I urge you to visit the links below and help shape the U.S. population debate unfolding on the pages of The New York Times. In fact there are two debates occurring simultaneously: one on population and one on immigration.

The New York Times is publishing a series of articles on the impact the latest wave of immigrants is having on American institutions, with the first article focusing on the challenges of educating new immigrants.
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A perplexing story popped up in my Google alerts the other day. It was from The Hoya, Georgetown University’s college newspaper, and the headline read: “Med Center Receives Research Grant for Natural Family Planning.” Georgetown is a Catholic university which aroused my suspicions; after all, in the 21st century, the Catholic Church still bans contraception for its adherents. The research grant was from HHS, for $600,000. Not much as research grants go, but in this economy spending money to research a quote-unquote contraceptive method with a failure rate of 25% seems pretty lavish.

For full article, visit:
http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/blog/2009/02/13/anticontraception-crew-still-work-hhs

Karen Thorp drives 60 miles a day to and from her job as a senior deputy district attorney of Los Angeles County, where her specialty is prosecuting multiple-murder suspects and kidnappers. But in commuting from Newport Beach to Long Beach to keep her fellow citizens safe, she doesn’t burn a single drop of gas. Her car is a Honda FCX Clarity fuel-cell sedan, and it runs on zero-emission hydrogen.

Ms. Thorp is only the second non-Hollywood person to be handed the keys to a Clarity. The first car went to Ron Yerxa, a film producer, last July, and the second in August to the actress Jamie Lee Curtis and her filmmaker husband, Christopher Guest. Jim Salomon, the owner of a construction and engineering company, is driving the third one.

For full article, visit:
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/21/handed-the-keys-to-an-alternative-future/

Thanks to Fred Brown for sending me his proposed energy plan. Fred would welcome your feedback at w6hph@yahoo.es.
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A U.S. ENERGY POLICY
A realistic way for the United States to meet its global obligation toward greenhouse gas reduction.

The United States has been surpassed by many other countries when it should be the leader in green energy. We have gone through 8 years of zero or negative progress during the do-nothing Bush years.

President Obama

President Obama has proposed that 25% of our electrical energy be from renewable sources by 2025. Obviously this is completely inadequate. We need at least 75% in 8 years, and this is quite doable. Nationwide peak summertime electrical consumption is now 783,000 megawatts. 75% of this would be 587,000 megawatts. So we would need 587,000 one-megawatt wind generators by 2017. Certainly no great problem for a nation that produces ten million cars per year.

President Obama also proposes “clean coal technology”. Although you can make coal cleaner, the term “clean coal” is an oxymoron. There is no way to burn coal without producing greenhouse gases. Coal is mostly carbon and carbon is the problem, not the solution.

The Pickens Plan

T. Boone Pickens has proposed a massive increase in wind generators to replace natural-gas-burning power plants with the resulting natural gas savings to be diverted to fuel for cars and trucks. CNG or compressed natural gas is already a well developed technology. His plan is quite feasible and would reduce air pollution.

But if we are going to run our vehicles on compressed gas it should be hydrogen, not natural gas. The conversion to a hydrogen economy is long overdue. No new technology is needed, Honda is already manufacturing hydrogen powered cars. Hydrogen can be produced from water by electrolysis. And whereas electrical energy can be economically transmitted only about 300 miles, hydrogen can be sent thousands of miles through pipelines. And, of course, unlike natural gas hydrogen burns with zero pollution.

Revenue

The best way to finance the conversion to a wind power/hydrogen economy is to raise the federal gasoline tax to a dollar a gallon. The federal gas tax is now a ridiculous 15 cents a gallon. The European countries have had a much higher tax for many years. And only a few months ago we were paying more than a dollar a gallon above today’s price.

A raise in the gas tax would require political courage but would have many beneficial side effects such as encouraging conservation, alternative and public transportation, reduction of pollution and traffic congestion, and the saving of lives.

Thanks to Optimum Population Trust for this article from the Times of London.
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Couples who have more than two children are being “irresponsible” by creating an unbearable burden on the environment, the government’s green adviser has warned.

Jonathon Porritt, who chairs the government’s Sustainable Development Commission, says curbing population growth through contraception and abortion must be at the heart of policies to fight global warming. He says political leaders and green campaigners should stop dodging the issue of environmental harm caused by an expanding population.

For full article, visit:
http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/families/article5627634.ece

Below are links to a two-part blog by Steven Kotler.

The Five Year Ban: Because A Billion Less People Is A Great Place To Start
http://blogs.psychologytoday.com/blog

The Five Year Ban: Global Over-Population Part II
http://blogs.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-playing-field

Thanks to Fred Stanback for this article from Associated Press.
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Mexico City shut down a main water pipeline under a new conservation program, cutting service to more than 2 million residents Sunday after some reservoirs dropped to their lowest levels in 16 years.

The Mexico City government and the National Water Commission will interrupt service for three days every month until May, when the rainy season begins.

For full article, visit:
http://www.newsobserver.com/1635/v-print/story

Thanks to Steve Kurtz for this article from the Los Angeles Times.
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Already-scarce water gets even scarcer this weekend for millions of Mexicans.

One of the world’s largest cities is launching a rationing plan in a drastic — and some say overdue — effort to conserve water after rampant development, mismanagement and reduced rainfall caused supplies to drop to dangerously low levels.

For full article, visit:
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-fg-mexico-water30

PMC President Bill Ryerson and PMC Director of Research Dr. Scott Connolly will be speaking at the Media for Social Change: Using Entertainment Education to Improve the Outcomes of Health and Social Issues of Women Symposium.
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Many thanks to Martha Campbell of Venture Strategies for alerting me to the attached article. It can be found under Publications at www.venturestrategies.org.

Barriers to Fertility Regulation: A Review of the Literature (PDF, 120KB)