Friday, March 30, 2012

Obama Clears Way for Tighter Sanctions on Iran

Yes, great. Relentlessly tightening sanctions on Iran.
Equally devastating as bombs, without a drop of blood shed.
Until Iran complies with the U.N. fully and is transparent with it's energy /nuclear program.

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Oil Profiteering Continues, With Taxpayers Subsidizing Their Multi-Billion Dollar Profits

President Barack Obama said oil company profits justify abolishing $4 billion in annual oil and natural gas subsidies and shifting those savings to research on clean-energy fuels.

Republicans blocked this particular measure today.

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

For Next Gen of Coal Power Plants, A New Gen of Emission Rules

This is great news.
Smarter, cleaner power for our health, climate and communities, thank you.

**Obama Helps Address Threats At Nuclear Summit

Very interesting summit, and a good write-up.
Maintaining nuclear power plants at less than weapons-grade quality uranium is a very practical goal. Making steps to degrade already highly enriched uranium is another.
Seems the U.S. in not doing it's part, why are we not passing the fissile material cutoff treaty? Russia should press forward on making it's plants operate at less than HEU intensity.
Other countries are stepping up efforts to curtail nuclear material.
These efforts are crucial to sustainability, and speak directly to our collective desire to place communal self-preservation over the greed, fear and ambition of individual nations.

"United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he wished for more attention on that. "There has been some progress," he said during the summit. "But let us be clear: The world needs a verifiable and legally binding fissile material cut-off treaty."

The participants decided to hold a third summit on nuclear security in the Netherlands in 2014."

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Obama Making The Right Moves, Securing Loose Nuclear Material, Urging North Korea and Iran to drop nuclear programs

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-obama-korea-20120326,0,4384084.story

Obama Pledges To Push For A World Free Of Nuclear Weapons
RTT News - 25 minutes ago(RTTNews) - US President Barack Obama on Monday pledged to work alongside other nuclear powers to make the world free of nuclear weapons and warned North Korea and Iran not to pursue their nuclear weapons programs. Obama made the remarks while ...

Leaders Target Loose Nuclear Material, Draft Communique Says
BusinessWeek - 14 minutes agoBy Jonathan Tirone on March 26, 2012 World leaders may pledge tighter controls over nuclear materials to keep them out of the hands of terrorists, according to a draft communique before the end of their two-day meeting in Seoul.

Obama implores North Korea to 'pursue peace,' urges against nuclear weapons ...
Fox News - 22 minutes agoSEOUL – In a direct challenge to North Korean leaders, President Barack Obama implored them "to have the courage to pursue peace" while warning of the wrath of the world if they don't. Failure, he said Monday, would mean a future without dignity, ...

Preeminent Collective Issue: Upcoming Nuclear Summit Meeting in Seoul

Fears About North Korea and Iran Will Dominate Nuclear Summit Meeting in Seoul
New York Times - Mar 23, 2012SEOUL, South Korea — President Obama will join the leaders of more than 50 countries here next week for a nuclear security summit meeting, where fears about two rogue states, North Korea and Iran, will loom over a gathering ostensibly about the perils ...

Monday, March 19, 2012

Bring Back PACE: Thank You, Tell-a-Friend - Sierra Club

Bring Back PACE: Thank You, Tell-a-Friend - Sierra Club 

Property Assessed Clean Energy provides homeowners the option of getting energy efficient and getting upgrades - like solar panels - through small increases in their assessments. It makes sense, and is optional - only added to a home at the homeowner's discretion.

Please help this innovative opportunity to move forward with cleaner, homegrown energy and increasing property values. Sign on the link...

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Sea Level Rise Seen as Growing U.S. Threat to 3.7 Million

Rising Sea Levels a Growing Risk to Coastal U.S., Study Says - NYTimes.com 

Planning to adapt to an ocean overtaking major cities in the near future? Or is it easier to minimize the destruction now? I say the second option. You??

"About 3.7 million Americans live within a few feet of high tide and risk being hit by more frequent coastal flooding in coming decades because of the sea level rise caused by global warming, according to new research...."

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

When Gaming Is Good for You - WSJ.com

When Gaming Is Good for You - WSJ.com

Interesting inference about attention, perception, and performance; cognition, maybe memory, and CONTENT.
What we are placing in front of ourselves is how we are directing our own personal evolution.
I have thoughts on sustainable content, and challenging the human progression and evolution thusly, not surprisingly....

Progress? Iran: U.N. can visit secret military complex - CBS News

Iran: U.N. can visit secret military complex - CBS News

Progress? We'll see, and keep hoping and pushing for a peaceful resolution from both sides.

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Obama warns Iran as he seeks to reassure Israel ahead of crucial talks

Barack Obama has warned Iran that he is not bluffing when he says that the US will use force if necessary to prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon. But the president also cautioned Israel that an attack on Iran would not provide a long-term solution to the crisis.

Mitt Romney, Ron Paul Tax Plans: Rich Get Richer

"The folks at the Tax Institute at H&R Block sent us a handy graphic boiling down the hardly shocking news that Republican candidates' tax plans give nice breaks to the rich. One thing we at Money didn't quite realize: How Ron Paul really sticks it to the poor. The long-shot Libertarian would abolish the income tax for everyone. And poor people, who don't pay income tax, would no longer be eligible for the earned income tax credit, which offers a huge income boost to the nation's neediest.
Mitt Romney's plan is the most generous to the wealthy--who would pay $70,000 less in taxes each year...."

A day after Republicans signaled possible compromise with the White House on energy issues, President Barack Obama called Thursday for Congress to vote in the coming weeks on ending billions of dollars in subsidies for the oil industry.

A day after Republicans signaled possible compromise with the White House on energy issues, President Barack Obama called Thursday for Congress to vote in the coming weeks on ending billions of dollars in subsidies for the oil industry.

"Eliminate this oil industry giveaway right away. I want them to vote on this in the next few weeks," Obama told students at Nashua Community College in New Hampshire. "Let's put every single member of Congress on record: You can stand with oil companies, or you can stand with the American people. You can keep subsidizing a fossil fuel that's been getting taxpayer dollars for a century, or you can place your bets on a clean energy future."

Sunset, Venice 12/20/2012

Sunset, Venice 12/20/2012
I've been thinking some about the Winter Solstice, the Mayan end of the 30,000-year-cycle on 12/21/12.

What if in fact the world did end? Even though this probably will not happen, to live consciously it is honest for us to take a bit of an inventory.

Am I happy with how I've lived my life? (Yesterday, I thought mostly yes, with some areas for improvement, as below.) Are there changes I would make?
Would I have tried to forgive those that were hostile or disappointing to me?
Would I spend more time with those I loved the most, telling them that, feeling that more?
Would I be happier, grateful for what I have, what I've experienced, the joy, the beauty in this world?

Maybe the answer is yes to all of the above.
So this time can serve as a point of rebirth for all of us. If we think about it.

Because somewhere along the line I realized I think maybe mankind deserves it. !
The way we are killing each other, killing the planet.
How selfish we are, and snotty to those around us. Petty, competitive. Why is this? Do we have to behave this way? (I say no, it greatly detracts and misdirects energy from the full-time celebration in which we could engage, the great multi-cultural, multi-rhythmic dance we can sustain here.)

Maybe God or the Great Universe is fed up, and will pull the rug out from under us.
Don't think I can say we could blame Him/Her/It.

But it probably won't happen. (Probably not! This time.)

Still we are finite on this ride.

It is a time to think, am I happy with how I've lived my life?
Hopefully most of us can say yes.

For the part of us that have a little worry, a little sadness....
This is the time to be present.
This is the time to be the person you want to be, that can die at peace, that can hope to every day be able to look yourself and the Universe in the eye and say, how beautiful, smiling, and thank you. Let's do that.

Antidotes to Violence, a.k.a., Take Charge of Where Your Head's At - here

Tell Congress to Strengthen Gun Control Laws NOW - here

Good News & Brain Food News -
Christians & Muslims Gather, for Peace here
Good News - Top RIO+20 Summit Posts here
The 'Busy' Trap - NYTimes.com
here