When I was living in the US, I enjoyed showing my German friends labels from water bottles that listed 0% fat, with the comment: "Look, they sell fat-free water in the US, quite unlike all the fatty water that is being sold in Germany!" ;-)

Not quite true.

What you can "see" is wrong! :-) I have indeed translated little snippets of Japanese with Google Translate. Yes, it is often terrible, but it also is frequently useful, for example I tried it on a sign in Kyoto and it translated it as "not cross". Knowing quite a bit about the structure of the Japanese language and how much it leaves out relative to English, it was easy to guess that what it would be in English is "Do not cross!". I also found various other useful snippets. As Google Translate is based on data mining and statistical methods it would seem that one can hope that it will improve greatly over time. Until then I will study more Japanese! ;-)

...would be translation, à la Google Translate. When I was in Japan on a vacation, I would have killed for something like that! Imagine having signs that you look at translated. Or menus, comics, etc.

... Waldo!

You obviously are totally clueless! I have owned an iPad2 and now own the new iPad and the difference is stunning! Previously, on the iPad2, I could barely read a page in a PDF version of a Scientific American issue w/o zooming in because the small text was very pixellated, now, w/ my new iPad, it is crystal clear and I do not need to zoom. Also, the colours are much better on the new iPad as any side-to-side comparison shows immediately. Only Apple-hating morons cannot admit that the screen resolution of the new iPad is a huge boon for various applications, including those involving text, diagrams, photos etc. But., whatever, haters will hate and make up bullshit as long as it conforms to their bias!

None of the Apple haters here care about facts. And neither do the morons who try to find racism or other forms of discrimination under every rock.

Yes, people from poorer countries. Americans never compare themselves to Europe. They only look down never up.

Wow, are you uninformed! I work in Germany, for a corporation, and I also get 12 paid holidays, but unlike you I don't merely get a measly 4 weeks per year of paid vacation. I get 6, and from the first year I started working with at my company. I lived in the US for many years and so I know that hardly anyone who doesn't work for the government gets 4 weeks like you do. Here 6 weeks is quite common. I always pointed out a German saying to my American friends: "I don't live to work, I work to live." What's the point of making all that money if I have no time to enjoy it? I work to support housing, food, clothing etc. like everyone else, but beyond that I work so that I can support my hobbies and to spend time off with friends and family. American culture struck me as ass-backwards in that respect. People spending long hours at work. What's the point of life if that's how you have to live? Now, if you're close to starving I can understand doing that, but only if those hours are actually being paid, but otherwise I can't relate to that kind of mindset at all.

I view people that don't pay their car insurance as free loaders and causing honest people to have to pay more to cover them too. They're scum! Also in the UK the public transportation network is far better than in the US and there is no need to have a car at all.

The answer to that is obviously and unfortunately "Yes!".

How do you know what I do or don't do? Just because you're a selfish son of a bitch does not mean that I am, too! I don't drive because I think it is bad for the environment. 30 years ago when I wanted to have 3 kids I decided to have none after reading a UN sponsored report about overpopulation. I recycle, installed all kinds of water- and energy-saving devices in my home and have been a founding member of a political party promoting environmental awareness and societal changes towards a more sustainable behaviour in my country. I know many Americans don't believe in planning for the future unless it's their own immediate personal one but that does not mean that all other people feel the same way. (My apologies for the non-anthropogenic global warming denying non Tea Party morons in the US, I know there some of you out there!) My entire adult life I have tried to live in a way that when I look back on my life I don't have to feel guilty for how I lived. Ultimately I feel I would have no right to criticise anybody else unless I try to set a better example. Yes, there is much more I could do, but, I would say I am way ahead of the curve on this one!

Assuming your numbers and the scaled up to the world population we'd have 24 tons * (7/.3) equals 560 tons. And I don't accept the argument that people in most countries may not use them. We all have to behave in a sustainable way. To me that means that we have to ask: What if every person on our planet behaved the way I did?

So what does "So you are argument" mean? Sorry, I am not a native English speaker but that just sounds very strange to me!

That is utterly irrelevant if you want more security right now!