Monday, June 23rd, 2008
Top Scientist: Put Oil Firm Chiefs on Trial for High Crimes
James Hansen, one of the world’s leading climate scientists, will today call for the chief executives of large fossil fuel companies to be put on trial for high crimes against humanity and nature, accusing them of actively spreading doubt about global warming in the same way that tobacco companies blurred the links between smoking and cancer.
Are Artificial Reefs Good for the Environment?
It sounds like a great idea. Sink an old fleet of subway cars in the ocean. Plants & invertebrates will colonize the hulking structure. Fish will migrate there & reproduce. And before long, the replenished ecosystem thats great for recreational fishing & diving. But some scientists aren’t so sure they replenish the ecosystem.
NASA Climatologist: “Almost Too Late to Stop Global Warming”
On Monday, NASA climatologist Dr.James Hansen will testify at a House committee hearing that it is almost, but not quite, too late to start defusing what he calls the “global warming time bomb.” He will offer a plan for cuts in emissions and also a warning about the risks of further inaction.
Is the ‘Oil Drilling Debate’ Masking the Real Issue?
Should we be focusing on making oil cheap or should we focus on making it obsolete? Of course in an ideal world, gas would be cheap and increasingly obsolete. We don’t live in an ideal world. By focusing on unrealistic “quick fix” solutions, are we just scraping ourselves up a little more time to keep avoiding the real issue?
Germany ‘is world’s greenest country’
Germany has been labelled the world’s greenest country after it cut its energy use by more than any other state in 2007.
Related posts
Posted in Current Events, Environment | No Comments »
Monday, June 9th, 2008
Wind Power Marvel in Dubai
This self-sufficient, sun and wind powered design is making headlines once again as the Italian-Israeli architect has just unveiled the latest design for his twirling tower, and construction is set to begin this month!
Actual Footage/Documentary on the “Pacific Garbage Patch”
For years we’ve been reading about a patch of garbage the size of Texas floating in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, ingeniously dubbed the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.For all the breathless accounts of the mess and its impact on the area’s sealife, however, no one seemed to have a picture of the buildup. Until now.
USDA: Ethanol Accounts for Only 3% of Increased Cost of Food
Diggers who buy the “they’re turning food into fuel!” myth should take note: the number one reason for the rising cost of food is oil prices. Who perpetuates the food/fuel myth? The Oil Lobby.
5 Homemade Chemical Free Bug Repellents That Work
Not only can insects be a nuisance in your garden, but they can ruin a perfect picnic or hike. Here are a few totally green, home remedy suggestions to repel insects without using toxic chemicals.
CleanTech Biofuels to Turn Dirty Diapers Into Ethanol
CleanTech Biofuels is serious about turning garbage into fuel and sincerely hopes you’ll ignore the fact that your car’s fuel tank could be carrying what’s left of little Timmy’s soiled nappies.The company is investigating suitable sites for commercial garbage-to-ethanol facilities.
Related posts
Posted in Current Events, Environment | No Comments »
Monday, March 24th, 2008
I know that I have told you in the past how much Laura and I like to eat lunch at the Fife’n Drum restaurant in Kent, CT every Easter. We have been doing it now for about four years. It usually is a very good time. Well, unfortunately, yesterday was our last visit to this restaurant.
I am going to try to keep this short and sweet and not too much like a restaurant critic. Let’s just say that it seems like there is some new management and a new chef at this place.
The wait was very long during each portion of our two course Easter lunch and the food was amateur at best. It seemed like the dish washing dude was back there cooking too. I swear it seemed like there were parts of my dishes that were from a can. To me, “warm potatoes” does not mean potato salad that tasted like it was straight from Costco. A vegetarian dish does not mean boiled vegetables. Oh well, there’s $80 down the drain. We didn’t even stay for dessert…my favorite part. We just left the money on the table and left. During the last 20 minute wait to have our plates cleared from the table, three different waiters walked by and looked at us at least seven times. We kept wondering if our waiter had gone home. Well, as it turns out, as we were leaving, Laura caught sight of this guy eating at the bar. What the hell? If you can’t tell, I am a little annoyed. To think, I still left a tip…A TIP. I didn’t have the patience to wait for any change. I swear, if we had stayed any longer, they would’ve started vacuuming the floor while people were still eating. Yes, we will have to find a new place to eat on Easter.
To simmer down, we went on our traditional hike at Bull’s Bridge. I have a few posts about our previous hikes. It’s a really neat place.
Since we have been down the same trail so many times, I thought it would be a good idea to check out the top part of the trails. Laura might have been a little disappointed because she wanted to go on a real hike. I will have to make it up to her. We took lots of pictures and video. I will upload the video today and post it here.
This is a photo of the front of the Fife’n Drum restaurant in Kent, CT. I don’t even know why I am showing this. Perhaps someone from the restaurant will read this post and mail me a refund check.
This is the monument in Kent, CT.
These are two shots of Bull’s Bridge itself. We got lucky with very good weather.
These are all shots of the river. The water was rushing very fast, due to all the rain we have been getting. We didn’t see any kayakers like we have in previous years. Maybe the water was going too fast. I sure wouldn’t get in there.
Related posts
Posted in Food & Drink, Hiking, Spring, Travels | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, January 15th, 2008
Facebook IS Buying Plaxo
I’ve just heard from a source that Facebook is “one hundred percent” buying Plaxo. This follows up on at least one previous rumor saying the same thing. While there are reasons to be skeptical, here’s why it could make sense.
Monkey Controls Robot Using Only its Mind
Recently, neuroscientists at Duke University announced that a monkey in North Carolina had managed to make a robot all the way in Japan walk using only the power of its mind.
Forget oil, the new global crisis is food
A new crisis is emerging, a global food catastrophe that will reach further and be more crippling than anything the world has ever seen.
Mortgage Lenders Do Not Deserve to Be Rescued By Tax-Payers
The U.S. government is working to develop several different programs meant to stave off foreclosures. Although policymakers claim that these programs are for struggling mortgage borrowers, it is obvious that the real goal is to bail out mortgage lenders. The question is: do reckless lenders deserve to be rescued?
Black Holes Spin Near Speed of Light
Super-massive black holes — isn’t that a song by Muse? Anyway, super-massive black holes may spin at speeds approaching that od the speed of light.
Related posts
Posted in Current Events | No Comments »
Saturday, November 17th, 2007
I have had this post on my “todo” list for some time. I am not really sure how to write it without people getting mad at me. It seems like every time I write about something that threatens people’s ways of life, I hear about it. I can understand that, because I wouldn’t want someone telling me what to do, but perhaps a suggestion…I would listen to.
I guess we are all beginning to realize there is a problem out there. I just read an article on Yahoo!, titled, “UN panel: Climate change accelerating.” That’s not good. I mean, the article was well written, but what it was about isn’t good.
I think I have become an ever increasingly bitter person. It probably has something to do with me thinking an awful lot about stuff. I spend time thinking about consumption, power, working, relationships and life in general. It kills me to go out there in the world and see people who don’t seem to be doing much thinking at all.
One of the things that really gets to me is people buying too much stuff. I write a lot about things I have purchased and it may seem like I purchase a lot. Maybe I do. Let’s just say that half the stuff I write about, I never get. I usually spend a few months tossing it around in my head. I always think and think and think and that’s one annoying thing about me. Also, I usually buy stuff that has a purpose. I buy things I need for either survival or for business. I never buy things because they are on sale. The good thing is that Laura and I recycle more than we through away. There is rarely a full garbage can out at the end of the driveway on pickup day.
I saw this lady on Oprah the other day who had “hoarding disease.” The show was helping her overcome her problem and they were going through all the junk she had in her house. They would ask how she got some of the items and one time, she responded something like, “Oh, well that was on sale. They were almost asking me to buy it.” To me, that’s just crazy. Who buys something they don’t need because it’s on sale? Who does that?
I suffer from thinking about chains of events. Every purchase has polluted in its own way. Every little trinket has either cut down a tree, burned oil for shipping, used too much packaging, created sub-par working conditions…you get the idea. So how does one live a life being angry about their own purchases and even angrier about other people’s purchases? I don’t know. All I know is that every time I mention it, people get mad at me.
I like charities as much as the next guy, but I have begun thinking about them too. I am starting to think that I have some sort of problem. Now, people can’t just ask me to contribute without me thinking about whether the charity abused animals for research, caused the purchase of way too many toys or cut down a rain forest. The only thing I can think of to donate to is PETA because they don’t seem to be filling the world up with junk or polluting.
As you may know, I have been doing some research on the next car I am going to buy. This is especially important because cars create lots of pollution. There is a debate in my head whether to get one with not so good gas mileage or one with really good gas mileage. I know I am not going to drive nearly as much as I used to, so this issue is smaller than it should be. I think about it though and I guess that’s good.
We have been hearing about over-consumption for a long time now. Why is it that people still are shocked to hear someone talk about it? Can I say that I am not for buying kids so many toys without being branded as being against kids? Can I say that I think people should think more about efficiency when donating new houses to the less fortunate without being branded as being against the poor? Can I say that researchers should consider the rights of animals when doing medical research without being branded as being against the ill?
As you can see, there is a fine line to walk when talking about these issues. Unfortunately, if no one talks about them, we are going to be living on a very hot planet, among many many stinky landfills with no more animals. That is not good.
The good thing is that there are a few people out there who think along the same lines as I do. TreeHugger has a good article called, “Birthdays Without Pressure” which links to a related website that deals with the problems with birthday parties.
Read a little of the information on the websites I just linked to and please leave me a comment.
Related posts
Posted in Current Events, Environment | No Comments »
Friday, November 16th, 2007
Oh, what a day. Have I ever told you that I hate wind? I never used to until we bought a house. I am sure you can guess why.
Anyway, as I mentioned earlier, I was going to go out and do some routine maintenance on my 1998 Honda Accord, which I did. I changed the oil, rotated the tires, fixed some minor things, inflated the tires to the proper pressure and cleaned the inside of the windows. Here are some photos…
This is the sweet V6 engine. As you can see, I am filling the engine with oil. The sweet V6 is where the car gets all is massive speed from.
This is what it looks like when I rotate the tires. I know it sounds crazy, but I still do it myself. I am not completely useless yet. Here’s how it goes…I jack up the passenger side of the car. I swap the back tire with the front. I go to the other side and do the same. Then, I jack up only the front and swap them…passenger’s side to the driver’s, and vice versa. That way it’s sort of like a “X” rotation. That’s how I read it should be done.
Yes, I got to use my new air tank again. That’s pretty exciting. The tires were about five pounds of pressure low. That’s because of the chilly weather. I need to go back down and fill the tank up again. Actually, I think I might head down to the auto place and get the tank filled up with the 125lbs. of pressure it’s capable of holding. That way, I won’t need to go back for a while.
Related posts
Posted in Automotive | No Comments »
Thursday, November 15th, 2007
I went to the auto parts store yesterday to get some oil, an oil filter, some windshield washer fluid and an air tank. I have wanted an air tank for some time because I am getting a little sick of filling things up with a bicycle tire pump.
I went to AutoZone in Beacon, NY because it was pretty close to where I was. They had everything I needed, which was nice. I grabbed everything and the last air tank.
On the way home from work, I stopped off at the local gas station to get some air. I used the self-service air pump off to the side of things. I guess I got about 55lbs of fresh, clean, clear stuff into the tank. That’s ok, but the tank can handle 125lbs. I lost a little because I was fiddling with the attachments. Oh well.
It seems as thought I got this tank just in time, because I arrived home to see two tons of wood pellets sitting in the driveway. Yeah, I would need the wheelbarrow for that. I used my new tank to fill up the tire and went to work.
Adiós.
Related posts
Posted in Automotive | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, October 30th, 2007
Laura and I were talking last night about wind energy, the government and how people do not want to solve the energy problem.
Paul and I had a little back-and-forth over the weekend about wind turbines in residential areas. I was against it and he was for it. The reason I was against it is because of the first photo he displayed in his post. I thought that something like this was inappropriate for a residential area. Then, I did a little research and noticed that certain companies are making residential wind turbines much sleeker in their look and use. I am now on board. Apparently, with the right height and wind speed, one of these turbines can supply a whole house with electricity.
Here is our (well, my) reason why anyone with any amount of power simply doesn’t want to really make any changes when it comes to energy…If the government wanted to solve the problem, they would have “gently forced” every property owner in the country to erect a small wind turbine on their property. I know, I know, that sounds strange, but think about it. The government can even pay for it. They got the taxpayers to pay billions and billions of dollars to go over to Iraq and…well, you know. Think about if the American government used that same money to purchase and have installed one wind turbine (or solar system) per property owner. Can you even imagine how much oil and coal that would save from being burned? We wouldn’t have to go over and…well, you know…the Middle East anymore.
Why is it that the only thing being offered right now are tax breaks that no one knows about? I hear more about “Barney” than I do about renewable energy incentives, and I don’t even like Barney.
Related posts
Posted in Current Events, Environment, Politics | 1 Comment »
