The map hardly tells the story. They acknowledge that it contains no data for China, but other countries like Thailand are right up there. Thailand is rather notorious for blocking websites, over 100,000 at present and counting according to some anti-censorship groups who are keeping track. And draconian prosecution and jail time for anything deemed illegal published on forums. Google has cred so would really like to see something comprehensive published by them.

Doesn't China already have a lock on most of the world's known surface deposits of rare earth elements? And now they are making moves to secure rare earths on the sea floor. They'll be firmly in the driver's seat soon on many fronts.

I'm surrounded by the little fellas (geckos). Ubiquitous in the tropics. Long wanted to be able to climb like them. Thinking this won't be my chance.

"If people making more than 160,000 a year are really going to quit working over a 4% increase in Federal tax income, I say good riddance." That's me! I bailed on the U.S. almost 10 years ago. They don't get taxes out of me anymore. But you got it wrong - it's an ethical issue. I no longer fund the manufacture of land mines that blow the legs off of little kids across southeast Asia, or give a raise in benefits to unwed mothers each time they squeeze out another illegitimate kid soon to be a gang member, or award people who have "inflicted more fear, more loss of freedom and more loss of life than anyone else" (actual words of U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates when honoring General Stanley McChrystal during the general’s retirement ceremony). Nope, you are paying for those things, not me.

Besides, things like maps and directions are dangerous in the hands of foreigners. At least that's what Dept. of Homeland Obscurity leads us to believe.

I believe those numbers in the U.S. are for a *group* of solar *thermal* power plants. This is a *single* 73MW solar *PV* plant they are building in Thailand.

Developing countries also leading the way. Thailand broke ground this month on two large solar PV installations, a 38 MW plant and a 73 MW plant, the latter will be the world's largest when it goes into operation November 2011. Thailand is not poor but it isn't rich either, yet it can figure out how to finance and build renewable energy systems on a large scale. More on the solar race in Thailand http://geomark.wordpress.com/2010/08/05/solar-race-is-on-in-thailand/

Very well could be made up. Look at how police are compensated. They get rewarded for closing cases. The focus is on arresting a suspect and getting a conviction. Whether or not it's the right person is not part of their pay package.