Karl Rove's Catch-22 | Mother Jones
Very good article, and turn for truth.
Do we want transparency and openness in politics and electioneering? Yes.
"... come Saturday, the dark-money nonprofits face a dilemma. A high-profile court case known as Van Hollen v. FEC threatens to shine an unwelcome beam of sunlight on donors bankrolling these organizations. Nothing's stopping Crossroads GPS or AFP from running more "issue" ads hitting Obama and other Democrats (that is, ads that don't explicitly say "vote for" or "vote against"). Except now nonprofits will have to reveal who funded those spots...."
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Monday, July 30, 2012
Key role for Bill Clinton at Democratic convention!! | The Salt Lake Tribune
Key role for Bill Clinton at Democratic convention | The Salt Lake Tribune
Like me some Bill Clinton! He will speak at the convention in Charlotte, North Carolina on September 5th and place President Obama's name in nomination.
Like Clinton, Obama is centrist, practical and approaches balancing the budget from fairly taxing and spending ways that keep America and its middle class strong.
"Washington • Former President Bill Clinton will have a marquee role in this summer’s Democratic National Convention, where he will make a forceful case for President Barack Obama’s re-election and his economic vision for the country...."
"To have President Clinton on Wednesday night laying out the choice facing voters, and then having Vice President Biden speak right before the president in prime time on Thursday, giving a testimony to the decisions the president has made, the character of his leadership and the battle to rebuild the middle class that’s so central to our message."
Like me some Bill Clinton! He will speak at the convention in Charlotte, North Carolina on September 5th and place President Obama's name in nomination.
Like Clinton, Obama is centrist, practical and approaches balancing the budget from fairly taxing and spending ways that keep America and its middle class strong.
"Washington • Former President Bill Clinton will have a marquee role in this summer’s Democratic National Convention, where he will make a forceful case for President Barack Obama’s re-election and his economic vision for the country...."
"To have President Clinton on Wednesday night laying out the choice facing voters, and then having Vice President Biden speak right before the president in prime time on Thursday, giving a testimony to the decisions the president has made, the character of his leadership and the battle to rebuild the middle class that’s so central to our message."
Antarctica Has a Grand Canyon, and It's Accelerating Ice Melt and Sea Level Rise | Ecocentric | TIME.com
Antarctica Has a Grand Canyon, and It's Accelerating Ice Melt and Sea Level Rise | Ecocentric | TIME.com
Very interesting and explanatory video link here
"...The Ferringo rift as its called is bringing more warm sea water into the interior of the Antarctic ice sheet, which can hasten melt. "The areas that are most vulnerable [to ice melt] coincide with the areas of ancient rifting," Robert Bingham, the discoverer of the Ferringo rift and a glaciologist at the University of Aberdeen, told NBC News.... In other words, the Grand Canyon of the Antarctic is setting the stage for even faster ice loss than would happen otherwise.
Antarctica—you’re probably not going to be surprised to learn—has a lot of ice. So much ice, in fact, that if all of it were to melt, sea levels would rise by 200 ft. (60 m)—more than enough to swamp every coastal city in the world. Even in the most extreme global warming scenarios, though, that likely wouldn’t happen for centuries, but the ice sheet in West Antarctica is melting right now, faster than any other part of the frozen continent. It’s melting fast enough to contribute nearly 10% of global sea level rise, but researchers have never really understand why West Antarctica has become such a melting hot spot."
Very interesting and explanatory video link here
"...The Ferringo rift as its called is bringing more warm sea water into the interior of the Antarctic ice sheet, which can hasten melt. "The areas that are most vulnerable [to ice melt] coincide with the areas of ancient rifting," Robert Bingham, the discoverer of the Ferringo rift and a glaciologist at the University of Aberdeen, told NBC News.... In other words, the Grand Canyon of the Antarctic is setting the stage for even faster ice loss than would happen otherwise.
Antarctica—you’re probably not going to be surprised to learn—has a lot of ice. So much ice, in fact, that if all of it were to melt, sea levels would rise by 200 ft. (60 m)—more than enough to swamp every coastal city in the world. Even in the most extreme global warming scenarios, though, that likely wouldn’t happen for centuries, but the ice sheet in West Antarctica is melting right now, faster than any other part of the frozen continent. It’s melting fast enough to contribute nearly 10% of global sea level rise, but researchers have never really understand why West Antarctica has become such a melting hot spot."
The Conversion of a Climate-Change Skeptic - NYTimes.com
The Conversion of a Climate-Change Skeptic - NYTimes.com
Very rigorous hard science included in the article.
Richard A. Muller, a professor of physics at the University of California, Berkeley, and a former MacArthur Foundation fellow, is the author, most recently, of “Energy for Future Presidents: The Science Behind the Headlines.”
"CALL me a converted skeptic. Three years ago I identified problems in previous climate studies that, in my mind, threw doubt on the very existence of global warming. Last year, following an intensive research effort involving a dozen scientists, I concluded that global warming was real and that the prior estimates of the rate of warming were correct. I’m now going a step further: Humans are almost entirely the cause..."
Very rigorous hard science included in the article.
Richard A. Muller, a professor of physics at the University of California, Berkeley, and a former MacArthur Foundation fellow, is the author, most recently, of “Energy for Future Presidents: The Science Behind the Headlines.”
"CALL me a converted skeptic. Three years ago I identified problems in previous climate studies that, in my mind, threw doubt on the very existence of global warming. Last year, following an intensive research effort involving a dozen scientists, I concluded that global warming was real and that the prior estimates of the rate of warming were correct. I’m now going a step further: Humans are almost entirely the cause..."
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Republicans vs.Women - The New York Times - Breaking News
The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia
"Republicans vs. Women
"Republicans vs. Women
House Republicans have not given up on their campaign to narrow access to birth control, abortion care and lifesaving cancer screenings. Far from it...."
Help fight global warming | Environmental Defense Fund
Help fight global warming | Environmental Defense Fund
Impactful, smart, worthy of all the support and attention we can give it.
"How we're continuing the fight
Our work to prevent the potentially catastrophic effects of global warming continues in the U.S. and around the world.
Impactful, smart, worthy of all the support and attention we can give it.
"How we're continuing the fight
Our work to prevent the potentially catastrophic effects of global warming continues in the U.S. and around the world.
- Watch a slideshow of our global climate projects.
- See how we helped get a climate win in California.
- Learn how we're revolutionizing the electric grid."
Friday, July 27, 2012
Coal Power Loses Its Luster in India as Costs Rise
Coal Power Loses Its Luster in India as Costs Rise
God I hope so.
"Although India has seemingly abundant coal reserves, the low-quality, high-ash fuel causes problems when it's used in state-of-the-art power plants. Instead, companies like Tata are looking overseas for coal, and import prices have been rising steadily. Tata's chief executive officer says Tata Mundra won't be financially viable unless it gets a hefty rate increase to offset the soaring prices of imported Indonesian coal.
Coal suitable for fueling these new plants is turning out to be scarce and expensive, leaving many in India to ask if it has any selling point left at all. It also is losing its luster as certain renewables, such as wind and solar, become more cost-competitive."
God I hope so.
"Although India has seemingly abundant coal reserves, the low-quality, high-ash fuel causes problems when it's used in state-of-the-art power plants. Instead, companies like Tata are looking overseas for coal, and import prices have been rising steadily. Tata's chief executive officer says Tata Mundra won't be financially viable unless it gets a hefty rate increase to offset the soaring prices of imported Indonesian coal.
Coal suitable for fueling these new plants is turning out to be scarce and expensive, leaving many in India to ask if it has any selling point left at all. It also is losing its luster as certain renewables, such as wind and solar, become more cost-competitive."
Thursday, July 26, 2012
**Oh, Mitt: those Romney gaffes in full | World news | guardian.co.uk
Oh, Mitt: those Romney gaffes in full | World news | guardian.co.uk
"Oh, Mitt: those Romney gaffes in full"
"Boobs, blunders, clangers – whatever you call them, Romney likes to drop them. And he's really outdone himself in London..."
Obama and Insurers Join to Cut Health Care Fraud - NYTimes.com
Obama and Insurers Join to Cut Health Care Fraud - NYTimes.com
We really have to shore up institutional fraud like this.
We really have to shore up institutional fraud like this.
- Helps patch the sucking sounds from our economy.
- And decrease health care fees.
- Stronger penalties for those found guilty of gaming the system. Here, in the financial system, wherever found.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Twilight of the Elites: Chris Hayes on How the Powerful Rig the System, from Penn State to Wall St.
Twilight of the Elites: Chris Hayes on How the Powerful Rig the System, from Penn State to Wall St.
"One of the most insidious aspects of the current distribution of resources in this country and the current inequality we have isn’t just that it’s bad for people on the bottom of the social pyramid but that it makes people at the top worse," Hayes says. "It conditions them to be incompetent and corrupt."
Must be what Rome looked like... a nice cadre of privileged people drinking lots of wine and fiddling....
"One of the most insidious aspects of the current distribution of resources in this country and the current inequality we have isn’t just that it’s bad for people on the bottom of the social pyramid but that it makes people at the top worse," Hayes says. "It conditions them to be incompetent and corrupt."
Must be what Rome looked like... a nice cadre of privileged people drinking lots of wine and fiddling....
Greenland image highlights climate crisis - The Maddow Blog
Greenland image highlights climate crisis - The Maddow Blog
"Don't worry, though, Republican policymakers have a plan: they'll bury their heads in the sand and pretend the climate science is either non-existent or part of a communist plot.
Former Rep. Bob Inglis (R-S.C.) predicted this week his party is bound to wake up one of these days, and will have no choice but to address the crisis eventually. "You can hold back the facts only for so long and eventually they overwhelm you," he said.
I wish I shared his optimism, but looking at the above image, and watching Republicans continue to insist there is no problem, I'm afraid facts are losing."
"Don't worry, though, Republican policymakers have a plan: they'll bury their heads in the sand and pretend the climate science is either non-existent or part of a communist plot.
Former Rep. Bob Inglis (R-S.C.) predicted this week his party is bound to wake up one of these days, and will have no choice but to address the crisis eventually. "You can hold back the facts only for so long and eventually they overwhelm you," he said.
I wish I shared his optimism, but looking at the above image, and watching Republicans continue to insist there is no problem, I'm afraid facts are losing."
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Gun Owners Surveyed By Frank Luntz Express Broad Support For Gun Control Policies
Gun Owners Surveyed By Frank Luntz Express Broad Support For Gun Control Policies
“Gun owners and NRA members overwhelmingly support common sense steps to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, even as the NRA leadership continues to oppose them,” said New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, chair of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, which commissioned the study. “It’s time for those in Washington -– and those running for President –- to stand with gun owning citizens who are concerned about public safety, rather than influence peddling lobbyists who are obsessed with ideology."
“Gun owners and NRA members overwhelmingly support common sense steps to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, even as the NRA leadership continues to oppose them,” said New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, chair of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, which commissioned the study. “It’s time for those in Washington -– and those running for President –- to stand with gun owning citizens who are concerned about public safety, rather than influence peddling lobbyists who are obsessed with ideology."
**GOP's Narrow Interests, Obama Obsession, and Losing Ground
GOP's Obama obsession will lose it the election - CNN.com
Sign of the times... 100-year ago GOP....
"For example, it will bring vivid memories of Kris Kobach, architect of the harsh Arizona SB1070 law, Romney's own "self-deportation" comments that won him the not-so-honorary title of being the most right-wing GOP presidential candidate on immigration, U.S. Rep. Steve King's remarks comparing immigrants to dogs and GOP Kansas State Rep. Virgil Peck's comments on fixing immigration by shooting immigrants from helicopters like feral pigs...."
Sign of the times... 100-year ago GOP....
"For example, it will bring vivid memories of Kris Kobach, architect of the harsh Arizona SB1070 law, Romney's own "self-deportation" comments that won him the not-so-honorary title of being the most right-wing GOP presidential candidate on immigration, U.S. Rep. Steve King's remarks comparing immigrants to dogs and GOP Kansas State Rep. Virgil Peck's comments on fixing immigration by shooting immigrants from helicopters like feral pigs...."
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Your Kids, the Future, Solar Power, the Fossil Fuel Industry, and Islam: UCLA researchers create highly transparent solar cells for windows that generate electricity
Story here (UCLA)
Can we create surfaces on cars, buildings, laptop cases, etc. that capture energy? And help renewably power us?
Yes. This article describes a fantastic advance.
If only our narrow, antiquated, polluting, health-damaging, finite fossil fuel industry and bought, morally-bankrupt politicians did not keep us tethered to the past, like a ball-and-chain stuck in the 1930's... our children might be dreaming and actually helping design solar-powered rocket packs to get to school, not worrying about if Middle-East strife and radical Islam must dictate our near- to medium-term future... self-reliance, ala Emerson, self-determination, energy independence.
Can we create surfaces on cars, buildings, laptop cases, etc. that capture energy? And help renewably power us?
Yes. This article describes a fantastic advance.
If only our narrow, antiquated, polluting, health-damaging, finite fossil fuel industry and bought, morally-bankrupt politicians did not keep us tethered to the past, like a ball-and-chain stuck in the 1930's... our children might be dreaming and actually helping design solar-powered rocket packs to get to school, not worrying about if Middle-East strife and radical Islam must dictate our near- to medium-term future... self-reliance, ala Emerson, self-determination, energy independence.
Friday, July 20, 2012
California Activists Want Smart Meters Banned, Claim They're Bad for Health | PBS NewsHour | July 20, 2012 | PBS
California Activists Want Smart Meters Banned, Claim They're Bad for Health | PBS NewsHour | July 20, 2012 | PBS
This seems to merit a comprehensive review, and depending on the results, potential change/mitigation.
This seems to merit a comprehensive review, and depending on the results, potential change/mitigation.
Global greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise (+video)
Story here (Christian Science Monitor)
I had two solar panel arrays added to my home when I lived in the Bay Area two years ago:
I'm hoping to add some solar panels here now that I've moved back to So Cal:
I had two solar panel arrays added to my home when I lived in the Bay Area two years ago:
- They produced more electricity than I used.
- Driving a Prius, I was getting close to carbon neutral.
I'm hoping to add some solar panels here now that I've moved back to So Cal:
- You can add batteries to a Prius, to make it a plug-in. And burn no gasoline for weeks at a time.
- I'm compelled to keep decreasing my carbon footprint - and to help others - more and more, each and every week.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Northwest 'Salmon People' - 10,000 Year-Old Culture - Forced to Face the Future
Northwest 'Salmon People' Face Future Without Fish | PBS NewsHour | July 18, 2012 | PBS
Native people making sustainable living local. They offer adaption, not just anger.
This is positive news. And yes sad that they have to so strongly adapt because of the impacts of others.
Very interesting article.
"Alan Hamlet, a hydrologist with the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group, said that glacier loss is devastating the salmon habitat.
"Glaciers are a kind of water tower, a way of storing water under natural conditions, and when we lose that water tower, then the flows in the summer go down," Hamlet said.
Glaciers also keep rivers consistently cool throughout the year. Without them, stream temperatures climb. Temperatures that rise above 70 degrees are lethal to adult salmon. And researchers at University of Washington's Climate Impacts Group project that by 2080, nearly half of the streams they monitor throughout the state will average weekly temperatures of at least 70 degrees.
...The Swinomish reservation occupies 15 square miles of the Fidalgo Island in Puget Sound near the mouth of the Skagit River, a waterway fed by nearly 400 glaciers and one of the last remaining homes to all five species of Pacific salmon.
Fifteen percent of the reservation is at or just slightly above sea level, including environmentally-sensitive shoreline areas, where they've harvested shellfish for centuries. University of Washington climate scientists estimate that this area could see up to a meter of sea level rise over the next century.
Like many tribal communities, the Swinomish can't just pick up and move out of harm's way. Relocating is antithetical to who they are, said Brian Cladoosby, chairman of the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community.
"We are a place-based society," he said. "This is our homeland. The Swinomish have lived here for 10,000 years...."
Native people making sustainable living local. They offer adaption, not just anger.
This is positive news. And yes sad that they have to so strongly adapt because of the impacts of others.
Very interesting article.
"Alan Hamlet, a hydrologist with the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group, said that glacier loss is devastating the salmon habitat.
"Glaciers are a kind of water tower, a way of storing water under natural conditions, and when we lose that water tower, then the flows in the summer go down," Hamlet said.
Glaciers also keep rivers consistently cool throughout the year. Without them, stream temperatures climb. Temperatures that rise above 70 degrees are lethal to adult salmon. And researchers at University of Washington's Climate Impacts Group project that by 2080, nearly half of the streams they monitor throughout the state will average weekly temperatures of at least 70 degrees.
...The Swinomish reservation occupies 15 square miles of the Fidalgo Island in Puget Sound near the mouth of the Skagit River, a waterway fed by nearly 400 glaciers and one of the last remaining homes to all five species of Pacific salmon.
Fifteen percent of the reservation is at or just slightly above sea level, including environmentally-sensitive shoreline areas, where they've harvested shellfish for centuries. University of Washington climate scientists estimate that this area could see up to a meter of sea level rise over the next century.
Like many tribal communities, the Swinomish can't just pick up and move out of harm's way. Relocating is antithetical to who they are, said Brian Cladoosby, chairman of the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community.
"We are a place-based society," he said. "This is our homeland. The Swinomish have lived here for 10,000 years...."
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Austin Texas Greets Obama with Barbecue and Peach Cobbler
HSBC's Compliance Chief to Step Down - But Is That All??
HSBC's Compliance Chief to Step Down - WSJ.com
Good - and shouldn't he also:
have to give some of his (no doubt) huge bonuses back?
serve jail time?
serve in Afghanistan or patrol in Iraq, helping our side to balance the shady investments he let transpire for the other side?
Good - and shouldn't he also:
have to give some of his (no doubt) huge bonuses back?
serve jail time?
serve in Afghanistan or patrol in Iraq, helping our side to balance the shady investments he let transpire for the other side?
**Romney Strategy - Dismissing Voter Concerns 'With a Condescending Wave of the Hand'
Chessmaster or Pawn: Readers on the Romney Strategy - James Fallows - The Atlantic
Transparency and honesty are vital traits for our elected leaders. Past candidates have done, and had to do, much better.
"- Another reader says it's more about the psychology of being rich (a point Matthew Dowd also made on the radio show just now):
A couple major theories behind Romney's tax return intransigence seem to have developed on your blog and elsewhere: 1) there is something politically debilitating in those returns, and 2) he is playing some triple bank shot long game to embarrass his enemies in the process of overstepping.
Despite the high likelihood of Option 1, these theories both ignore the more primal and fundamental reason- which is that Mr. Willard Romney just doesn't think he should have to release this stuff.
Like many Captains of the Universe, Romney has an absolutely huge sense of entitlement. He is just dripping with condescension when he answers questions about this stuff. He has always been brittle when his record has been questioned, even when it was done with kid gloves by fellow republicans....
I know the "campaign" is probably in full pushback mode, but I wonder if Mitt, personally, really even understands how important this is. He behaves in every way like it is something he can dismiss with a wave of the hand... At the end of the day, Romney is the one deciding on the direction of this campaign. And right now I think we see that he just doesn't think is anyone's business..."
Transparency and honesty are vital traits for our elected leaders. Past candidates have done, and had to do, much better.
"- Another reader says it's more about the psychology of being rich (a point Matthew Dowd also made on the radio show just now):
A couple major theories behind Romney's tax return intransigence seem to have developed on your blog and elsewhere: 1) there is something politically debilitating in those returns, and 2) he is playing some triple bank shot long game to embarrass his enemies in the process of overstepping.
Despite the high likelihood of Option 1, these theories both ignore the more primal and fundamental reason- which is that Mr. Willard Romney just doesn't think he should have to release this stuff.
Like many Captains of the Universe, Romney has an absolutely huge sense of entitlement. He is just dripping with condescension when he answers questions about this stuff. He has always been brittle when his record has been questioned, even when it was done with kid gloves by fellow republicans....
I know the "campaign" is probably in full pushback mode, but I wonder if Mitt, personally, really even understands how important this is. He behaves in every way like it is something he can dismiss with a wave of the hand... At the end of the day, Romney is the one deciding on the direction of this campaign. And right now I think we see that he just doesn't think is anyone's business..."
Monday, July 16, 2012
'Made In America' Policies Hugely Popular, Survey Shows - Yahoo! News
'Made In America' Policies Hugely Popular, Survey Shows - Yahoo! News
Yes, I always check labels.
http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-president-jintao-we-ll-avoid-buying-china-s-products-until-human-rights-improve-in-china
Petition text:
Yes, I always check labels.
http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-president-jintao-we-ll-avoid-buying-china-s-products-until-human-rights-improve-in-china
Petition text:
President Jintao, Please Improve China's Human Rights, Women's Rights, and Environmental Abuses
Greetings,
Your U.S. visit last week was a notable and hopeful occasion.
Notably we want China to be a BETTER nation, and respect basic human rights.
As such, we will avoid buying things made in China, for two months -- for human rights, women's rights, and environmental abuses. We will always tell sales clerks exactly why we are avoiding the purchase and request they tell their managers.
President Hu, we want China to make the following changes before we buy Chinese products again:
**Improve Human Rights
*Allow more freedom of speech and religion without recrimination.
*Release Nobel Peace Prize Winner Liu Xiaobo from prison immediately, and wife Liu Xia from house arrest.
**Improve Women's Rights
*Uphold the Chinese Constitution for "...equal rights with men in all spheres of life, political, economic, cultural, social, and family life."
*Strengthen and enforce laws against domestic violence, kidnapping and trafficking of women and children
**Improve Environmental Abuses
*Set new 5-Year Plan setting a carbon emissions cap -- and working with America to mutually acceptable binding targets
*Allow verification of China's 20% energy emissions reduction by 2011 accomplishment (as promised to the U.N. in Cancun)
Respect and good wishes are extended to China.
Our goal is to support and improve the well-being and freedom of Chinese citizens, and the betterment of China in the long run.
[Your name]Notably we want China to be a BETTER nation, and respect basic human rights.
As such, we will avoid buying things made in China, for two months -- for human rights, women's rights, and environmental abuses. We will always tell sales clerks exactly why we are avoiding the purchase and request they tell their managers.
President Hu, we want China to make the following changes before we buy Chinese products again:
**Improve Human Rights
*Allow more freedom of speech and religion without recrimination.
*Release Nobel Peace Prize Winner Liu Xiaobo from prison immediately, and wife Liu Xia from house arrest.
**Improve Women's Rights
*Uphold the Chinese Constitution for "...equal rights with men in all spheres of life, political, economic, cultural, social, and family life."
*Strengthen and enforce laws against domestic violence, kidnapping and trafficking of women and children
**Improve Environmental Abuses
*Set new 5-Year Plan setting a carbon emissions cap -- and working with America to mutually acceptable binding targets
*Allow verification of China's 20% energy emissions reduction by 2011 accomplishment (as promised to the U.N. in Cancun)
Respect and good wishes are extended to China.
Our goal is to support and improve the well-being and freedom of Chinese citizens, and the betterment of China in the long run.
Banking Industry Is Out of Control -U.S. report says HSBC handled Iran, drug money | Reuters
UPDATE 3-U.S. report says HSBC handled Iran, drug money | Reuters
Wow the banking industry is out of control.
"A "pervasively polluted" culture at HSBC Holdings Plc (one of the largest banking and financial institutions in the world) allowed the bank to act as financier to clients seeking to route shadowy funds from the world's most dangerous and secretive corners, including Mexico, Iran, the Cayman Islands, Saudi Arabia and Syria, according to a scathing U.S. Senate report issued on Monday.
While the big British bank's problems have been known for nearly a decade, the Senate probe detailed just how sweeping the problems have been, both at the bank and at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency [OCC], a top U.S. bank regulator which the report said failed to properly monitor HSBC... despite multiple red flags, allowing money laundering issues "to accumulate into a massive problem.
Thomas Curry, who took over as comptroller less than four months ago, said in a statement on Monday that anti-money laundering compliance "is crucial to our nation's efforts to combat criminal activity and terrorism, and the OCC expects national banks and federal thrifts to have programs in place to effectively comply with these laws."
When are we going to get serious about reining in this industry? It's becoming like the Hydra, or Medusa, or Pandora's Box or something. Becoming uglier and uglier the more that layers of it are uncovered.
Wow the banking industry is out of control.
"A "pervasively polluted" culture at HSBC Holdings Plc (one of the largest banking and financial institutions in the world) allowed the bank to act as financier to clients seeking to route shadowy funds from the world's most dangerous and secretive corners, including Mexico, Iran, the Cayman Islands, Saudi Arabia and Syria, according to a scathing U.S. Senate report issued on Monday.
While the big British bank's problems have been known for nearly a decade, the Senate probe detailed just how sweeping the problems have been, both at the bank and at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency [OCC], a top U.S. bank regulator which the report said failed to properly monitor HSBC... despite multiple red flags, allowing money laundering issues "to accumulate into a massive problem.
Thomas Curry, who took over as comptroller less than four months ago, said in a statement on Monday that anti-money laundering compliance "is crucial to our nation's efforts to combat criminal activity and terrorism, and the OCC expects national banks and federal thrifts to have programs in place to effectively comply with these laws."
When are we going to get serious about reining in this industry? It's becoming like the Hydra, or Medusa, or Pandora's Box or something. Becoming uglier and uglier the more that layers of it are uncovered.
Austin, Texas: Smart Power, but Lame Meters | PBS NewsHour | July 13, 2012 | PBS
In Austin, Charged up About Smart Power | PBS NewsHour | July 13, 2012 | PBS
Controlling home-produced electricity (solar panels usually) by sharing with grid, smart.
Developing ways to store one's own solar-produced energy, smart.
'Smart meters' that emit bad radiation into houses and neighborhoods, really dumb. Read the comments section for links on that.
Utilities have to vett these attempts before harming early adopters.
Do no more harm than good.
Controlling home-produced electricity (solar panels usually) by sharing with grid, smart.
Developing ways to store one's own solar-produced energy, smart.
'Smart meters' that emit bad radiation into houses and neighborhoods, really dumb. Read the comments section for links on that.
Utilities have to vett these attempts before harming early adopters.
Do no more harm than good.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Some within GOP want more Romney tax returns
Story here
Most people think honesty and transparency are necessities for our politicians.
Friday, July 13, 2012
Keep Leading, and Keep Green: Apple rejoins green registry after complaints - chicagotribune.com
Apple rejoins green registry after complaints - chicagotribune.com
GREAT news!!!
Apple really needs to be at the forefront of environmental practice and policy if it wants to continue leading us into the technological future. Very glad they opted back in to this program.
"We've recently heard from many loyal Apple customers who were disappointed to learn that we had removed our products from the EPEAT rating system. I recognize that this was a mistake," senior vice president of hardware engineering, Bob Mansfield, said in a letter on Apple's website."
"The about-face came after reports that various government agencies and schools that use the EPEAT (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool) certification system were considering dropping Apple's products, which include Macintosh computers and iPads."
GREAT news!!!
Apple really needs to be at the forefront of environmental practice and policy if it wants to continue leading us into the technological future. Very glad they opted back in to this program.
"We've recently heard from many loyal Apple customers who were disappointed to learn that we had removed our products from the EPEAT rating system. I recognize that this was a mistake," senior vice president of hardware engineering, Bob Mansfield, said in a letter on Apple's website."
"The about-face came after reports that various government agencies and schools that use the EPEAT (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool) certification system were considering dropping Apple's products, which include Macintosh computers and iPads."
Criminal Charges? JPMorgan traders may have hidden derivatives losses | Reuters
JPMorgan traders may have hidden derivatives losses | Reuters
Now we're talkin.'
"(Reuters) - JPMorgan Chase & Co said its traders may have deliberately hidden losses that have since climbed to $5.8 billion for the year, in a development that may result in criminal charges against traders at the bank."
Now we're talkin.'
"(Reuters) - JPMorgan Chase & Co said its traders may have deliberately hidden losses that have since climbed to $5.8 billion for the year, in a development that may result in criminal charges against traders at the bank."
Help Keep the U.S. on Pace with Clean Energy
Clean Energy - Petition to Congress
You can help! Urge Congress to extend the production tax credit for clean wind power immediately by signing the petition linked above.
"In the race to secure private clean energy finance and investment, the United States reclaimed the top spot, after trailing China since 2009, according to new research published by The Pew Charitable Trusts. However, America will be hard-pressed to sustain last year’s success...."
You can help! Urge Congress to extend the production tax credit for clean wind power immediately by signing the petition linked above.
"In the race to secure private clean energy finance and investment, the United States reclaimed the top spot, after trailing China since 2009, according to new research published by The Pew Charitable Trusts. However, America will be hard-pressed to sustain last year’s success...."
SignOn.org - Tell Wall Street: Stop the J.P. Morgan Loophole
SignOn.org - Tell Wall Street: Stop the J.P. Morgan Loophole
Want your money in the bank when it's time to withdraw? SIGN AT LINK ABOVE.
"There's nothing wrong with high-risk trading, but if the bets go bad, only the people who made the bets should have to pay. That's why this gambling should happen in hedge funds, not in the federally-insured banks that families and small businesses depend on."
Want your money in the bank when it's time to withdraw? SIGN AT LINK ABOVE.
"There's nothing wrong with high-risk trading, but if the bets go bad, only the people who made the bets should have to pay. That's why this gambling should happen in hedge funds, not in the federally-insured banks that families and small businesses depend on."
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Americans Least Green—And Feel Least Guilt, Survey Suggests
Americans Least Green—And Feel Least Guilt, Survey Suggests
Tragic, with a small ray of hope.
The oil companies' disinformation campaign is really paying off here.
"This year Americans ranked last in sustainable behavior, as they have every year since 2008. Just 21 percent of Americans reported feeling guilty about the impact they have on the environment, among the lowest of those surveyed.
Yet they had the most faith in an individual's ability to protect the environment, at 47 percent."
Tragic, with a small ray of hope.
The oil companies' disinformation campaign is really paying off here.
"This year Americans ranked last in sustainable behavior, as they have every year since 2008. Just 21 percent of Americans reported feeling guilty about the impact they have on the environment, among the lowest of those surveyed.
Yet they had the most faith in an individual's ability to protect the environment, at 47 percent."
Robert Reich, on Taxes Past $250,000
Robert Reich On Extending Bush Tax Cuts Up to $250,000
"To hear the media report it, President Obama is proposing a tax increase on wealthy Americans. That’s misleading at best. He’s proposing that everyone receive a continuation of the Bush tax cuts on the first $250,000 of their incomes. Any dollars they earn in excess of $250,000 will be taxed at the old Clinton-era rates.
"To hear the media report it, President Obama is proposing a tax increase on wealthy Americans. That’s misleading at best. He’s proposing that everyone receive a continuation of the Bush tax cuts on the first $250,000 of their incomes. Any dollars they earn in excess of $250,000 will be taxed at the old Clinton-era rates.
Get it? Everyone is treated exactly the same. Everyone gets a one-year extension of the Bush tax cut on the first $250,000 of income. No “class warfare.”
"The only people who’d have to pay substantially more taxes under Obama’s proposal are those earning far in excess of $250,000 — and they aren’t small businesses. They’re the fattest of corpulent felines. Their spending will not be affected if their official tax rate rises from the Bush 35 percent to the Bill Clinton 39.6 percent."
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
30 Ways to Foster Progress on a Finite Planet - NYTimes.com
30 Ways to Foster Progress on a Finite Planet - NYTimes.com
"Orion Magazine, a beautiful and lyrical nonprofit publication, is celebrating its 30th anniversary by publishing “Thirty-Year Plan,” a short book of essays by 30 writers, myself included, who were asked to describe “some thing—emotion, insight, technology, resource, practice, policy, habit, attitude—that’s going to be increasingly essential if humans are going to live comfortably, sustainably, and redeemably on Earth.” (You can sift excerpts from the 30 essays in the Orion slide show at the NY Times link above.)
"Orion Magazine, a beautiful and lyrical nonprofit publication, is celebrating its 30th anniversary by publishing “Thirty-Year Plan,” a short book of essays by 30 writers, myself included, who were asked to describe “some thing—emotion, insight, technology, resource, practice, policy, habit, attitude—that’s going to be increasingly essential if humans are going to live comfortably, sustainably, and redeemably on Earth.” (You can sift excerpts from the 30 essays in the Orion slide show at the NY Times link above.)
The Spreading Scourge of Corporate Corruption - NYTimes.com
The Spreading Scourge of Corporate Corruption - NYTimes.com
America as a pyramid scheme is a difficult pill to take. We all know this is not sustainable.
"It’s difficult to know why corruption may be spreading. But there are a few plausible explanations. From globalization to rising income inequality to the growing role of corporate money in political campaigns, political and economic dynamics may have increased both the scope of corporate wrongdoing and the incentives for business executives to bend, or break, the rules."
America as a pyramid scheme is a difficult pill to take. We all know this is not sustainable.
"It’s difficult to know why corruption may be spreading. But there are a few plausible explanations. From globalization to rising income inequality to the growing role of corporate money in political campaigns, political and economic dynamics may have increased both the scope of corporate wrongdoing and the incentives for business executives to bend, or break, the rules."
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
NRDC: China's Budding Environmental Movement
NRDC: China's Budding Environmental Movement
GREAT interview with good news. China may be taking the lead in some of these arenas too...
"What's the state of the environmental movement in China?
Right now there are nearly 3,000 environmental NGOs (non-governmental organizations) in China. But the movement is very young, the groups are small and they don't have much funding. Most groups are just a few people who get together because they want to do something like plant trees, or because they notice a river is polluted and want to raise awareness. You do have a smaller number of more sophisticated groups. The oldest officially registered environmental NGO, Friends of Nature, was established in 1994. They put out China's first public-initiated annual report on the state of the environment in 2006. There are groups like the Center for Legal Assistance to Pollution Victims, which has been around since 1998, engaged in extremely complex public interest legal work. And you also have leading environmentalists like Ma Jun, who's put together a very sophisticated website mapping water pollution across China."
"What are people's primary concerns?
Pollution, of course, is the big issue. You can't look outside at the Beijing air and not think it's a big issue. People are concerned with the safety of the air they breathe, the water they drink, the food they eat."
"Aren't people reluctant to speak out about environmental problems?
I think the environment has been a safe space for these groups to develop. People don't think of it as political, it's something everyone can get behind."
GREAT interview with good news. China may be taking the lead in some of these arenas too...
"What's the state of the environmental movement in China?
Right now there are nearly 3,000 environmental NGOs (non-governmental organizations) in China. But the movement is very young, the groups are small and they don't have much funding. Most groups are just a few people who get together because they want to do something like plant trees, or because they notice a river is polluted and want to raise awareness. You do have a smaller number of more sophisticated groups. The oldest officially registered environmental NGO, Friends of Nature, was established in 1994. They put out China's first public-initiated annual report on the state of the environment in 2006. There are groups like the Center for Legal Assistance to Pollution Victims, which has been around since 1998, engaged in extremely complex public interest legal work. And you also have leading environmentalists like Ma Jun, who's put together a very sophisticated website mapping water pollution across China."
"What are people's primary concerns?
Pollution, of course, is the big issue. You can't look outside at the Beijing air and not think it's a big issue. People are concerned with the safety of the air they breathe, the water they drink, the food they eat."
"Aren't people reluctant to speak out about environmental problems?
I think the environment has been a safe space for these groups to develop. People don't think of it as political, it's something everyone can get behind."
"How are local people responding to the idea of public participation in defending the environment?
There's a lot of energy out there. We created a citizens' guide to
environmental rights, a booklet for regular people, written in layman's
terms, with lots of pictures, telling people what they can do if they
see an environmental problem, how to go to court, what to ask at a
hearing, things like that. We distributed it in six cities, and at every
stop about 200 to 300 people just swarmed the table, and they each had
specific questions about problems they were having."
8 Drought-Conscious Tips for Your Home Water Use | Mother Jones
8 Drought-Conscious Tips for Your Home Water Use | Mother Jones
Great stuff. Like the bowl washing of vegetables, and terra cotta water chamber pot.
My two easy favorites: (1) add low-flow "aerators" to faucets. Many of your existing household aerators in the bathrooms and kitchen are possibly rusty and fouled. Have you ever checked/replaced them? The new ones are designed to reduce flow (and reduce $ bills too). Try 1.5 gallons per minute, or smaller. They still supply plenty of water for whatever you need. And flow cleaner. Just need a household wrench for replacement. Buy aerators at local hardware store when you are there. Cheap good fix if this hasn't been done for awhile (or ever).
And also (or instead) to reduce the flow of bathroom and kitchen faucets, (2) turn down the "angle stops" under the sinks. Disclaimer: BE CAREFUL, as older angle stops can leak or break when turned. Mine in the kitchen did. But replacing them after the small leak and a bowl under them was probably a far bit better than them leaking soon without my knowing. If they are clearly corroded or worn, you should replace them first. Or just try #1 above and hope your angle stops stay in state. But if they are functional, and you twist down the flow (first keep cold water flowing at max, then under sink twist down angle stop to lower desired level; then put hot on full blast, and twist down to acceptable level) you can knock down flow (and $) up to 30% or so for each faucet. Particularly good for kids - and adults - who just crank them full on. Good also to teach them to turn water off when not in use - brushing teeth, etc. But if they just can't be helped, these two will.
Great stuff. Like the bowl washing of vegetables, and terra cotta water chamber pot.
My two easy favorites: (1) add low-flow "aerators" to faucets. Many of your existing household aerators in the bathrooms and kitchen are possibly rusty and fouled. Have you ever checked/replaced them? The new ones are designed to reduce flow (and reduce $ bills too). Try 1.5 gallons per minute, or smaller. They still supply plenty of water for whatever you need. And flow cleaner. Just need a household wrench for replacement. Buy aerators at local hardware store when you are there. Cheap good fix if this hasn't been done for awhile (or ever).
And also (or instead) to reduce the flow of bathroom and kitchen faucets, (2) turn down the "angle stops" under the sinks. Disclaimer: BE CAREFUL, as older angle stops can leak or break when turned. Mine in the kitchen did. But replacing them after the small leak and a bowl under them was probably a far bit better than them leaking soon without my knowing. If they are clearly corroded or worn, you should replace them first. Or just try #1 above and hope your angle stops stay in state. But if they are functional, and you twist down the flow (first keep cold water flowing at max, then under sink twist down angle stop to lower desired level; then put hot on full blast, and twist down to acceptable level) you can knock down flow (and $) up to 30% or so for each faucet. Particularly good for kids - and adults - who just crank them full on. Good also to teach them to turn water off when not in use - brushing teeth, etc. But if they just can't be helped, these two will.
Monday, July 9, 2012
***Obama Asks About Romney Withholding Tax Records
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-obama-calls-on-romney-to-disclose-more-tax-returns-20120709,0,4468482.story
Well, if Romney's father released his, and we want transparency from our elected representatives...
“I think the American people deserve to know: Why does Mitt Romney have a secret Bermuda corporation?” Gibbs told anchor Savannah Guthrie on NBC’s “Today” show. “Why does he have a bank account in Switzerland? Savannah, when I pick a bank, I pick one near my house because there's an ATM that I can get cash out of it. I don't think you're picking a bank in Switzerland because there's an ATM near your house.”
Well, if Romney's father released his, and we want transparency from our elected representatives...
“I think the American people deserve to know: Why does Mitt Romney have a secret Bermuda corporation?” Gibbs told anchor Savannah Guthrie on NBC’s “Today” show. “Why does he have a bank account in Switzerland? Savannah, when I pick a bank, I pick one near my house because there's an ATM that I can get cash out of it. I don't think you're picking a bank in Switzerland because there's an ATM near your house.”
First Half of 2012 Hottest on Record
http://m.yahoo.com/w/legobpengine/news/blogs/lookout/first-half-hottest-ever-record-214906847.html?orig_host_hdr=news.yahoo.com&.intl=US&.lang=en-US
* – Preliminary Data
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/national/2012/6/supplemental/page-6/
http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2012/07/climate-extremes-just-got-even-crazier
| Rank | Consecutive 12-month Period | Temperature Departure (from 20th Century Average) |
|---|---|---|
| Warmest | July 2011 — June 2012* | +3.23°F |
| 2nd Warmest | June 2011 — May 2012* | +3.18°F |
| 3rd Warmest | May 2011 – April 2012* | +2.83°F |
| 4th Warmest | November 1999 – October 2000 | +2.70°F |
| 5th Warmest | October 1999 – September 2000 | +2.65°F |
| 6th Warmest | April 2011 – March 2012* | +2.61°F |
| 7th Warmest | September 2005 – August 2006 | +2.56°F |
| 8th Warmest | August 2005 – July 2006 | +2.54°F |
| September 1999 – August 2000 | +2.54°F | |
| 10th Warmest | July 1999 – June 2000 | +2.51°F |
| 11th Warmest | June 1999 – May 2000 | +2.46°F |
| August 1999 – July 2000 | +2.46°F |
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/national/2012/6/supplemental/page-6/
http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2012/07/climate-extremes-just-got-even-crazier
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Organic Food Purists Worry About Big Companies’ Influence - NYTimes.com
Organic Food Purists Worry About Big Companies’ Influence - NYTimes.com
Great reportage by the NY Times.
Organic food is so popular and lucrative, that big business is buying up, and polluting, the organic brand.
Yet more citizen intervention and oversight is needed so the new corporate organic label board members don't start poisoning us further when we buy and eat organic food.
Great reportage by the NY Times.
Organic food is so popular and lucrative, that big business is buying up, and polluting, the organic brand.
Yet more citizen intervention and oversight is needed so the new corporate organic label board members don't start poisoning us further when we buy and eat organic food.
"Two days later, the board voted 10 to 5 to keep carrageenan on the growing list of nonorganic ingredients that can be used in products with the coveted “certified organic” label. To organic purists like Mr. Potter, it was just another sign that Big Food has co-opted — or perhaps corrupted — the organic food business.
“The board is stacked,” Mr. Potter says. “Either they don’t have a clue, or their interest in making money is more important than their interest in maintaining the integrity of organics....
...Critics say the system has never truly operated as intended. “It’s been neutered,” says Mark Kastel, director of the Cornucopia Institute, an advocacy group.
Cornucopia began taking a harder look at the history of the addition of carrageenan and other substances to the accepted organic list after a bruising battle last December over the addition of docosahexzenoic acid algae oil, or DHA, and arachidonic acid single cell oil, or ARA. Its research led to a paper titled “The Organic Watergate.”
“After DHA got onto the list, we decided to go back and look at all of the ingredients on the list,” Mr. Kastel says. “The average consumer has no idea that all these additives are going into the organic products they’re buying.
“They think I’m liberal, immature, a radical,” Mr. Potter says. “But I’m not the one debating whether organics should use genetically modified additives or nanotechnology, which is what I’d call radical.”
Charlotte Vallaeys, director of farm and food policy at Cornucopia, found that two large companies, General Mills and Dean Foods, and the vast cooperative Cropp, which sells produce under the Organic Valley brand, “have held nearly continuous influence on the board.”
Friday, July 6, 2012
Indonesia Steps Up Fight To Prosecute Wildlife Poachers
http://www.time.com/time/video/player/0,32068,1549187328001_2111411,00.html
This is great news. I've been to Indonesia (Borneo) before, so beautiful. Spectacular. These poaching rules ought to be extremely serious, in all nations, and penalties and extensive jail time must be enforced 100% of the time.
Some thoughts also come to mind protecting biodiversity:
(1) Animals are fascinating, and our brothers and cousins on this planet. (I.e., saving them for their own sake is the right thing to do.)
(2) Many species/plants hold medical uses and cures for human disease. Many, maybe most, of these uses and cures have yet to be discovered. (I.e., saving other species helps save us.)
(3) Some species, such as frogs, are 'indicator species.' Defined: 'A species whose presence, absence, or relative well-being in a given environment is indicative of the health of its ecosystem as a whole.'
By extension, loss of species is indicative of the relative non-well-being of the ecosystem as a whole. How many species can we lose until our turn approaches on the gangplank? (I.e., saving other species helps save us.)
This is great news. I've been to Indonesia (Borneo) before, so beautiful. Spectacular. These poaching rules ought to be extremely serious, in all nations, and penalties and extensive jail time must be enforced 100% of the time.
Some thoughts also come to mind protecting biodiversity:
(1) Animals are fascinating, and our brothers and cousins on this planet. (I.e., saving them for their own sake is the right thing to do.)
(2) Many species/plants hold medical uses and cures for human disease. Many, maybe most, of these uses and cures have yet to be discovered. (I.e., saving other species helps save us.)
(3) Some species, such as frogs, are 'indicator species.' Defined: 'A species whose presence, absence, or relative well-being in a given environment is indicative of the health of its ecosystem as a whole.'
By extension, loss of species is indicative of the relative non-well-being of the ecosystem as a whole. How many species can we lose until our turn approaches on the gangplank? (I.e., saving other species helps save us.)
(4) Removing a single species can profoundly and adversely affect the entire ecosystem (E.g., removing predator = bad for system http://today.duke.edu/2001/11/guri1101.html ; http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/awetzler/wolves_good_for_antelopes_for.html ). This of course relates to #2 also. There's the removal by people of an island's predator - which people thought was a good idea. But the monkey population exploded, the monkeys started overeating tree fruit, bird populations went down, vegetative cover went down, and the whole ecosystem was moving toward collapse - just because man would be clever. "Trophic cascade." See first link above.
Better, as John Muir said, is to realize, "When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it
hitched to everything else in the Universe." Better to respect the functioning of our harmonious system as vigilantly and honestly as possible. Let's keep it whole, let's keep it functional. Or consider, for example, an equal folly, such as thinking we could remove certain atoms from a molecule, and expect it to function the same.
(I.e., saving other species helps save us.)
Savages: Stone’s Stoner Film Reminds Us Why Marijuana Should Be Legal | World | TIME.com
Savages: Stone’s Stoner Film Reminds Us Why Marijuana Should Be Legal | World | TIME.com
"With director Oliver Stone's penchant for unhinged narco-mayhem, Savages, based on Don Winslow's 2010 novel, is likely to illustrate why keeping weed illegal no longer makes legal, fiscal or even moral sense."
"With director Oliver Stone's penchant for unhinged narco-mayhem, Savages, based on Don Winslow's 2010 novel, is likely to illustrate why keeping weed illegal no longer makes legal, fiscal or even moral sense."
Banks’ Ability to Rig Libor Shows a Change Is Needed - NYTimes.com
Banks’ Ability to Rig Libor Shows a Change Is Needed - NYTimes.com
This is awful. Bank rate manipulation, collusion, insider malfeasance.
How many times does one get pick-pocketed before they secure their wallet?
Completely infuriating, letting the wolves guard the henhouse. Please support banking reform. Contact and support your Congress members for creation of stronger, streamlined, and severely penal regulations to ensure sober and unrigged financial management, investing, and rates policy. Because it all is ultimately tax-payer money.
Bernie Sanders Too Big To Fail petition:
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/petition/?uid=c53f1aca-5881-403e-928b-a25980cb4e0c
Economic Justice petition:
This is awful. Bank rate manipulation, collusion, insider malfeasance.
How many times does one get pick-pocketed before they secure their wallet?
Completely infuriating, letting the wolves guard the henhouse. Please support banking reform. Contact and support your Congress members for creation of stronger, streamlined, and severely penal regulations to ensure sober and unrigged financial management, investing, and rates policy. Because it all is ultimately tax-payer money.
Bernie Sanders Too Big To Fail petition:
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/petition/?uid=c53f1aca-5881-403e-928b-a25980cb4e0c
Economic Justice petition:
Thursday, July 5, 2012
The 'Busy' Trap - NYTimes.com
The 'Busy' Trap - NYTimes.com
Great read. Pop culture's noisy self-inflicted busy lifestyle is maybe not as great as advertised. I like where he's coming from.
I've often reflected on expanding capitalism: Starbucks, McDonalds, pollution, and $200-an-hour therapists crammed side-by-side all up and down the concretized banks of the entire stretches of the Nile and Amazon, and any undeveloped regions. Yuck.
Kreider offers an EXCELLENT take on the current American (and elsewhere) Zeitgeist. No direction or finish-line, all running.
Let's envision and participate in more meaningful, sustainable, deep and personal life content. Less busy noise. 4-day workweek? Sane and rewarding rhythm of life? We can help create them.
"Almost everyone I know is busy. They feel anxious and guilty when they aren’t either working or doing something to promote their work. They schedule in time with friends the way students with 4.0 G.P.A.’s make sure to sign up for community service because it looks good on their college applications.
It’s not as if any of us wants to live like this; it’s something we collectively force one another to do.
I also feel that four or five hours is enough to earn my stay on the planet for one more day. On the best ordinary days of my life, I write in the morning, go for a long bike ride and run errands in the afternoon, and in the evening I see friends, read or watch a movie. This, it seems to me, is a sane and pleasant pace for a day.
...Notice it isn’t generally people pulling back-to-back shifts in the I.C.U. or commuting by bus to three minimum-wage jobs who tell you how busy they are; what those people are is not busy but tired. Exhausted. Dead on their feet. It’s almost always people whose lamented busyness is purely self-imposed...."
Great read. Pop culture's noisy self-inflicted busy lifestyle is maybe not as great as advertised. I like where he's coming from.
I've often reflected on expanding capitalism: Starbucks, McDonalds, pollution, and $200-an-hour therapists crammed side-by-side all up and down the concretized banks of the entire stretches of the Nile and Amazon, and any undeveloped regions. Yuck.
Kreider offers an EXCELLENT take on the current American (and elsewhere) Zeitgeist. No direction or finish-line, all running.
Let's envision and participate in more meaningful, sustainable, deep and personal life content. Less busy noise. 4-day workweek? Sane and rewarding rhythm of life? We can help create them.
"Almost everyone I know is busy. They feel anxious and guilty when they aren’t either working or doing something to promote their work. They schedule in time with friends the way students with 4.0 G.P.A.’s make sure to sign up for community service because it looks good on their college applications.
It’s not as if any of us wants to live like this; it’s something we collectively force one another to do.
I also feel that four or five hours is enough to earn my stay on the planet for one more day. On the best ordinary days of my life, I write in the morning, go for a long bike ride and run errands in the afternoon, and in the evening I see friends, read or watch a movie. This, it seems to me, is a sane and pleasant pace for a day.
...Notice it isn’t generally people pulling back-to-back shifts in the I.C.U. or commuting by bus to three minimum-wage jobs who tell you how busy they are; what those people are is not busy but tired. Exhausted. Dead on their feet. It’s almost always people whose lamented busyness is purely self-imposed...."
Fun News: Forget hot dogs, glut means cheap lobster prices - Yahoo! Finance
Forget hot dogs, glut means cheap lobster prices - Yahoo! Finance
"For now, the excess supply in Maine has driven retail prices to under $4 a pound for the smallest of the soft-shell lobsters. Larger lobsters, and those that still have hard shells, are more expensive.
While consumers may be smiling, lobstermen are smarting because of the low prices — between $2.50 and $3 a pound — they're getting for their catches.
The fishing season is young and lobstermen are hopeful prices soon will rebound to their normal levels, said Patrice McCarron, executive director of the Maine Lobstermen's Association."
"For now, the excess supply in Maine has driven retail prices to under $4 a pound for the smallest of the soft-shell lobsters. Larger lobsters, and those that still have hard shells, are more expensive.
While consumers may be smiling, lobstermen are smarting because of the low prices — between $2.50 and $3 a pound — they're getting for their catches.
The fishing season is young and lobstermen are hopeful prices soon will rebound to their normal levels, said Patrice McCarron, executive director of the Maine Lobstermen's Association."
Report: Fukushima Nuclear Disaster was “Manmade” | World | TIME.com
Report: Fukushima Nuclear Disaster was “Manmade” | World | TIME.com
Infuriating.
Not sustainable.
Add in human idiocy, not only in planning, but execution, cost-cutting, etc.
Too many risks, too widespread, too dangerous.
Already caused too much damage.
Clean-energy.
Sustainable.
"A scathing Japanese parliamentary report investigating the circumstances of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant disaster blamed the dangerous incident on collusion between government agencies and Japan's leading energy company."
Here are a few other noteworthy conclusions from the report’s executive summary:
Infuriating.
Not sustainable.
Add in human idiocy, not only in planning, but execution, cost-cutting, etc.
Too many risks, too widespread, too dangerous.
Already caused too much damage.
Clean-energy.
Sustainable.
"A scathing Japanese parliamentary report investigating the circumstances of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant disaster blamed the dangerous incident on collusion between government agencies and Japan's leading energy company."
Here are a few other noteworthy conclusions from the report’s executive summary:
- On ignoring the very real possibility of a large tsunami: “Since 2006, the regulators and TEPCO were aware of the risk that a total outage of electricity at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant might occur if the tsunami were to reach the level of the site.”
- On the lack of a good evacuation plan: “Only 20 percent of the residents of the town hosting the plant knew about the accident when evacuation from the 3km zone was ordered at 21:23 on the evening of March 11
- On incomplete and poorly disseminated information about radiation after the event: “[The government] failed to explain… the risks of radiation exposure to different segments of the population, such as infants and youths, expecting mothers, or people particularly susceptible to the risks of radiation.”
- On the insularity of Japan’s nuclear industry: “The regulators also had a negative attitude toward the importation of new advances in knowledge and technology from overseas. If NISA [Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency] had passed on to TEPCO measures that were included in the B.5.b subsection of the U.S. security order that followed the 9/11 terrorist action, and if TEPCO had put the measures in place, the accident may have been preventable.”
Monday, July 2, 2012
To Sunscreen, or Not to Sunscreen
Doctors respond to new sunscreen guide's claims - Los Angeles Times
To sunscreen or not to sunscreen? Interesting sometimes conflicting views from a new report by the Environmental Working Group and dermatologists.
Hard to summarize. SPF over 30 may be just hype, don't stay out too long just because the sunscreen will 'save your skin,' and use "...those that contain 3% avobenzone (for UVA protection) and avoid "the notorious hormone disrupter oxybenzone."
To sunscreen or not to sunscreen? Interesting sometimes conflicting views from a new report by the Environmental Working Group and dermatologists.
Hard to summarize. SPF over 30 may be just hype, don't stay out too long just because the sunscreen will 'save your skin,' and use "...those that contain 3% avobenzone (for UVA protection) and avoid "the notorious hormone disrupter oxybenzone."
Mali Islamists Destroy Ancient Timbuktu Sites « VOA Breaking News
Mali Islamists Destroy Ancient Timbuktu Sites « VOA Breaking News
This is incredibly unsustainable. In this day and age, this behavior will only ostracize these groups further. And the rich global history there needs to be protected, as the diversity and beauty of those past cultures gives us hints at the direction of our future.
"Hamadoune Toure, a spokesman for Mali's interim government, told VOA the government is investigating whether it can file war crimes charges with the International Criminal Court.
“We know it is something unacceptable; it has nothing to do with religion. It's a violation of our culture, but they can do whatever they want. They cannot destroy the links we have with our people who are resting there in peace.”"
More here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/mali/9368213/Islamist-militants-attack-historic-Timbuktu-sites.html
The development is more worrying news for the landlocked nation of 15.4 million, which was plunged into chaos after a coup in March."
“Our fighters control the perimeter. We control Timbuktu completely. We control Gao completely. It’s Ansar Dine that commands the north of Mali,” said Hamaha, who served as chief of security for the group in Gao. “Now we have every opportunity to apply Shariah.”
Asked if the faction would impose the strict Islamic code against the wishes of the population, which has long practiced a moderate form of the religion, Hamaha replied: “Shariah does not require a majority vote. It’s not democracy. It’s the divine law that was set out by God to be followed by his slaves. One hundred percent of the north of Mali is Muslim, and even if they don’t want this, they need to go along with it.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/islamists-chase-tuareg-separatists-out-of-northern-mali-towns-clearing-obstacle-to-shariah/2012/06/29/gJQAEuFeBW_story.html
This is incredibly unsustainable. In this day and age, this behavior will only ostracize these groups further. And the rich global history there needs to be protected, as the diversity and beauty of those past cultures gives us hints at the direction of our future.
"Hamadoune Toure, a spokesman for Mali's interim government, told VOA the government is investigating whether it can file war crimes charges with the International Criminal Court.
“We know it is something unacceptable; it has nothing to do with religion. It's a violation of our culture, but they can do whatever they want. They cannot destroy the links we have with our people who are resting there in peace.”"
More here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/mali/9368213/Islamist-militants-attack-historic-Timbuktu-sites.html
“Our fighters control the perimeter. We control Timbuktu completely. We control Gao completely. It’s Ansar Dine that commands the north of Mali,” said Hamaha, who served as chief of security for the group in Gao. “Now we have every opportunity to apply Shariah.”
Asked if the faction would impose the strict Islamic code against the wishes of the population, which has long practiced a moderate form of the religion, Hamaha replied: “Shariah does not require a majority vote. It’s not democracy. It’s the divine law that was set out by God to be followed by his slaves. One hundred percent of the north of Mali is Muslim, and even if they don’t want this, they need to go along with it.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/islamists-chase-tuareg-separatists-out-of-northern-mali-towns-clearing-obstacle-to-shariah/2012/06/29/gJQAEuFeBW_story.html
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Japan Status: Good New Energy & Protesting Unpopular Old Nuclear Plant
Solar farms are blooming in Japan. Good article, and news. 49 of their 50 nuclear reactors are shut down.
Godspeed to the Japanese pushing to invest in renewable energy. They,
and Germany, are still poised (oddly like post-WWII) to be the most
modern nations.
And good on the Japanese people staying on the streets and in the face of the power companies and politicians demanding clean energy. New York Times detailed story here. Tens of thousands - possible 150,000 - protesting the restarting of a nuclear power plant.
"TOKYO — Japan opened several solar energy parks on Sunday as a new law came into force requiring companies to purchase renewable energy at a fixed price in a push for alternatives to nuclear power....
The government estimates the power provided by renewable energy this year in Japan will attain 2,500 megawatts, the equivalent of two medium-sized nuclear reactors."
So that is 4% of the way to replacing the nuke plants. Here's to betting that % snowballs in the next few years.
And good on the Japanese people staying on the streets and in the face of the power companies and politicians demanding clean energy. New York Times detailed story here. Tens of thousands - possible 150,000 - protesting the restarting of a nuclear power plant.
"TOKYO — Japan opened several solar energy parks on Sunday as a new law came into force requiring companies to purchase renewable energy at a fixed price in a push for alternatives to nuclear power....
The government estimates the power provided by renewable energy this year in Japan will attain 2,500 megawatts, the equivalent of two medium-sized nuclear reactors."
So that is 4% of the way to replacing the nuke plants. Here's to betting that % snowballs in the next few years.
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Sunset, Venice 12/20/2012
