Baton Rouge (FNS)-Facing both a massive oil slick from a sunken offshore drilling platform and a second year of declining tourism revenues along the Louisiana Gulf Coast caused by high gas prices, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal today introduced a new tourism promotion that he reports is going to “…make lemons into lemonade”.
Jindal, flanked by British Petroleum’s Director of Marketing Dick Timoneous and the Executive Director of the Louisiana State Tourism Board, Jenna Talia, announced that the “All The Oil You Can Carry Festival” would officially commence today just east of New Orleans, and last at least through the month of May.
Within the space of six hours, the world’s deserts receive more energy than all the people in the world consume in a year. The only question we have to answer is:
“How can this radiant energy be economically transformed into useful
energy and transported to consumers?”
The DESERTEC Concept provides a solution to this.
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In order to meet today’s global power demand […] it would suffice to equip about 3/1000th of the world’s deserts (about 90,000 km2) with solar collectors of solar thermal power plants. About 20 m2 of desert would be enough to meet the individual power demand of one human being day and night — all this absolutely CO2 free.
Healthy Economies are based on Minimizing Costs, while Maximizing the Social Benefits. Or at least they should be.
Yet our Corporate-driven Economic system, far too often focuses on Discounting the Costs, while Maximizing their Profits. Profits for the enlightened owners, NOT for Society at large. Both the long-term and local Costs, generally get swept under the rug, in such a competitive landscape.
And that is a recipe for long-term Planetary Disaster.
Every economic transaction is some sort of trade-off between Cost vs Benefits. Problems arise however, when most of those Costs (to the Planet and to Society) remain Hidden, just below the surface — completely “External” to any quick-hit P&L calculations and Statements.
The accurate Pricing of such “External” factors — both short-term and long-term — is KEY to whether or not, WE leave the world a better place than we found it.
“Externalities” have a way of creeping up on you, and “extracting payment”, sometimes when you least expect it.
Senator Lindsey Graham(R, SC) has dutifully assumed his cloak and dagger as the Village Villain du Jour, thrown a last minute hissyfit on the Saturday before Sen. John Kerry was to reveal the long anticipated Climate and Energy Bill on Monday, and is holding his breath and threatening to turn beet red unless the Senate ignores the immigration issue this year. http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wi…
The support of Graham was sought because it was assumed that of Senators Ben Nelson(D, Mutual of Omaha) and Blanche Lincoln(D, Walmart of Bentonville) would not automatically be forthcoming, after their performances during the health insurance bailout bill which was passed earlier this spring.
— Experts estimates that we are losing 137 plant, animal and insect species every single day due to rainforest deforestation. That equates to 50,000 species a year. As the rainforest species disappear, so do many possible cures for life-threatening diseases.
— Nearly half of the world’s species of plants, animals and microorganisms will be destroyed or severely threatened over the next quarter century due to rainforest deforestation.
— Rainforests once covered 14% of the earth’s land surface; now they cover a mere 6% and experts estimate that the last remaining rainforests could be consumed in less than 40 years.
— One and one-half acres of rainforest are lost every second with tragic consequences for both developing and industrial countries.
Hello I started an fun Tuesday Open Thread at firefly-dreaming a few weeks back and I thought you might like to see this one. Just a small way to honor the people who talked last night on the special edition of American Experience called “Earth Days.”
During the closing credits this song was playing;
And each speaker was shown first in their environment, then again in a box with a brief explanation of what they are doing today. Talk about “people powered politics.”
Below the fold are some pictures I took of my television last night. It was out of respect.
The negative health and environmental impacts of idling have been known for over a decade. Yet, all over the city of Calgary we are leaving our cars running while not in use for an average of 5-10 minutes per car per day. Idling is unnecessary. It wastes fuel, produces more harmful emissions than normal driving, damages engines, and contributes to climate change
PBS will be celebrating Earth Day with a special edition of American Experience called “Earth Days” that tracks the American ecological movement and also by showing “Food Inc” on April 21th.
On most PBS stations at 8 PM tonight “Nature” will show “The Thin Green Line” for a second time. It is an indictment of the human race, the fact that we are wiping out the frogs and amphibians and the we will also be sure to follow, has to be the most motivating hour of television I’ve ever seen.
I’ll update my original review below the fold but it would be wonderful if we can get others to watch the devastation so more people will take action. Perhaps you’ve already seen this “greatest mass extinction since the dinosaurs.” and you know that discussing the nature photography alone will get friends to watch. Whatever it takes, people need to get involved and tonight’s PBS line up can make a difference.
The economy has lost 8.4 million jobs since the start of the recession. Small businesses employ the majority of the American workforce, although the largest single employer is still the federal government.
When the economy starts to recover small businesses rely on loans to bring up their inventory levels. Large banks and smaller institutions have been reluctant to introduce new loans after the failure of a large number banking institutions.
Small banks do not have the resources to start lending again, and the number of new loans have gone down since the start of the recession.
Banks that received funds from the Troubled Asset Relief program. The larger banks that were branded as too big to fail have also reduced the number of new loans they make to small businesses. They have reinvested the funds in lower-return, lower-risk treasury bonds instead.
I’d like to think that waiting my turn at public hearings and constant letters to elected officials had something to do with keeping “more than 8,000 tons of plastic out of landfills annually.” I wish my low impact DKos diaries played a part but I’m pretty sure that my graffiti had some serious impact.
For about a year whenever I found myself in the privacy of a public men’s room stall, I just scribbled some message on the wall. I also think that so many New Yorkers assuming that the city accepted all sorts of plastic played a role in the new legislature but a few saw my message.
Protest NYC’s limited plastic recycle program. Place all plastic in the Blue Bag!
I wrote other messages. Too many to remember but here are a few more.
An Independent Senator From a Northeast State Expresses Joy at the news that the Democratic President and Party is less Popular in the Polls Because The Independents Who Voted For Him…. Don’t Feel “Cared About.”
“There were a lot of people, particularly Democrats, who were declaring after the 2008 election that we were beginning a period of Democratic dominance that would go on for decades,” Lieberman said during an interview with the conservative Newsmax magazine.
“Now, all of a sudden, the momentum is with the Republicans. And that’s – thank God – that’s the way people have spoken, you know? That’s our democracy.”
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Q. The Obama administration is saying to the world, If you attack us with biological or chemical weapons, we will not attack you with nuclear weapons first if you don’t have them. What does that say to our enemies who might want to wipe us out ?
Appropriate ambiguity up to now…. We reserve the right to use nuclear weapons …. if the attack was bad enough.
I prefer that ambiguity. I don’t support the change the Obama administration has made. Like swiss cheese, full of holes. There are plenty of reasons the US could find a reason to respond.
Bottom line, I want any nation thinking of doing anything as extreme as to attack America to fear we would respond with a nuclear attack. I hope we never get to that point. I want our enemies to be uncertain and afraid.
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Q. Should President Obama have dropped the term “Islamic Extremism ?” What do you make of that ?
I don’t like that change. I don’t understand it. I think it’s fundamentally dishonest. I don’t think it gains anything I think it loses us some support in the Muslim world. The fact is, we’re not in a war with some nebulous group of violent extremists, ah
we not in a war with environmental extremists, white supremist extremists, we’re in a war with Violent Islamist Extremists and Terrorists.
the people who attacked us on 9 – 11 were not just violent and extreme, they were motivated by an ideology of Islamic extremism, which took the religion of Islam and essentially transformed it into a radical political ideology.
(video minute 4)
and if we don’t call it what it is, first up, we are violating the first rule of war for thousands of years: Know Your Enemy.
Secondly, how do you defeat your enemy unless you describe what it is , and 3rd, in many ways it is an ideological conflict between one set of values and this violent Islamic extremist ideology. Most people in the Muslim world reject this, but if we don’t say there’s a difference, between most Muslims in the world, and the violent Muslim extremists and terrorists, we disrespect most Muslims, and I don’t think we gain any favors from that . I think that our enemies … must be laughing at the word game, and our friends can’t be encouraged by it.
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Time to use military force in Iran?
time to have plans ….. when we say it’s unacceptable for Iran to go nuclear.
next step is tough sanctions… to hurt. …. last chance before using force. This is a turning point in history. If we allow Iran to go nuclear the world becomes unsafe for everybody …. all the work, it’s over. The chance of peace between Israel and Palestinians is over.
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Oh, and the former Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin?
You underestimate her at your peril, says the Independent Senator.
Palin’s speaker’s contract found in dumpster with other shredded documents at Cal State, Senator Yee had sought them in public disclosure request
” In addition to the bendable straw and Learjet that Palin required, the contract also stipulated that she be picked up at the airport by SUV or black towncar; that her name be registered at (an upscale) hotel under an alias; that autographs not be allowed; that all photographs be taken by a professional photographer; and that personal cameras, cell-phone cameras and any other recording devices are to be turned off wherever she is.
…. A representative of WSB (Washington Speakers Bureau) or the Speaker”s party will open the water at an appropriate time…. ”
“It is truly shocking and a gross violation of the public trust that such documents would be thrown away and destroyed during a pending investigation.”
The students, Alicia Lewis and Ashli Briggs, submitted the documents to the attorney general”s office Tuesday to buttress an investigation already underway into whether Cal State Stanislaus violated the California Public Records Act.
“The linkage is absolutely intertwined,” he (Yee) said. “It”s like having a fundraising operation in my Capitol office.”
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Sarah Palin Raises Over 12 Million Dollars Over 9 Months Since Leaving Office Last July- Whoopie !
It was at the logging conference that Palin denounced as “a bunch of snake oil science” scientists’ studies linking climate change to emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. She also denounced California’s Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has taken efforts to curb emissions.
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“Since we all wear clothes …. and women wear most of them, I thought I could use my love of fine apparel to promote a fashion line which real Americans would find uplifting, something that would strengthen America’s foundations. ”
– Sarah Palin, April 2010, source, Huffington Post
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what the handlers must be thinking:
Thanks, Joe, for the referral ! Those kids didn’t need cheaper college tuition anyway.
Citizens heard the news. In West Virginia, twenty-five people perished. Hard-working miners left their homes and loved ones, never to return again. Upper Big Branch, a colliery owned and operated by the Massey Energy Company exploded from within. The cavern, filled with gas, was often thought to be a death trap. Family, friends, and familiars knew this, as did government officials. Actually, any American who cares to be cognizant of the countless considerations associated with coal mining could have predicted what occurred only days ago. Yet, most choose not to think of their own culpability in the most recent deaths. Nor do our countrymen and women contemplate the constant infirmity and harm they do to our fellow humans. We are busy.
