Australia- I for one welcome our marsupial overlords and drinking even more beer.
Johan Richtersays
It is pretty noticeable that Africa, South America, Australia and Russia seam to accomplish nothing during these 50 years.
Anyway, I don’t buy the map’s message. The US been religious and scientifically successful for the last 50 years. If the US were to junk the First Amendment and enforce religious orthodoxy that would harm science. But that doesn’t appear likely.
The US appears to be perfectly fine with the current division between the ordinary people’s opions and what the scientists believe and I see no reason for it not to stay that way. It might not work in other countries where the state dominates the education and research sector to a much hugher degree but as long as the US keeps the current system with private schools and universities I think it will be fine.
llewellysays
Tristram:
What about the Southern Hemisphere? Maybe it becomes depopulated because of global warming.
Ocean responds to climate change much more slowly than land. The Northern Hemisphere, with its huge land masses, is warming much faster than the Southern Hemisphere, and will continue to do so. With the notable exception of sea level rise, most dangers of global warming will affect the Northern Hemisphere first and worst.
Hamishsays
Well it looks like either sea level rise has done in my home (New Zealand), or we have done the Space 1999 thing and headed off. Strange that we let Tasmania come with us though.
JohnnieCanucksays
Maybe you let them come to save the devil(s). Who really are threatened.
Tatarizesays
Canada is oil free? Damned. They used up all the tar sands in 40 some odd years. That’s amazing. As is they export the hell out of the stuff.
How the hell did China send people to other stars? Alpha Centauri C is 4.22 lightyears away. So if they launched today and instantly were at the speed of light it would take 8+ years to do such a mission, assuming you want to confirm success.
The EU is so full of themselves. I mean, seriously, cancer… that’s your claim to fame? First off, we are making a hell of a lot of progress in the area and seriously could do it in the next decade. However, all the research and testing that we have done for decades and they do it single handedly?
India’s claim is at least plausible and interesting.
We share a common ancestor with monkeys and actually are, strictly speaking, great apes.
I left out the Southern Hemisphere for a very simple reason- cartoon confusion. The talk bubbles were bad enough just on the top half, particularly with the need to stretch the U.S. across the page to make it the punch line. Adding South America (actually, more likely than Canada to be oil free, and perhaps sugar-based ethanol could work if combined with plug-in hybrids) and Australia (perfecting beer? Truly a higher cause, but never have more than one joke in a one panel cartoon) would have made it so confusing as to be unreadable.
I’m glad you enjoyed the cartoon. I must run now. Lord Koala wants another Fosters.
rajsays
Tatarize | March 5, 2007 06:31 AM
How the hell did China send people to other stars?
It said that China had sent them there. It didn’t say that they had arrived there.
/tic
The graphic is funny as heck.
Diannesays
First off, we are making a hell of a lot of progress in the area [curing cancer] and seriously could do it in the next decade
As a cancer researcher, let me just say: not bloody likely. First off “curing cancer” is like “curing infectious disease” not like “curing polio”–that is, it is a claim to have cured a lot of very diverse diseases, rather than a claim to have cured a single disease. Second, while great progress has been made and the mortality rate from cancer is going down, the problem is immensely complicated and will take many more decades to be completely solved, if it ever is. No, angiogenesis inhibitors are not The Answer. Sorry. So don’t take up smoking on the assumption that your lung cancer will be curable by the time you get it. Oh, and while “we” (the US) have contributed signficantly to progress in the area of cancer research, saying that we have made all of even most of the progress is not consistent with reality: it’s a global project.
Another quibble about the map: If the US continues in its global warming denial shouldn’t the outline have changed? With sea level increases Florida might be gone altogether, for example.
Grumpysays
A Pacific-centered projection would’ve placed North America on the right side of the image, thus avoiding the awkward long pointer for the punchline balloon.
A Pacific-centered projection would’ve placed North America on the right side of the image, thus avoiding the awkward long pointer for the punchline balloon.
True, but when I drafted it that way (my first draft) it just didn’t work, because we are so programmed to see it the other way. Single panel cartoons really only work if they are limited to one idea, and are otherwise unconfusing.
And so, indeed, can the monkeys.
Bob
Thanks for posting this PZ.
I thought you might like it!
Dhonig has been doing some nice work and deserves the exposure.
Oh, to be able to place this on the classroom wall.
How true…and how sad for us.
What about the Southern Hemisphere? Maybe it becomes depopulated because of global warming.
Not much out of the equatorial countries. Global climate change must have taken care of them by 2050.
Australia- I for one welcome our marsupial overlords and drinking even more beer.
It is pretty noticeable that Africa, South America, Australia and Russia seam to accomplish nothing during these 50 years.
Anyway, I don’t buy the map’s message. The US been religious and scientifically successful for the last 50 years. If the US were to junk the First Amendment and enforce religious orthodoxy that would harm science. But that doesn’t appear likely.
The US appears to be perfectly fine with the current division between the ordinary people’s opions and what the scientists believe and I see no reason for it not to stay that way. It might not work in other countries where the state dominates the education and research sector to a much hugher degree but as long as the US keeps the current system with private schools and universities I think it will be fine.
Tristram:
Ocean responds to climate change much more slowly than land. The Northern Hemisphere, with its huge land masses, is warming much faster than the Southern Hemisphere, and will continue to do so. With the notable exception of sea level rise, most dangers of global warming will affect the Northern Hemisphere first and worst.
Well it looks like either sea level rise has done in my home (New Zealand), or we have done the Space 1999 thing and headed off. Strange that we let Tasmania come with us though.
Maybe you let them come to save the devil(s). Who really are threatened.
Canada is oil free? Damned. They used up all the tar sands in 40 some odd years. That’s amazing. As is they export the hell out of the stuff.
How the hell did China send people to other stars? Alpha Centauri C is 4.22 lightyears away. So if they launched today and instantly were at the speed of light it would take 8+ years to do such a mission, assuming you want to confirm success.
The EU is so full of themselves. I mean, seriously, cancer… that’s your claim to fame? First off, we are making a hell of a lot of progress in the area and seriously could do it in the next decade. However, all the research and testing that we have done for decades and they do it single handedly?
India’s claim is at least plausible and interesting.
We share a common ancestor with monkeys and actually are, strictly speaking, great apes.
First, my apologies to our marsupial overlords.
I left out the Southern Hemisphere for a very simple reason- cartoon confusion. The talk bubbles were bad enough just on the top half, particularly with the need to stretch the U.S. across the page to make it the punch line. Adding South America (actually, more likely than Canada to be oil free, and perhaps sugar-based ethanol could work if combined with plug-in hybrids) and Australia (perfecting beer? Truly a higher cause, but never have more than one joke in a one panel cartoon) would have made it so confusing as to be unreadable.
I’m glad you enjoyed the cartoon. I must run now. Lord Koala wants another Fosters.
Tatarize | March 5, 2007 06:31 AM
How the hell did China send people to other stars?
It said that China had sent them there. It didn’t say that they had arrived there.
/tic
The graphic is funny as heck.
First off, we are making a hell of a lot of progress in the area [curing cancer] and seriously could do it in the next decade
As a cancer researcher, let me just say: not bloody likely. First off “curing cancer” is like “curing infectious disease” not like “curing polio”–that is, it is a claim to have cured a lot of very diverse diseases, rather than a claim to have cured a single disease. Second, while great progress has been made and the mortality rate from cancer is going down, the problem is immensely complicated and will take many more decades to be completely solved, if it ever is. No, angiogenesis inhibitors are not The Answer. Sorry. So don’t take up smoking on the assumption that your lung cancer will be curable by the time you get it. Oh, and while “we” (the US) have contributed signficantly to progress in the area of cancer research, saying that we have made all of even most of the progress is not consistent with reality: it’s a global project.
Another quibble about the map: If the US continues in its global warming denial shouldn’t the outline have changed? With sea level increases Florida might be gone altogether, for example.
A Pacific-centered projection would’ve placed North America on the right side of the image, thus avoiding the awkward long pointer for the punchline balloon.
True, but when I drafted it that way (my first draft) it just didn’t work, because we are so programmed to see it the other way. Single panel cartoons really only work if they are limited to one idea, and are otherwise unconfusing.