http://adbusters.org/the_magazine/70/Double_the_Joy_Half_the_Sorrow_Neuroscience_Friendship.html

Scientific evidence of the mechanism of empathy, that basis for all civilization.  All human progress.  Now please let us all look in the same mirror, at all life everywhere on spaceship earth.

Too expensive to continue GHG disaster.  Increased storm damage has already cost trillions in economic activity.

http://adbusters.org/the_magazine/70/Economists_Get_Stern_Warning.html

The administration solution?  Hire halliburton type contractors to adapt to it.  No problem, tax dollars will be doled out, campaign "contribution" kickbacks received.  Bid (no bid) ness as usual.

http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2007/3/26/152849/926/#7

The greatest good for the greatest number of shareholders?  Or the greatest good for the greatest number of organisms on planet earth?  

Of course, under corporate utilitarianism, the rest of the symbiotic ecosystem is there to serve human kind, none of those lesser entities figure into the utilitarian equation.  Plankton and blue whales are not shareholders, screw 'em.

Quantity or quality?  Hidden within utilitarian arguments is the mother earth killing concept of unlimited growth.  Greatest good for the greatest number?  Simply increase the numbers of humans, then maintain them at an adequate level of goodness.

For example: Let human population growth, steered by commercial and military concerns, proceed unchecked.  When people suffer, claim that their suffering is due to a lack of DDT, or genetically engineered crops, or unregulated corporate expansion.

Blame the suffering on environmentalists, instead of the lack of reproductive rights for women, that caused the over population.

Make environmentalists look like a force for genocide in under developed areas.  Unlimited growth, for human population and corporate profits.  The greatest good for the greatest number.

On the other hand we have the spiritual/ethical sense informed by empathy.  That sense that comes directly into us by natural example.  The basis for all civilization.  Empathy, symbiosis, quality of life.  

Over quantity, over unlimited growth, over perpetual war and tyranny.  The four horsemen ride over the land on horses made from corporate utilitarianism.

http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2007/3/23/125844/341#14

The 30% of faithbasers who are still proud of voting for a shaved ape?

We will never convince them, nor do we need them.  Forget 'em, they are too stupid to live.

In a pre-nanny state, freemarketeerian frontier culture they would not survive.  "Their breath-holes would get plugged with mud" (National Lampoon).

Like "Aunt Baby" (Seinfeld), they would not make it.

The question of climate change has finally moved on from is it happening? to what should we do about it?.

http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2007/3/24/2258/58671#1

If you had read some of the entries here and on related blogs, you would realize many of us have already moved on to solutions.

We actually advocate for specific technologies and economic and political strategies to get the job done. Just thought you main stream media-ites might want to know that.

Illustrious entities such as Hillary and Canada have employed one of them.  Cutting subsidies for fossil fuel corporations and diverting the savings to tax credits for consumers who put part of  their disposable income into  renewable energy and conservation.

Raising taxes is political suicide.  Trading carbon indulgencies doesn't seem to be cutting GHGs.

http://thefraserdomain.typepad.com/energy/2007/03/dispatchable_wi.html#comment-64391274

Excellent technology!  My take on this principle is to run a power shaft to the ground and directly power a generator when the grid can accept the power. 

By transporting the mechanical energy to the base of the machine various generators and pumps can harvest the power. It lowers the weight at the top of the tower, drastically cutting the cost of the machine.  And boosts the power output, lowering the cost per kwh for the device.

When excess wind power is available power the compressor to store the energy for later recovery.  It combines the less efficient energy obtained from the storage feature with the efficiency of direct to grid electricity production.

Heat pumps or water pumps, as well as compressors, can also be used to store the excess wind energy.  For instance, heat pumps could be used for industrial distillation, then the excess energy is stored in the distillation product.

http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2007/3/12/63111/0928#31

The HVDC grid is very important.  I think that high voltage capacitors, either built into the power lines or in separate facilities along the grid, would provide enough storage.

And then there is distributed generation from biogas digestion used in solid oxide fuel cell/turbines for backup power.  The methane release prevented, waste water recycled, and organic fertilizer produced with systems like this are all great byproduct benefits.

And the fuel cells also run on natural gas. The ultimate fossil fuel backup energy supply.  There is enough of this source for many decades converted underground from coal and oil.

And I think the cost of wind power will drop signifigantly with mass production and a switch to wind machines three times the size of the current largest multi-megawatt machines.

Mounted on the nearly deserted northern great plains and offshore on floating wind/wave power platforms. 50,000 of these larger scale machines could take over 25% of baseload power generation.

Conservation and distributed solar, small to medium wind, and biogas to fuel cell generation could take care of the rest, even with a massive shift to plugin vehicles.

Remote controlled floating polar bear rescue "islands".  With satelite pictures used by volunteers to steer these platforms  They could  save polar bears  from drowning. 

A wacky idea from WW2 to build floating aircraft landing strips out of a slurry of sawdust and water, the whole thing frozen, could make frozen "islands" that would last through the arctic summer.  Wind powered blowers  could expand the island in winter by using very cold air to freeze more water, growing its size  over the cold months.

During summer the island would melt down to it's sawdust/water base.  The whole arctic could not be saved in this fashion of course.  But maybe a number of floating ice islands could.  

Enough to preserve the waning polar bear population until global climate disaster can be turned around?  Maybe.  Add a clever fish trap and the bears can be fed at least at a subsistence level too.

It's a worthy interim effort to redirect polar bears to more productive foraging and the publicity would highlight the global climate disaster and the whole area of floating renewable power generation from wind and wave power.

It's a crazy plan that would certainly capture the enthusiasm of the young and the young at heart who love wildlife.  All the arctic and antarctic animals are very popular, great spokes animals against global climaste disaster!  SAVE THE ICE!!!

http://thefraserdomain.typepad.com/energy/2007/03/atairnano_recei.html#comment-63095312

I think  trading the same trends that worked in the 90s boom will work in this energy boom Jimmi.

Once the war is over and the only way to recover financially will be to reduce oil use.  And the way to do that will be renewable energy and conservation.

Halliburton is spinning off KBR to limit Iraq war thieving liability.  And moving to Dubai to protect from the government demanding the cash back.  The biggest corpoRAT is fleeing the s(t)inking ship of state.

Almost time to fund the trading account! ALTI is a good one to watch and get a few 100 shares to get into trading mode, but the rush will be awhile down the road.

It's a thrill to wake up at 5 and check the market when the bull roars.  But it will be much better this time around when the stocks you trade are saving the planet too.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/13/washington/13attorneys.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

The real story behind this story?

Pay a campaign "contribution" to the GOP, Rove gets Gonzalez to fire the US attorney breathing down your neck.

Federal prosecutors who let the GOP connected slide get promoted, those who target corporate crime get fired.  It's a powerful political tool for fundraising.

Business as usual for the Rove/Cheney team.  And the chimp distracts by filling his diaper at press conferences with foreign leaders.

Once again, nice job voting Bush faithfilled.

And the mass delusional media helps cover it up and justify it.

This is what you get along with nuclear power?

http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2007/3/7/16145/25403#35

Blame the victim

"Every victim must get stoned" (paraphrasing bobby zimmerman)

Today, potential nuclear disaster victims have the options of living and working in secure, positive-pressure, HEPA-filtered, atmosphere-controlled buildings; and of placing themselves on radioprotective neutriceutical regimens. The more-widespread adoption of these precautionary measures become, the more nuclear would-be "disasters" will simply be non-events.

So any disaster is the fault of those who live near a plant?  They can live and work in labratory grade hepa filtered environs?  Who will pay to convert homes to this level of contamination security?

Nuclear government/industry has not even provided the minimum  safety precautions, iodine pills and radiation suits for emergency personnel, firefighters, emergency medical teams, and hospitals.  Thete are not even any evacuation plans!

Renewable energy installations will not force people living nearby to cower inside in hepa filtered skinner boxes like lab rats.

Keep talking buddy!!  Great job fighting against nuclear power!!

http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2007/2/25/65336/7434#128

So Mass Audobon denies that they will get a contract worth millions?

Is there any proof that they will get a contract?  Other than the assumption based upon the Altamont project?  If funding for a monitering project went to individual scientists rather than Mass Audobon, would that cure any conflict of interest?

If not, how could monitering ever be acomplished without a conflict?  

With modern GPS navigation and radar, why would Cape Wind be a navigational hazard?

Anyway, I remain in favor of moving wind power offshore out of sight and mind of NIMBYs and adding wave power to the floating platforms.  planting them in the sea floor is just not a great idea.  And as we have seen, it has delayed this project for a decade already.

We don't have time to litigate each offshore wind project for decades.  The longer this environmental infighting continues the stronger the forces of the evil lord cheney of halliburton become.

They are assembling bribed legislators and officials  to stop all offshore wind/wave power.

http://thefraserdomain.typepad.com/energy/2007/03/the_need_for_bo.html#comment-62901932

Large trucks can be converted to plugin serial hybrid too. Railroad locomotives and mining equipment are serial hybrids already. They have diesel generators driving electric motors without transmissions.

For long haul trucks add induction pickups and charging lanes, that way an hour or so driving in the charge lane can recharge the batteries. Also fuel cell/turbines instead of diesel generators, 3 times more efficient.

http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2007/3/10/122749/093#7

A transition to full EV is needed.  Plugin serial hybrids are the perfect transition.

Present battery technology and lack of mass production make quick enough charging problematic and pure EVs very expensive.  

But a 25 mile range battery pack is under 2 thousand bucks, and it will charge from a regular home electric system in a few hours.  The lead acid foam battery might drop the price to 500 bucks soon!

Very efficient, light weight generators are already available at low mass production prices.  And electric drivetrains replace inefficient transmissions, the battery, generator, motor combination does the job of a transmission with 25 miles of pure eV performance that will drop average gasoline consumption by 90%.

It's time to stop quibbling and back this technology with bloggerel and eventually capital.  If we can get the mass delusional media  to notice this technology, it may just get going.  GM is paying it lipservice by touting the Volt.

That's a good start, the salesmen in the boardroom have evidently listened to some engineers.  Communication, it's a good thing.

But where are Toyota and Honda?  If they want to keep gaining market share they will need their own plugin serial hybrids.

And mass conversion of used cars will be needed also.

http://thefraserdomain.typepad.com/energy/2007/03/atairnano_recei.html#comment-62824560

ALTI earnings coming soon I believe?

How
low will it go? Back under 3 bucks?

Low energy density is the problem with this battery. And the quick charge option will be hard to use, not many charging stations.

It's like having a 3 meg internet hookup and the fastest download one can fine is less than 1 meg.

This is the reason that serial plugin hybrid is the better transition until battery technology improves even more. A serial plugin hybrid can charge quickly enough from many conventional sources (rather than special high amperage electric "gas" stations)because it has a much smaller battery. It only needs a 25 mile range to cover the average trip without gas.

In fact a slower charging, much cheaper lead acid foam battery would be fine for this design. Overnight charging would be ok, it wouldn't hurt the utility of the vehicle.

Charged up or not you can get in and hit the "gas", as long as the generator has enough liquid fuel. Filling up is the normal process at a gas station with the serial plugin hybrid. Except it will average over 200 mpg.

Kind of ironic that GM has announced the first mass produced serial plugin hybrid by a major automaker. The VOLT in 2010.

Maybe they decided to leapfrog Toyota and Honda as I have suggested for a year or so now? Are they reading this blog? Hehehey.

http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2007/3/8/12354/39404#7

Yes!!! Good call Kate!
Reproductive rights for women!!!