I always find this a slightly strange assertion, being a user from the UK. Yes the site was started by someone in the US, and a big chunk of the userbase is in the USA, but stories are submitted from a global audience and link to content that is hosted globally.

It's a bit like claiming the whole Internet is american, because well that's where it started, or that the web is british, because a british guy invented it. It's all a bit silly really.

As various people here keep saying, you have to consider the whole lifecycle.

I'm not defending the entrenched oligarchy of providers in the US, as they probably are gouging customers to an extent and not being as flexible as they could be. However when quoting all the amazing price deals available there, you have to consider how this is linked to pay levels, because to a certain extent the amount you pay is going to be affected by how much it costs to run the infrastructure, and paying people is a large part of that.

There are also probably far fewer regulations on cell tower placement and power. Building anything probably costs less because labour is again cheap and there are fewer building regulations, environmental regulations and labour laws to comply with. It all costs money.

Worse in what aspect? While that is an impressive mpg for any car, the lotus engine has addressed several specific deficiencies with traditional 2-stroke engines, principally the requirement to mix oil with the fuel to lubricate the engine. This has a significant impact on the emissions. It can also run on a variety of fuels. This is one heck of an achievement

oh and

[citation needed]

I'm no eco weenie, but this is total madness... the manufacture of a car creates SIX TIMES the CO2 that the average car will emit in its lifetime... the government should be encouraging people to keep their cars for longer, not pointlessly bail out a few failed car makers...