China is trying to hang with the big boys…
China is now the world’s biggest energy consumer, knocking the U.S. off a perch it held for more than a century, according to new data from the International Energy Agency.
China devoured a total of 2,252 million tons of oil equivalent last year, or about 4% more than the U.S., which burned through 2,170 million tons of oil equivalent. The oil-equivalent metric represents all forms of energy consumed, including crude oil, nuclear, coal, natural gas and renewable sources such as hydropower.
The U.S. is still by far the biggest energy consumer per capita.
Via the WSJ alerts.
Seriously though, given the population differences I do find it surprising that the United States leads China in per capita consumption. I know better than thinking that China is more “green” than the U.S. so I can only conclude that it’s due to the fact that we have more “free time” to fire up the computers, televisions, boats & RV’s. And the fact that we’re America!
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Via Telegraph:
“I woke up and heard a strange scratching sound. I turned on the light and saw this monster working its way along the wall using his claw,” said Mrs Duan of Suining, southwest China.
You’ve got to go to their site to see the picture. This is a bit out there even for me.
View this post at Utter Oddness » Brian
Via China Daily:
Fish that are supposed to clear people’s skin by eating off the dead layers bit a man’s private parts after he stepped in the water naked at a hot spring club in Dalian, Liaoning province.
The man, who had visited the spa for a “special water treatment”, sat in the water for half an hour without realizing the special fish were nibbling on his special parts instead of the dead skin.
And remind me why I’m not planning a trip to China. But to be fair, I’ve heard of this “treatment” in the States as well (without the nudity).
View this post at Utter Oddness » Brian
Man, this is truly sad (and yes, I’m being serious)…due to tradition, if I were Chinese, I couldn’t enjoy firecrackers…
(CNN) — The sharp sound of firecrackers and the wails of grieving parents echoed Tuesday morning aboveJuyuan Middle School, where hundreds of students are still trapped 24 hours after a major earthquake in central China.
The firecrackers, a tradition to ward off evil spirits, sounded each time a child’s body was found, a reporter at the scene said.
“We heard firecrackers at regular intervals of about 5, 10 minutes,” said Jamil Anderlini, a reporter for the Financial Times.
Don’t get me wrong. This earthquake is tragic. The lives lost are tragic. Every culture has their own traditions and that is cool. But from the mindset of an American who has recently lost a child, I swear, if firecrackers were a reminder of my child’s death, I’d probably never light another one again and I’d probably be tempted to leave the States for the summer and never go to a good amusement or theme park again in order to avoid the large displays that seem to be everywhere during the summer.
It’s not a matter of wanting to forget. You can’t. But that constant summertime reminder in America would be quite a weight to bear, so I’m thankful that’s not the case. Watching pregnant women and those with newborns walk by is hard enough at times.
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