EXCERPTS OF READER COMMENTS

CHU WANTS WORLD'S ROOFS PAINTED WHITE TO EASE CLIMATE CHANGE

Shiny metal roofs are better at reflecting sunlight than white paint. They are also more durable than many other roof materials, and you can collect precipitation that falls onto them, and save it in cisterns in dry climates. But many restrictions based on aesthetic prejudice prevent most people from making their homes and businesses more efficient dwelling machines.

SAVE SOME CASH WITH YOUR TRASH

I am a gardener at University of California, but we also empty trash cans and the lifting is injuring the workers, shoulders, back injuries, etc. Now, increase the weight by 8X and you'll need another method than the one person lift.

REPUBLICAN CAR DEALERS TARGETED IN CLOSURES

Sure, "some say" that Republican dealerships are being specially targeted, but others point out that there's been no actual comparison between (a) the dealerships that are being closed and (b) the dealerships that aren't being closed to see if there's a pattern. And those others have, you know, facts and logic on their side. Most car dealers, it turns out, donate heavily to Republicans, so it's not surprising that a list of closures would show, hey presto, a lot of people who've donated to Republicans. So far, this looks like just another poorly supported nonsense narrative cooked up for consumption on the right. - nash

I tend to like the explanation that says Detroit is trying to reduce the number of dealers so that they need not compete for our dollars - the survivors will be able to say "take it or leave it", or even charge a premium, the way dealers did with high-mileage cars during the '70s OPEC crisis. I'm not sure how well that strategy will work in the face of Toyota and Honda, but nobody ever said Detroit management had good sense. - Mairead