Monday, January 4, 2010

A Year for Optimism

Welcome to a new month, a new year, and a new decade! It’s officially the second decade of the 21st century, and it seems the mood is for “cautious optimism”.

It is a natural desire to move on and put the mistakes of the Past behind us. However, in today’s modern cultural climate there are certainly at least two ways that negative thinking can disrupt positive growth: people obsessing about the bad things that have happened (“how can I forget?!”) or trying to ignore the fact that bad things have happened - thereby continuing the same patterns that caused those bad occurrences.

Previous articles in this Blog have covered how thinking is the root of action or inaction, courage or fear, growth or stagnation. “Cautious optimism” will bring positive growth as long as there is the will to stay on that course. Healthy outcomes are not built on houses of cards.

There needs to be a change in behavior so people don’t forsake sensible and reliable options. It appears that too often people are willing to avoid responsibility to their fellow humans if there is a chance they can gain an individual edge. There is also the idea of “maximum profit for minimum investment”. Of course investors, bankers, traders, and other businesspeople want to put their money where the “smart money” is. However, when breaking new ground, there is always more work and investment at the beginning.

There is just this habit of over-analyzing situations, of saying “it can’t be done” before it is tried, and of reverting back to “business as usual” after failing once. The idea of persistence comes to mind: Thomas Edison had to try 10,000 times to invent the light bulb, and Henry Ford had to work on Models “A” through “S” before he came upon the successful Model “T”.

The best approach is to do things with inspiration, creativity, and faith that - even in the face of occasional failure - we all are working towards something better personally, professionally, and socially. The sun is always going to shine and the wind is always going to blow. Why not just make use of the energy that is already there?

Let’s keep that optimism up!

Right Thinking will lead to Right Action.



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Sunday, December 20, 2009

“In wildness is the preservation of the world.”

“Wildness and silence disappeared from the countryside, sweetness fell from the air, not because anyone wished them to vanish or fall but because throughways had to floor the meadows with cement to carry the automobiles which advancing technology produced. Tropical beaches turned into high-priced slums where thousand-room hotels elbowed each other for glimpses of once-famous surf not because those who loved the beaches wanted them there but because enormous jets could bring a million tourists every year — and therefore did.” - Archibald Macleish

“In wildness is the preservation of the world.” - Henry David Thoreau

“Only to the white man was nature a wilderness and only to him was the land ‘infested’ with ‘wild’ animals and ’savage’ people. To us it was tame, Earth was bountiful and we were surrounded with the blessings of the Great Mystery.” - Chief Luther Standing Bear of the Oglala Sioux

“A civilized society must count animals as worthy of moral consideration and ethical treatment. The question is not, Can they reason? nor Can they talk? but, Can they suffer?” - Jeremy Bentham

“Life is as dear to a mute creature as it is to man. Just as one wants happiness and fears pain, just as one wants to live and not die, so do other creatures.” - the Dalai Lama

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way it’s animals are treated. …I hold that, the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by man from the cruelty of man.” - Mahatma Gandhi



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Friday, December 11, 2009

Hide the Decline- The real meaning

A few weeks ago, and unknown hacker broke into the British Climate Research Unit computer system at East Anglia University, since then in the Climate Debate circle there has been a massive uproar, with climate skeptics, such as those of ClimateDepot.com, pointing to the so-called incriminating statements in said emails as proof that global warming is a hoax. There have been many seemingly flawless statements made that these scientists tried to make other scientists who supposedly held a different viewpoints conform and that there was an attempt to hide the evidence of a decline in temperatures as indicated by tree-rings. But as it is usual in this case one need only go back to the source to find the truth. It always comes out; it’s merely a matter of time.


The people calling these series of emails “Climate gate” and proof that Global Warming is a lie, actually only succeed in proving their ignorance and single-mindedness. It is highly apparent, after reading these emails, that all of their statements made in regards to fraud, coercion and cooking the books are made with a complete lack of understanding of scientific process and terminology. For instance, terms such as forcing, plotting and schemes are made in direct reference to the hypothetical computer model, SCENGEN and MAGICC that are used to predict possible outcomes in climate scenarios based on current data, not the lay definition that would make them damning. These are terms used in working with data sets, not for nefarious behavior. The scenario generating computer models were not the basis of the science of Global Warming, but rather a tool at predicting our future, given we continue on the path we are on. The comments to withhold the SCENGEN data were made precisely for that reason; they were speculative models, not because they were trying to hide anything.


To the contrary of those purporting fraud, these scientists took great pains to ensure the actual data they presented to the public, to their peers and IPCC was factual and substantiated, and can be observed chastising each other in these emails to that end, the same emails that are supposed to be evidence of ridicule of those who held differing viewpoints. Obviously many of these climate nay-sayers have never been through either a masters or doctoral thesis, where one is harangued to the point of tears in some cases, but it is done to bring home the point that data must be accurate and substantiated. As a scientist, if you can not prove your hypotheses to be flawless and based on sound research, you are nothing. At least one of these so called “conformist efforts” was actually a rather steamed missive about how one of the scientists had included their personal opinion in something, as opposed to letting the facts speak for themselves. In science there is no room for ego or opinion, only fact, and that was the message of the email. It is the exact opposite of what some are trying to make it out to seem.

The now famous statement made about “hide the decline” refers to the tree ring data that is extensively covered in these emails, and if they were indeed trying to hide something, why did they publish a paper about it in Nature in 1997? Once again the statements are taken out of context and ignorant to scientific process, hide the decline refers to technical discussions of data handling techniques available in the peer reviewed literature, something that is quite common in scientific circles and nothing out of the ordinary. It had nothing to do with falsifying information as the discussion was in reference to the fact that the tree ring data of the last 50 years did not correlate with other data that did support the trend of Global warming. It also was made in reference again to the hypothetical climate scenario mapping computer programs, not deliberately misleading the public. These completely baseless claims made on the behalf of those purporting climate gate, are the true deception, for they are deliberately capitalizing on the fact that most will not take the time to read these emails, let alone understand them.


But let us dig deeper into this, and the circumstances under which these emails were obtained. The CRU’s computer system was hacked, these emails were stolen. Apparently one of the scientists involved in this, Dr. Weaver, had his office repeatedly broken into before this happened, proving that someone was trying to find something, anything, and was willing to go to illegal lengths to do so. This is shameful, but unfortunately a rather common tactic used in some circles in this country, and it is used because they know they are in the wrong when they play by the rules, and so instead try to circumvent them and then expect rational intelligent adults to look past the fact that they are criminals. They add to their list of sins not only greed and theft, but lying as in twisting the emails out of context, and passing off their regurgitations as fact, and now costing an innocent man his job, the researcher Phil Jones.


Billions of dirty energy dollars stand to be lost with carbon limits and that is the truth of why there is even a discussion about man made Climate Change possibly being a hoax. These people would put their own greed above the lives of their fellow human beings, above the lives of their families and children, and their grandchildren and great grandchildren yet to be born. Their selfishness is so overblown and caricatured that it would be laughable, if there weren‘t such high stakes involved. The really ridiculous part of all this is that they wouldn‘t even have to lose money necessarily, even though most of them have more money than any one man should need or want. There are plenty of green technologies to be invested in, plenty of money to be made in the new energy economy, if we really must always boil everything down to money. But these people are cowards, not only because of the tactics they will resort to in an effort to back up their shoddy claims of fraud and conspiracy, but for their unwillingness to change, when the truth is change is the only constant in the universe. They would sacrifice the lives of all their descendents, just to make a buck, and to not have to admit they are wrong. These are the death throes of Big Oil and Big Coal, the violent desperate attempts to cling to the old order, which is rotting in their hands. They shriek with the shrieks of the damned, as they begin to realize how doomed they really are.


These people who would perpetuate this nonsense know that as the climate talks in Copenhagen continue, their policies of destruction, of desecration, of greed are going to be outlawed. They know that with the grassroots organizing of groups like 350.org, the momentum is against them. Even Phil Jones made the point that “This may be a concerted attempt to put a question mark over the science of climate change in the run-up to the Copenhagen talks,“. The questions need to be asked, who broke into those computers, how did they do it, and the real question is who paid for it?


I would think the first possible answer to this would be to look at the people who are perpetuating the lie that these emails were incriminating. The conservative right would be the most likely candidate. The supposed balanced environmental discussion (balanced as in Fox news) that is ClimateDepot.com, would be the logical place to start. This site is run by an individual by the name of Marc Morano. Mr. Morano until spring of 2009 (which should be noted was the beginning of Obama’s term and the end of Bush’s) served as the communications director for the Republicans on the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works where he worked for Senator Inhofe, a man that is vehemently against Gay rights, has denied Global Warming all along, and whose major campaign contributors were large industries in the aircraft, defense and energy sectors. Which leaves the undeniable fact that this supposed balanced site is indeed run by the same Republican lackeys that are in bed with Big Oil and Big Coal. Mr. Morano is also the man behind the 2004 smear campaign done against Senator Kerry, run by the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, a group later discredited, as many of the veterans who were a part of it would have never served with Kerry. Mr. Morano also was the producer for Rush Limbaugh show in the 1990’s.


To further the point one need only research the group behind ClimateDepot.com. It says at the top of the page that the site is run by CFACT, and one need only click on the link to go to the website of the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow, a conservative anti-environmentalism think tank. This non-profit with a 1.5 million dollar budget has received money from Exxon and Chevron. There is no balance here. Climate Depot is the one cooking the books, not the CRU scientists whose careers have been severely damaged if not ruined. I think if people really would like to investigate the crime here, they should look no further than whoever the thief was who hacked these emails, and the Republican dirt bags who funded him, and who would most profit from the very real threat of climate change being undermined, and who stand to lose the most if a meaningful climate change treaty were agreed to in Copenhagen.


There are plenty of flashy graphics, and catchy headlines, on ClimateDepot.com, but where is the evidence to back this up? Give us the names of these reputable scientists and groups, who they work for if there is such overwhelming scientific evidence against Global Warming, instead of opinion blogs and cartoons. The numbers are on the side that Climate Change is real, and that they coincide with the Industrial Age, as those emails you try to hold up as proof of conspiracy actually show the very real evidence of alteration of climate since 1850 as proven by those infamous tree rings, and even though the data falls off in the mid 20th century, the very next sentence states that the basal area of young trees explodes. But forget the tree rings; there are plenty of other sources from which to glean an understanding of the issue of Global Warming. Here are data tables from the National Snow and Ice Data Center, the University of Illinois, NASA, and NOAA. Are you going to discredit them as well?





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Monday, December 7, 2009

Santas Gifts for the Young (cute)

Santa!!!




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Saturday, December 5, 2009

Response to Pseudoscience

Posting pseudo science sounds like a great idea from a marketing perspective- add controversy, get your name out there and sell your products. Unfortunately many consumers do not know that this is a farse. The we end up with the guy at the grocery store last night that was yelling at me in front of my 4 small children because he thought that I was conspiring with the government to cause chaos.

This is what happens: my children were crying, other people in the store were confused as to what they should do, and I was trying to get out of there without my groceries. Pseudo science has gone too far. The internet site climate depot popped up near overnight and hit the charts running because it was so constroversial. This is a great approach in marketing and media and used many times, but in such an aspect of a way of life for millions, can we really afford to put this stuff here?

Apparently he has never been out of the country, probably not out of the locale. We would not find it funny if our homes were being destroyed by weather changes due to climate change. But no, we are here and they are there and it doesnt affect us, right?

So basically we are fortunate enough to live here, and screw everybody else that isnt, right? Hm- not good enough for me.


Check out www.midwesternsolar.org/blog


http://www.wisconsinsolar.info/

http://www.energycommunity.ws/

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Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Copenhagen’s “Green” Christmas Tree

In celebration of both Christmas and hosting this year’s UN Conference on Climate Change, the city of Copenhagen has unveiled a totally “green” Christmas tree for the 2009 Holiday Season.



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Monday, November 30, 2009

Economic and Energy Independence

Let’s put the whole idea of “man-made climate change” and “global warming” aside for a moment. Using hydrocarbons (fossil fuels) worked well to get the industrialized world to this stage but these are limited resources. Now we are aware of new technologies, and the technologies with most immediate potential are renewable energies. Renewable energies rely on power already existing inside the Earth’s ecosphere: the energy is there whether it is used or not.

For individual home owners, “switching” to renewable energy sources can make them energy independent. They will be generating all the electricity they need for their home and possibly be able to sell surplus to the grid.

For businesses, it is a smart investment. Once the business no longer pays for its energy needs, it can reallocate the funds towards other endeavors. The larger the business, the more sense it makes, since larger businesses tend to consume huge amounts of electricity. The investment is also good for public relations and company image.

An increase in the number of energy independent homes and businesses will take strain off the power grid. In summer the use of air conditioners will not be a burden. In winter the costs of heating will be less for both the consumer and the supplier.

It will be less likely that populations will face power “brownouts” or “blackouts” if electrical production is spread out. If there are enough energy independent homes and businesses, the chance of grid failure during a natural disaster is reduced. Because of this, there will be less pressure on emergency services, shelters, and energy industry personnel.

Perhaps you have heard of the massive blackout in Rio de Janeiro on November 10th? The second-largest hydroelectric dam in the World failed, and millions were plunged into darkness. A situation like this makes it very difficult to maintain basic necessities: hospitals, cold food storage, businesses, computer information systems, etc. There is money lost in many areas.

Apparently there was another, albeit smaller, power loss in Rio de Janeiro on November 25th as part of the system was taken “off line” for repairs. While you might think that hydroelectric power is a renewable energy - and it can be - there are many hydroelectric stations that use coal as part of the energy generation process.

On the other hand, I have mentioned that Spain recently broke the record for electricity generation through wind turbines. Wind gusts bolstered production to create 53% of the entire country’s electricity needs – as much as 11 nuclear power plants. The surplus energy was exported and used to create power reserves in the country’s hydroelectric dams. Oddly enough this event occurred on the weekend right before Rio’s blackout.

Under the current system of acquiring hydrocarbons from limited sources, there is a mentality of “lack” - that there is “not enough”. Huge profits then are made by energy companies who control power grids. All that money getting funneled to a small portion of the population and industrialized structure is incredibly inefficient. The reasons for hoarding resources are many, and are very old (indeed ancient), but we are starting to see that there is strain on global society and it is really to no one’s advantage.

Using renewable energy, if properly implemented, would create a surplus of energy. While this would cause a great deal of economic and industrial restructuring, the question then is: with a surplus of energy, where does industry turn its attention? Perhaps this would finally give us the time and energy required to put towards improving quality of life on the Earth and attention to efforts off of the Earth.

Rio de Janeiro power blackout November 10th, 2009 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8353878.stm

Rio de Janeiro power loss November 25th, 2009 http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/25/rio-breakdown-electricity-supply-brazil

Spain’s wind farms exceed nation’s needs November 8th, 2009 http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/nov/09/spain-national-record-power-windfarms


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