Category: Environment

Friday Morning Hodgepodge

Here’s a Friday hodge podge of updates.

Since Glen Beck is picking this weekend instead of the three day Labor Day weekend seven days later for his Teaparty rally you have to wonder if he’s not just targeting that day because its’ Martin Luther King day. With his John Birch Society leanings you also have to wonder where the heck he’s going to go with it, but I’m expecting more history rewrites and more obfuscation and redirection from the real principles in our constitution.

I’m beginning to wonder if the pols on the right aren’t just occasionally feeding tinder and funds to the Anti-mosque madness simply because it keeps the press focus off of their wingnuts and whackos, like Buck, Angle, Miller, and Rand. Long time readers here and at LGF know that the anti-mosque movement is imported by Robert Spencer and Pamela Geller from the far right Eurofascist parties, and I suspect that they will get re distanced a bit later after they stop becoming a useful distraction and turn into a dangerous one. Geller is particularly pernicious, with birtherism, support of neo nazis, eurofascists, and white supremacists in her background. (e.g. I’ve pointed out in the past without naming her blog how she picks up stories from Neo nazis, and I’ve detailed the fascist tendencies of Vlaams Belang and their friends that she supports in Europe. Here and Here. )

The election in Alaska is turning interesting, and that has to be a voter turn out thing — in the general Murkowski would heartily thump Miller, and I suspect that’s what will happen if she runs 3rd party. She still has a chance with the recount since the absentee ballots are likely to favor her and not miller.

The teaparty movement has served up a series of real whackjobs — viscerally many elder GOP conservatives want to agree with these candidates because of the anti government sentiment but when you start saying “What about your Social Security?” “What about your Medicare?” “What about your rights?” they sometimes start thinking…

Personal Update

Now that the weight restrictions are off my arms (previously I had serious potential to displace the split in my sternum with too much pressure across it.) I’m catching up on things long overdue at the house, including some yardwork. It feels good to be able to do productive work again and not have to rely on my wife to lift and carry. She was definitely a trooper throughout this ordeal and I do love her dearly for that support.

So far I’ve cleaned out the Smoker, installed a outdoor yard faucet , repaired a chandelier and Frankenputer, and jury rigged a tail light lens for my daughter who got her tail light capsule stolen. On the remainder of the leftovers list are installing two new bathroom faucets, repairing the humidifier before winter, and installing an outdoor electric outlet (I’m converting everything outside to electric from gas for yard work except the lawn tractor to cut down on personally generated carbon output. This doesn’t help a great deal yet since much of the power in Kansas is coal generated, but some comes across the power inter-tie from the zero carbon Wolf Creek facility. By time those items get done it will be time for grub pellets, fertilizer, and then leaf raking in the yard.

Meanwhile, Kasey says “It’s Friday! Have a great weekend! Don’t forget to visit the park with me either buddy, I’m tired of running the edge of this fence…”

End of Times Christians and the Oilpocalypse

What scares me is that per the article there are approximately 20 million fundamentalist Christians in the US who think that the world as we know will end in their lifetime.

In several Christian forums there are people debating whether BP’s oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico is a sign of the coming apocalypse. No, seriously. Many are convinced that it’s the end of the world as we know it. The Oilpocalypse doesn’t scare me nor should it any rational person – over a very, very, long period of time even the disastrous effects of this will be overcome; and life, being indefatigable by nature, will reclaim the environmental niches being destroyed before our eyes now.

What scares me is that per the article there are approximately 20 million fundamentalist Christians in the US who think that the world as we know will end in their lifetime. From Lisa Miller at Newsweek,

Now blogs on the Christian fringe are abuzz with possibility that the oil spill is the realization of Revelation 8:8–11. “The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea became blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed … A third of the waters became wormwood, and many died from the water, because it was made bitter.” According to Revelation, in other words, something terrible happens to the world’s water, a punishment to those of insufficient faith. The foul water, according to the New Oxford Annotated Bible, mirrors one of the plagues God called upon Egypt on behalf of his people Israel.

Though maybe it’s Revelation 16:3: “The second angel poured his bowl into the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse, and every living thing in the sea died.”

Some interpreters are very sure: The oil spill matches biblical prophesy and is another predictor of the end. One commenter at Godlike Productions argues that the redness of the oil seen in pictures can be interpreted as blood. “The water is tinted red from the oil … it ACTUALLY looks like blood. coincidence??? NOT!!!!”

Environmental Disaster

Here are a series of time lapse photos that show the growth and extent of the Gulf oil lead from NASA satellites Terra and Aqua

This is what happens when you drill in deep zones where the pressures are immense — possibly the worst environmental disaster too date once it’s all said and done. Here are a series of time lapse photos that show the growth and extent of the Gulf oil leak from NASA satellites Terra and Aqua:

The Nuclear Conundrum

A panel discussion of the drivers and restrainers to building new Nuclear Energy plants in the US. The panel is well rounded with Stewart Brand, Michael Brune and Industry represtentation.

A panel discussion of the drivers and restrainers to building new Nuclear Energy plants in the US. The panel is well rounded with Stewart Brand, Michael Brune and Industry represtentation.This is part one of five, the others are in order after it.

Part II

Part III

Part IV

Part V

Lord Monckton and Snake Oil

Indeed, the only time Fraud Monckton ran for house of Lords he received zero votes.

While Lord Monckton might be good at devising Sudoku puzzles, you sure don’t want to seek his advice on anything to do with either science or politics since he’s demonstrably a consummate and nearly pathological liar when it comes to those two arenas.

He’s hopped on the climate denialist bandwagon, and there are many examples of untruths, hyperbole, and amazing claims in his body of statements on climate science, and he even managed to sucker me before I knew much about him [back here — one of those posts I really regret having created, followup is embedded in an update in the original post and here.]

Another bizarre example – he claims to be a member of the House of Lords, even though the House of Lords has stated that:

“Christopher Monckton is not and has never been a Member of the House of Lords. There is no such thing as a ‘non-voting’ or ‘honorary’ member.”

Indeed, the only time Fraud Monckton ran for house of Lords he received zero votes.

Peter Sinclair at Climate Denial Crock of the Week has a two part series debunking the Snake Oil that Fraud Monckton is pimping, if you haven’t seen Part one, stop by LGF , and here is part II:

H/T Deltoid

Measuring the Ice: ESA

There’s been a lot of controversy over ice extent and thickness, and most of the controversy has been generated from the traditional denialist camps and outlets and they are bent on distorting and devaluing what is reported. With the new NASA measures underway, and new ESA satellite measurements outlined below the evidence will become incontrovertible.

Please also take note of this video from Peter Sinclair outlining some of the ploys used to attack the data.

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