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The copper is already strung up. Someone will find a use for it, and it will most certainly be digital communications of some kind.

I'd guess that one of the main 'uses' for the copper lines will be by copper thieves taking it down and selling it:
Companies strike at copper thieves
At McClellan, copper thieves find something new to steal

Since even removing a small section of phone line can result in an outage to a large area, I'd expect the copper PSTN system to be expensive to maintain as long as copper prices remain high. As the article points out, rural PSTN systems are currently subsidized (with the USF) because it already costs more to provide the service then they could reasonably charge the users. Continued high copper prices only exasperates the problem (with more thefts and with higher replacement price).

I can foresee most rural copper-wire phone systems disappearing in a decade or two. Wireless is probably the easier option for most rural areas with a hybrid system to larger towns.

Let the /.ing begin: Anniston Star article on the case.

I'll reply to both of your posts in this one.

science is studying the climate and attempting to make some predictions. Thus far they've been wrong.

That's right, some predictions are wrong. Such as the one about the Arctic being ice free by 2100, now it might be ice free by 2030. The second largest loss of ice in the Arctic during the summer since records have been kept happened in 2008, only the 2007 summer beat it.

The ones who are practicing good principals have not yet decided what's going on with our climate, and whether or not there is a problem that we can fix.

I agree more research needs to be done but I don't want to wait to do something until it's too late. And I don't think doing something will mean harming the economy, instead I believe greening the economy will improve it.

Sorry I forgot to answer your question about the WMDs. The fact is that nearly everyone believed Iraq had WMDs.

Nearly everyone but some said Saddam it not have WMDs Their voice was drowned out though, and not just by government, but by the media as well. The Bush admin even called the chief UN Weapons inspector Scott Ritter a traitor when he said Iraq did not have WMDs. Disagreements are one thing but to call someone a traitor because he knows differently?

Falcon

Read , and be informed.

In Toronto, they have a similar system mounted to a car wich drives up and down streets reading plates. It checks the numbers, and then tries them against a db, no flags, it keeps going..

I couldnt find any reputable sites about it, just a forum post by somebody with more info on it here

Monsanto has a known history of misplacing toxic waste. If someone firebombs the wrong facility, they could irreversible contaminate the environment for hundreds of thousands of people. It is a good idea to first know what you are firebombing before the actual commision of the act.

Not only does Monsanto have no respect for the environment, they are also dishonest:

"In 1999, Monsanto's spin-off Anniston company, Solutia, gave state regulators a brief description of the site's use of mercury," wrote reporter Elizabeth Bluemink. "But, company records show that the information Solutia supplied about the potential for mercury discharges was incomplete and inaccurate." Officials at Solutia told the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) that Monsanto had "likely" not released any mercury to the environment.

And it's not like activists haven't been fighting Monsanto. Early as 1967, Dr. Denzel Fergusen reported Monsanto's mercury discharges where killing nearby fish. The same article links to a 404 at Annistonstar (a newspaper for one of the highly affected areas), but a quick search reveals several relevent articles:

• Governor names 2 to ADEM commission - Environmental lobbyist Joe Turnham said he would challenge the new appointees to push for an internal investigation
• Parking lot near Oxford fields covers PCB dirt PCB-laden dirt removed from the Oxford softball fields has found a new home.
• PCBs in dirt stall upgrade to waste treatment plant - Bad news for every nose that's ever twitched at the savage stench rising off the Choccolocco Wastewater Treatment Plant in Oxford.

At least Monsanto is doing something about their situation. Paul and Joyce Guldin, residents whose backyard includes Choccolocco Creek, received a $999.33 settlement check from Monsanto. Hopefully, many more checks are to come.

Not only does Monsanto have no respect for the environment, they are also dishonest:

"In 1999, Monsanto's spin-off Anniston company, Solutia, gave state regulators a brief description of the site's use of mercury," wrote reporter Elizabeth Bluemink. "But, company records show that the information Solutia supplied about the potential for mercury discharges was incomplete and inaccurate." Officials at Solutia told the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) that Monsanto had "likely" not released any mercury to the environment.

And it's not like activists haven't been fighting Monsanto. Early as 1967, Dr. Denzel Fergusen reported Monsanto's mercury discharges where killing nearby fish. The same article links to a 404 at Annistonstar (a newspaper for one of the highly affected areas), but a quick search reveals several relevent articles:

• Governor names 2 to ADEM commission - Environmental lobbyist Joe Turnham said he would challenge the new appointees to push for an internal investigation
• Parking lot near Oxford fields covers PCB dirt PCB-laden dirt removed from the Oxford softball fields has found a new home.
• PCBs in dirt stall upgrade to waste treatment plant - Bad news for every nose that's ever twitched at the savage stench rising off the Choccolocco Wastewater Treatment Plant in Oxford.

At least Monsanto is doing something about their situation. Paul and Joyce Guldin, residents whose backyard includes Choccolocco Creek, received a $999.33 settlement check from Monsanto. Hopefully, many more checks are to come.

Not only does Monsanto have no respect for the environment, they are also dishonest:

"In 1999, Monsanto's spin-off Anniston company, Solutia, gave state regulators a brief description of the site's use of mercury," wrote reporter Elizabeth Bluemink. "But, company records show that the information Solutia supplied about the potential for mercury discharges was incomplete and inaccurate." Officials at Solutia told the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) that Monsanto had "likely" not released any mercury to the environment.

And it's not like activists haven't been fighting Monsanto. Early as 1967, Dr. Denzel Fergusen reported Monsanto's mercury discharges where killing nearby fish. The same article links to a 404 at Annistonstar (a newspaper for one of the highly affected areas), but a quick search reveals several relevent articles:

• Governor names 2 to ADEM commission - Environmental lobbyist Joe Turnham said he would challenge the new appointees to push for an internal investigation
• Parking lot near Oxford fields covers PCB dirt PCB-laden dirt removed from the Oxford softball fields has found a new home.
• PCBs in dirt stall upgrade to waste treatment plant - Bad news for every nose that's ever twitched at the savage stench rising off the Choccolocco Wastewater Treatment Plant in Oxford.

At least Monsanto is doing something about their situation. Paul and Joyce Guldin, residents whose backyard includes Choccolocco Creek, received a $999.33 settlement check from Monsanto. Hopefully, many more checks are to come.

Not only does Monsanto have no respect for the environment, they are also dishonest:

"In 1999, Monsanto's spin-off Anniston company, Solutia, gave state regulators a brief description of the site's use of mercury," wrote reporter Elizabeth Bluemink. "But, company records show that the information Solutia supplied about the potential for mercury discharges was incomplete and inaccurate." Officials at Solutia told the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) that Monsanto had "likely" not released any mercury to the environment.

And it's not like activists haven't been fighting Monsanto. Early as 1967, Dr. Denzel Fergusen reported Monsanto's mercury discharges where killing nearby fish. The same article links to a 404 at Annistonstar (a newspaper for one of the highly affected areas), but a quick search reveals several relevent articles:

• Governor names 2 to ADEM commission - Environmental lobbyist Joe Turnham said he would challenge the new appointees to push for an internal investigation
• Parking lot near Oxford fields covers PCB dirt PCB-laden dirt removed from the Oxford softball fields has found a new home.
• PCBs in dirt stall upgrade to waste treatment plant - Bad news for every nose that's ever twitched at the savage stench rising off the Choccolocco Wastewater Treatment Plant in Oxford.

At least Monsanto is doing something about their situation. Paul and Joyce Guldin, residents whose backyard includes Choccolocco Creek, received a $999.33 settlement check from Monsanto. Hopefully, many more checks are to come.