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World Population Becomes More Urban Than Rural
biohack writes "A major demographic shift took place on Wednesday, May 23, 2007: For the first time in human history, the earth's population is more urban than rural. According to scientists from North Carolina State University and the University of Georgia, on that day, a predicted global urban population of 3,303,992,253 exceeded that of 3,303,866,404 rural people. In the US, the tipping point from a majority rural to a majority urban population came early in the late 1910s."
Soon to be renamed: Trantor!
I guess we better get to building some coliseums, or the citizens will stop being productive.
Don't worry. Soon we'll be so efficient all the physical labor can be done by a single Australian man.
IOU one (1) signature
That "major" shift: One guy left his house in the country to move to a house in the city! Perhaps five. It's a landmark occasion.
-- Toro1. Form First Foundation.
2. Create new "technology" religion.
3. Watch the old Galactic Empire crumble from within.
4. Get taken over by The Mule.
5. Find the Second Foundation.
6. ??
7. Write Foundation's Edge due to publisher pressure, and profit!!
Man is the animal that laughs.
And occasionally whores for Karma.
So, the entire census is conducted at exactly the same second? If you take a full day, you're going to have people you already counted who died in that period, people you already counted who have since given birth in that period, etc.
Just take a snapshot before the census! Duh!
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OMG 23! 23! 2+3=May! it must mean something.
It does not have to be a disaster. Just as technology changed things to allow people to live in the city, it can change things to allow them to live in the country.
If all jobs move online, no one would want to pay 30% of their salaries for cramped apartments in the city. Everyone wants to own a house with a big backyard, heck an acre of forest and raise big dogs/horses.
Allow the transport of food and purchased goods to anywhere real fast and people will start leaving the city. Another catalyst will be much improved transportation, allowing people to work anywhere without having to live close to work.
In fact seeing how cramped some cities get, I'd almost swear urbanization will be reversed.
"Give orange me give eat orange me eat orange give me eat orange give me you." -Nim Chimpsky
I was a little doubtful about the people who released this information. I mean, what do THEY know? But, they used the phrase "tipping point," so I guess they know what they're talking about.
Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
Somewhere on this globe, every ten seconds, there is a woman giving birth to a child. She must be found and stopped. --Sam Levinson
"Here's what's happening. You're starting to drive like your Dad..." - Red Green
Actually, Hicksville has only 5,003 people in it as of 2000 (http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/popInfo.php?locInd ex=274281).
I grew up in a neighboring city (Defiance).
kc8apf
The more people concentrated in an urban area, the greater the zombie apocalypse will be! Just wait, another 28 years later and you'll see. Hopefully Milla Jovovich will still be young enough and hot enough to kill them all.
Chang Wey, who was the guy tipped the balance in favour of larger worldwide urban population, by moving to the city, has just decided that the city isn't for him and is moving back to the country again.
Those of the Electorial College and US Senate, where rural states are represented and protected from exploitation, from the larger populations of urban states.
You're right.
There is only one problem though. They seriously screwed up when they made California a state. California is 163,707 square miles. Rhode Island is 1,545 square miles. 163,707 / 1,545 is 106. California is big enough to have been made into 106 states instead of just one state. Then Californians would have 212 senators (enough for 2/3 control of the senate... not merely enough votes alone to pass or block any law or any decision in the senate but even enough alone for a senatorial overturn of a presidential veto). Californians would have 318++ electoral votes, almost enough alone to elect the president (in that electorial college it would take 400-odd votes to elect the president).
You're right that the electoral college is a FANTASTIC... nay.... the electoral college is a PERFECT system. They just royally screwed up when drawing state lines. Anyone with half a brain should have known better than to draw California as just one state.... anyone with half a brain should have seen and seized the opportunity to grab almost total control of the US government.
It's too late to do anything about California.... but there is still a good opportunity that may come up. I'm not sure if you're aware of it, but for a long time there has been simmering back-burner serious discussion of the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico officially gaining statehood status. The population of Puerto Rico is nearly 8 times the population of Wyoming. If Puerto Rico does join the union, I say we should look at whatever internal districting already exists in Puerto Rico and let those districts independently vote on whether they want to join the union, and let them join as 8 separate states. If Puerto Rico joins the union I say they should get 16 senators and 24 electoral votes. Woohoo I love the Electoral College! It makes perfect sense! The Electoral College allows us to so much better represent and protect Puerto Ricans from exploitation from other states by letting them join as 8 separate states.
Nymz, my brother, my compatriot, I am so pleased to count you as a friend and electoral ally. That you and I both see how perfect and logical the Electoral College is, that we both see how perfect it is for better representing and protecting people... that everyone should get as much representation and protection as possible, and that if and when Puerto Rico joins the union that they should get as much representation and protection as possible... that if and when Puerto Rico joins the union that it should get as many extra imaginary lines drawn across it as possible... at a minimum enough extra imaginary lines for them to join as at least 8 states.
Yes, because where imaginary lines are drawn around people and how many imaginary lines are drawn around people is the KEY to giving people better representation and better protection. The Electoral College is the KEY to giving some Americans several times as much representation and several times as much protection as other Americans.
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