Challenges are good - but only in the right hands/framework.  Very unfortunately (eh hem) Al Gore isn't in the position to legislate or execute anything by mandate like JFK (who was President and was, of course, just echoing the hierarchy behind his power - NASA, Pentagon, and so forth).  Since we have Dubya (who doesn't know a shiitehole from a mountain), there ya go.  The leadership is absent.

It is great that private corporations are taking some initiative but I suspect that their reason for such endeavors is more profiteering than philanthropic.  This is why I'm not really pushing such endeavors - currently, these corporations have profits that almost match what the government would fund for a long-term, in-depth project yet they are making 'strides'.  How disingenuous!  With tens of billions of dollars in PROFIT (40.6 BILLLION in 2007 ALONE for Exxon!!!!), they could stop saying 'it can't be done' and do something substantial, but they are too busy lining their mansions with irfrugalless reaping.  This is one downside of commercialism.

C makes it easy to shoot yourself in the foot. C++ makes it harder, but when you do, you blow your whole leg off.

 -- Bjarne Stroustrup

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