by WarrenS
E.C.S.T.A.S.Y. — End Consumption, Save The Air & Sea, Y'all! A support group and discussion forum for those who want to kick the habits of consumption that are damaging the world we live in. Many past diaries in this series have focused on ways of measuring our consumption as a means to reducing it. Today, however, we'll look at a widely accepted form of measurement that is actually hurting us as a nation and as a species. Bobby Kennedy on "Gross Domestic Product"
continued at Daily Kos....
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Jimmy Carter, Solar Energy, and "The Road Not Taken"
by change the Be
Over at reddit, I saw this link about the story behind the solar panels that Carter put on the roof of the white house. [ the lead comment by the reddit reader was : "To every person, especially Republicans, who made fun of President Jimmy Carter for installing solar panels on the roof of the White House to raise awareness of our dependency on oil...Fuck, You. "] http://www.boston.com/... Now, a documentary film has been made about the panels, using them as a backdrop to explore American oil dependency and the political lack of will to pursue alternative energy. Swiss directors Christina Hemaner and Roman Keller follow the route of the panels in the hour-long film "A Road Not Taken." having once dabbled in the vegetable-oil conversion process for a diesel vehicle, and currently a user of micro-solar-technology (in the form of a mag lens used for smoking), this story piqued my interest. Currently, I do not own an automobile..(bicycle!)
continued at Daily Kos....
Over at reddit, I saw this link about the story behind the solar panels that Carter put on the roof of the white house. [ the lead comment by the reddit reader was : "To every person, especially Republicans, who made fun of President Jimmy Carter for installing solar panels on the roof of the White House to raise awareness of our dependency on oil...Fuck, You. "] http://www.boston.com/... Now, a documentary film has been made about the panels, using them as a backdrop to explore American oil dependency and the political lack of will to pursue alternative energy. Swiss directors Christina Hemaner and Roman Keller follow the route of the panels in the hour-long film "A Road Not Taken." having once dabbled in the vegetable-oil conversion process for a diesel vehicle, and currently a user of micro-solar-technology (in the form of a mag lens used for smoking), this story piqued my interest. Currently, I do not own an automobile..(bicycle!)
continued at Daily Kos....
Frank Rich: Don’t Get Mad, Mr. President. Get Even.
by YoungChicagoDemocrat
Hello--- This week Mr. Rich writes another must-read Op-Ed. It is something I pointed out in my previous diary but taken to a much more erudite level. Over the Fold, Please and Thank You:
continued at Daily Kos....
Hello--- This week Mr. Rich writes another must-read Op-Ed. It is something I pointed out in my previous diary but taken to a much more erudite level. Over the Fold, Please and Thank You:
continued at Daily Kos....
Big Pivot from Crisis to Opportunity: Part 1, Politics.
by RLMiller
A sliver of silver lining in the Gulf disaster has been its unflinching spotlight on the wrongs of our fossil-fuelish ways. President Obama understands the connection between the crises of extractive energy and the opportunity of clean energy: But we have to acknowledge that there are inherent risks to drilling four miles beneath the surface of the Earth, and these are risks -- these are risks that are bound to increase the harder oil extraction becomes. We also have to acknowledge that an America run solely on fossil fuels should not be the vision we have for our children and our grandchildren. In the same speech, Obama indicated support for the Kerry-Lieberman American Power Act and promised: "the votes may not be there right now, but I intend to find them in the coming months."
continued at Daily Kos....
A sliver of silver lining in the Gulf disaster has been its unflinching spotlight on the wrongs of our fossil-fuelish ways. President Obama understands the connection between the crises of extractive energy and the opportunity of clean energy: But we have to acknowledge that there are inherent risks to drilling four miles beneath the surface of the Earth, and these are risks -- these are risks that are bound to increase the harder oil extraction becomes. We also have to acknowledge that an America run solely on fossil fuels should not be the vision we have for our children and our grandchildren. In the same speech, Obama indicated support for the Kerry-Lieberman American Power Act and promised: "the votes may not be there right now, but I intend to find them in the coming months."
continued at Daily Kos....
Pelican
by Crashing Vor
In the winter and spring of 2006, we had a lot more pelicans on Bayou St. John than we usually do. They are lovely and graceful birds, over four feet long, six in wingspan clad in gray-brown feathers that seem to shift in hue as the pelicans wheel and dive. As uplifting as it was to see our winged neighbors after an autumn with few signs of life, their visit was a reminder of sad tidings: their home was trashed.
continued at Daily Kos....
In the winter and spring of 2006, we had a lot more pelicans on Bayou St. John than we usually do. They are lovely and graceful birds, over four feet long, six in wingspan clad in gray-brown feathers that seem to shift in hue as the pelicans wheel and dive. As uplifting as it was to see our winged neighbors after an autumn with few signs of life, their visit was a reminder of sad tidings: their home was trashed.
continued at Daily Kos....
BP Catastrophe in the Gulf - Mothership Day 12
by Liveblog
This is the 12th day of the liveblog effort here. The current ROV DIARY: BP Oilpocalypse ROV #65 Rules of the Road Let's keep this a meta diary. To volunteer to host a liveblog submersible (ROV), leave a comment here. Please rec this mothership diary, not the ROVs. Please be kind to fellow kossacks who may have limited bandwidth and refrain from posting images or videos. PLEASE visit Crashing Vor's diary to find out how you can help the Gulf now and in the future. We don't have to be idle! And thanks to Crashing Vor for working on this! To repeat: please refrain from commenting in this mothership diary, unless you're volunteering for a submersible shift.
continued at Daily Kos....
This is the 12th day of the liveblog effort here. The current ROV DIARY: BP Oilpocalypse ROV #65 Rules of the Road Let's keep this a meta diary. To volunteer to host a liveblog submersible (ROV), leave a comment here. Please rec this mothership diary, not the ROVs. Please be kind to fellow kossacks who may have limited bandwidth and refrain from posting images or videos. PLEASE visit Crashing Vor's diary to find out how you can help the Gulf now and in the future. We don't have to be idle! And thanks to Crashing Vor for working on this! To repeat: please refrain from commenting in this mothership diary, unless you're volunteering for a submersible shift.
continued at Daily Kos....
"Doomsday"cuts for public transportation as politicians pay lip service to energy independence
by nyceve
I live in New York City. Public transportation is the life blood of this teeming metropolis. Most people who live in New York don't own cars, we use public transportation for everything. Yet, we are approaching doomsday here, the MTA which runs our transit system has announced huge cuts due to a lack of funding. But New York’s Metropolitian Transportation Agency (MTA) faces a nearly $400 million budget shortfall this year after tax revenues plummeted in the recession. The agency’s debt load has more than doubled in the last decade, it was $13 billion in 2000. It now owes $30 billion in outstanding bonds, payable at interest rates of between two percent to five percent. Seeing the BP catastrophe destroy lives all along the Gulf Coast, and weeping over the graphic images which recount the tragic consequences of our addiction to oil, it is unfathomable that mass transit in New York City and many other great American cities struggles to survive.
continued at Daily Kos....
I live in New York City. Public transportation is the life blood of this teeming metropolis. Most people who live in New York don't own cars, we use public transportation for everything. Yet, we are approaching doomsday here, the MTA which runs our transit system has announced huge cuts due to a lack of funding. But New York’s Metropolitian Transportation Agency (MTA) faces a nearly $400 million budget shortfall this year after tax revenues plummeted in the recession. The agency’s debt load has more than doubled in the last decade, it was $13 billion in 2000. It now owes $30 billion in outstanding bonds, payable at interest rates of between two percent to five percent. Seeing the BP catastrophe destroy lives all along the Gulf Coast, and weeping over the graphic images which recount the tragic consequences of our addiction to oil, it is unfathomable that mass transit in New York City and many other great American cities struggles to survive.
continued at Daily Kos....
Scientists confirm it -- Massive Underwater Oil Plumes are There
by jamess
Lab tests confirm underwater layers of oil Cain Burdeau, AP -- June 4, 2010 Laboratory tests confirmed that oil from a spewing Gulf of Mexico well has accumulated in at least two extensive plumes deep under the surface, scientists with the University of South Florida said Friday. USF researchers at a meeting in Baton Rouge said lab tests showed their initial findings, based on field instruments, were correct. The extensive layers of oil are sitting far beneath the surface miles from the site of the Deepwater Horizon explosion. The university is collecting data for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The lab tests are the most conclusive evidence yet in a vigorous scientific debate about where much of the oil from the growing spill in the Gulf of Mexico has ended up. BP spokesman Mark Proelger said the company was awaiting further analysis of what is in the plumes from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "It's too early to say whether any data indicates the plumes contain oil or not," Proelger said. Well then WAKE UP and smell the petro, Mark!
continued at Daily Kos....
Lab tests confirm underwater layers of oil Cain Burdeau, AP -- June 4, 2010 Laboratory tests confirmed that oil from a spewing Gulf of Mexico well has accumulated in at least two extensive plumes deep under the surface, scientists with the University of South Florida said Friday. USF researchers at a meeting in Baton Rouge said lab tests showed their initial findings, based on field instruments, were correct. The extensive layers of oil are sitting far beneath the surface miles from the site of the Deepwater Horizon explosion. The university is collecting data for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The lab tests are the most conclusive evidence yet in a vigorous scientific debate about where much of the oil from the growing spill in the Gulf of Mexico has ended up. BP spokesman Mark Proelger said the company was awaiting further analysis of what is in the plumes from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "It's too early to say whether any data indicates the plumes contain oil or not," Proelger said. Well then WAKE UP and smell the petro, Mark!
continued at Daily Kos....
BP's Invisible Man: Carl-Henric Svanberg
by LaFeminista
I wonder what the odds are that you have never heard of him, it is rather stunning that we haven't seen more of him. Well he just happens to be the Chairman of the Board. Whilst the CEO of BP runs around like a headless chicken creating aural damage to go along with environmental catastrophe, the rest of the pack of weasels that make up the BP board of directors are notably silent. Even the Telegraph wondered about him last year So does his relative obscurity matter? I think the answer is probably yes, at least in the short term. He doesn't seem to be well known in diplomatic circles and that's a big part of the role. He'll be dealing, on sensitive issues, with politicians and civil servants as much as other business people or shareholders. Well I think they have an answer to their initial concern. The Chairman of the board of directors of BP has been stunningly silent during this three ring circus. Well it looks as if his own executives have woken up:
continued at Daily Kos....
I wonder what the odds are that you have never heard of him, it is rather stunning that we haven't seen more of him. Well he just happens to be the Chairman of the Board. Whilst the CEO of BP runs around like a headless chicken creating aural damage to go along with environmental catastrophe, the rest of the pack of weasels that make up the BP board of directors are notably silent. Even the Telegraph wondered about him last year So does his relative obscurity matter? I think the answer is probably yes, at least in the short term. He doesn't seem to be well known in diplomatic circles and that's a big part of the role. He'll be dealing, on sensitive issues, with politicians and civil servants as much as other business people or shareholders. Well I think they have an answer to their initial concern. The Chairman of the board of directors of BP has been stunningly silent during this three ring circus. Well it looks as if his own executives have woken up:
continued at Daily Kos....
Overnight News Digest: Science Saturday (World Festival of Science 2010 edition)
by Neon Vincent
Welcome to Science Saturday, where the Overnight News Digest crew informs and entertains you with this week's news about science, space, and the environment. This week's featured story comes from the New York Times. Salute of the Stars, Cosmic and Otherwise By JAMES R. OESTREICH Published: June 3, 2010 As the host of the opening-night gala performance of the World Science Festival at Alice Tully Hall on Wednesday evening, Alan Alda promised a trip through the cosmos "at the speed of art." And on this occasion, at least, art stepped lively. Just as well. The evening was presented in honor of the British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, who — though by now rendered physically immobile by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease — took the trouble to appear in person, upstaging even the likes of the cellist Yo-Yo Ma. More science, space, and environment stories after the jump.
continued at Daily Kos....
Welcome to Science Saturday, where the Overnight News Digest crew informs and entertains you with this week's news about science, space, and the environment. This week's featured story comes from the New York Times. Salute of the Stars, Cosmic and Otherwise By JAMES R. OESTREICH Published: June 3, 2010 As the host of the opening-night gala performance of the World Science Festival at Alice Tully Hall on Wednesday evening, Alan Alda promised a trip through the cosmos "at the speed of art." And on this occasion, at least, art stepped lively. Just as well. The evening was presented in honor of the British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, who — though by now rendered physically immobile by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease — took the trouble to appear in person, upstaging even the likes of the cellist Yo-Yo Ma. More science, space, and environment stories after the jump.
continued at Daily Kos....
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