones and cars.
Taiwan falls in same category.
Not turning-off your light is your democratic right, but democracy and electricity doesn't have equal sign between them.
Idea of Earth hour is to rise awareness of limit of energy sources. I just hope that you'll not be in position to turn switch on and light stays off.
Mr. Caruba, Excellent post and a vivid picture that is irrefutable. As for "TonyFromOz", Sir, you are flat wrong. Most everyone in China has electricity. I've travelled over much of China, living with locals and ordinary people (like myself) along the way. Even poor farmers with dirt floors have electricity.
I'd quite like to be able to go to North Korea and look through a telescope though!
excellent post
Good article Alan, unfortunately facts like these will be hidden by the general media as the Obama administration ramps up its efforts to implement a carbon tax.
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