What a bullshit article - this is simple subsistence mining! It is a chosen economic activity throughout the lesser-developed areas of the world.

Stamp out the practice, and you send thousands of families into abject poverty and starvation, unless their family income can be supplemented by some other form of "child labour".

The on-site refining techniques using cyanide or (more usually) mercury presents significant health dangers to all participants, and many attempts to educate subsistence miners have had little effect.

Also, the lack of a "DNA" for gold is also complete bullshit - each local component of even highly refined .995 gold can be identified.

This story is pure bunkum, if the historical record of the 1970's is accurate.

After an initial reduction in road deaths (attributed to the rising cost of fuel = less passenger-miles), it was found that the actual road death count increased, as a result of:-

(a) more bicyclists and motorcyclists; and
(b) compact cars being less crumple resistant than large cars.

I can recall that when the blanket 55 mph speed limits were removed, Insurance companies noted a significant decrease in highway accidents, which was pt down to drivers concentrating more at higher speeds.

Lea, I don't think there is any historical evidence of humans encroaching upon Polar Bear populations in Iceland.

Localised overpopulation (for instance, with Polar Bears) causes encroachment into other species' territory.

What exactly is wrong with Darwin's "survival of the fittest" evolutionary theory, anyway? Shouldn't the most intelligent and resourceful creature be the survivor - this ensures the optimum use of resources, where less adaptive creatures fail.

Oh my God, what misty-eyed nonsense being spouted here....

These are BEARS people, not cuddly toys! They are large, quick and cunning predators, and a clear danger to human beings. Hello, is there no-one left in the world with a modicum of common sense?

Polar Bear populations are at the highest level ever recorded, and this encroachment into human habitats will continue. And it's not because of the North Pole melting....

Some basic knowledge of science goes a long way. Fear-mongered fairy-tales being accepted on faith is a sad artifact of the dumbing-down of our education systems.

Barbwire:

"It isn't the Democrats who started a war of agression based on lies to protect oil interests."

Ahhh! One of the great leftist memes, regurgitated once again.

The war just to "protect oil interests" - how much a barrel now?

Do ya think there may have been another motive? Anyone? Beuller? Anyone?

Nah! The builder/interior designer just bought too many corner units!

What utter lunacy - painting roofs white! Isn't it supposed to be reflected infra-red which is caught by carbon dioxide and all the other so-called "greenhouse gases", and the heating effect is as a result of the changed wave-length of the interrupted infra-red?

The more reflection of infra-red from the Earth's surface, the more global warming!

No wonder no-one believes these climate alarmists any more!

The science is settled people - there is no more debate! It's the new religion, all right.....

SAB, it's nothing like a smart car at all. The smart car is relatively safe to crash in (despite its diminutive dimensions), and is comparably extremely expensive.

Think of the Tata Nano as a motor scooter with a roof.

Otherwise, just let the brown people ride their motor scooters with Mum on the back, the eldest son straddling the front wheel, and the daughter balancing on the rear mudguard.

Seriously, have you ever been to India?

This is an incredible breakthrough for a significant proportion of the population, which in the past has been denied to them by the self-interest of the commercial motor vehicle manufacturers. It is truly innovative, just in terms of cost, let alone anything else.

Max and Rgreen, perhaps you should Google "Argumentum ad Hominem", to assist you with your future discourses.

Care to expound upon why the greens or lefties don't have a problem with brown people?

The unmentionable Malthusian approach, particularly in the green camp, is patently obvious, and I would be interested in hearing an intelligent contrary viewpoint.

Not vacuous ad hominem.

Well, good luck to them, I say. Cheaper than any previous motor-cycle alternative, and a lot safer to crash.

Got me stuffed why the down-trodden poor always have to be down-trodden and poor - it's a bit like the greens/lefties/watermelons just don't like uppity brown people!

Bravo for an ingenious indigenous solution to a mobility problem (TOTAL lack of safety on overloaded, underpowered motorcycles).

Infrastructure, gridlock and overcrowding, now there's a First World problem to solve.

Hasn't anyone heard of glaciers CALVING?

If there are substantial winter snowfalls further up the glacier, it thickens at the ends, and pieces drop off. A natural phenomenon.

People who blame this on global warming are being intellectually lazy, and probably should not be allowed out without a minder.

Is it just me, or is anyone else disappointed that in the 20 years since Chernobyl, not a single super-hero has emerged?

My favourite reference from the Gospel of the Apostle John is John 11:35.

It's the shortest verse in the Bible....

An Australian advertisment for an anti-perspirant spray, which I remember from TV.

Well before the Montreal protocol......

I think you'll find it is actually "A Clockwork Orange" rather than "The Clockwork Orange".

A true classic!