─ How the Price of Gas Reveals a Big Atlantic Divide ─

discoverynews:

Europeans pay at least double what Americans do in gas prices. In some countries, gas prices are even more than that.

As hundreds of American families pack up their cars and head out on the road for the long Memorial Day weekend, many will grumble about gas prices. Though, prices are projected to be modestly lower than a year ago, the pain at the pump feels like a very American ailment.

It’s not as much of an issue, let alone a political talking point, across the pond as it is here. To Europeans, gas is viewed as more of a privilege than a right.

Where does that thinking come from?

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“By far the best bet is using less oil; the simplest way to get there is a higher fuel tax,” he said. “The European model indeed; it has served us very well. I realize how dreadful this sounds to American ears, but someone has to say it.”

Einstein is the only figure in the physical sciences with a stature that can be compared with Newton. Newton is reported to have said “If I have seen further than other men, it is because I stood on the shoulders of giants.” This remark is even more true of Einstein who stood on the shoulders of Newton. Both Newton and Einstein put forward a theory of mechanics and a theory of gravity but Einstein was able to base General Relativity on the mathematical theory of curved spaces that had been constructed by Riemann while Newton had to develop his own mathematical machinery. It is therefore appropriate to acclaim Newton as the greatest figure in mathematical physics and the Principia is his greatest achievement.

Stephen Hawking (via crookedindifference)

(Source: en.wikiquote.org)