While this article is Eurocentric in its focus, the point is pretty clear.

Diesel sales are rising dramatically around the world for a number of reasons. Modern diesels are quiet, non-smoky, and powerful. They also pollute less than their gasoline powered counterparts and and operate up to 40% more efficiently to boot.

Now if only car vendors in the US could become a bit more clueful about this--right now if you want a non-truck, non-SUV diesel car, your choices are Mercedes, Volkwagen, or a gray market import. Yet GM, Ford and Chrysler all offer (often multiple) diesel powertrain options in passenger models sold overseas.

As of the beginning of this year, diesels made up more than 50% of all new car sales in Europe; in the US they are currently 4%. Come on guys, quit holding out, we could use them here too!

This site has a passable online parts microfiche system for all BMW Bikes.

http://www.ascycles.com/illustrated_parts_catalog_main.aspx

And here's one that is basically the same code but much better arranged:

http://www.maxbmwmotorcycles.com/fiche/fiche.asp

It's just been a day of doom and gloom, from WashingtonPost.com:

'Gruber's sentiments have become increasingly common in recent years among a growing number of marine biologists, who find themselves studying species in danger of disappearing. For years, many scientists and regulators believed the oceans were so vast there was little risk of marine species dying out. Now, some suspect the world is on the cusp of what Ellen K. Pikitch, executive director of the Pew Institute for Ocean Science, calls "a gathering wave of ocean extinctions."'

You can read the full article on washingtonpost.com.

From slashdot on a topic I've been complaining about for several years now:

"There's a good article over on the BBC about the decline of science and technology in the U.S.. Vint Cerf and others are going on record to voice their concerns about the current administrations recipe for 'irrelevance and decline.' Scientists are increasingly concerned about the White House's pandering to the religious right at science's expense. From the article: 'radically we have moved away from regulation based on professional analysis of scientific data ...to regulation controlled by the White House and driven by political considerations.'"