millwright’s Recent Comments

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  Superfund Sites

   Since one of these is only a mile away, I feel free to comment.  

    My first, and most vehement complaint is directed toward the idiot "greenies" that insisted on perfection from the outset on site remediation.  Getting most remediation in the most cost-effective way permitted by extant technology would have been a far more effective approach.  

    Second any overview of Superfund expenditures shows far more money has been spent on legal fees to prosecute assigning responsibility than actual remediation. IOW just another governmental/greenie booddoggle benefiting the elite, not the working joe.  >MW

  millwright

  On New report says federal cleanup program wasting away posted 2 years, 6 months ago 6 Responses

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  Honeybees

    Of far greater concern is the spread of various parasites from tended colonies to wild populations which are far more productive in terms of pollenating food crops.  

  Part of this is reportedly due to indigenous wild bees particular genome which apparently has little resistance to disease built in. The worldwide trade in honey bees may be responsible for introducing these pests into a vulnerable population.

    Alas far too many of the "new complaints" moving into farming areas place far more emphasis upon a "perfect lawn" than upon the eco-system which supports their life-style as noted by regular visits by professional insect eradicators to their homes and lawns.  >MW    

  millwright

  On So far, small-scale, local-minded beekeepers have dodged hive collapse. posted 2 years, 6 months ago 19 Responses

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  Logistics of a Modern Army

   First, I'd note war is always about logistics - regardless of when where or how its fought.

   The Red Ball Express was conceived as a desperate attempt to keep Patton's armoured troops supplied. It almost doubled Patton's fuel requirements.    

  The current Iraqi situation is one of mobil troops responding to threats in multiple small unit actions. This increases logistical load as troops require more transport, armour support and it, in turn increases the damand on support/supply simply by operating. ROEs also determine how much logistical load is added.

   Our troops are also operating far from a seaport with consequent long truck-mounted LOCs themselves driving up fuel requirements.

  One fallacy in the cited post is the comparison with the ETO.  With the exception of Patton, it was largely a "ground pounders" war.  Troops marched more often than rode.  In today's highly mobil military, with current heavy combat loads, riding is the only effective means of putting boots on the ground when and where its neccessary.  >MW On Or They Could Stop Waging War posted 2 years, 6 months ago 1 Response

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  GHGs and the U.S.

    Every time I think President Bush has his beer goggles on he ups and makes sense. He's wise to note what's important in the "global view" is not how much CO2 the U.S. generates; its how much it discharges into world wide circulation.  IOW its not the gross, its the net that counts.
   (There are some indications its a near zero sum game for the U.S. due to our advanced aggrarian practices and extensive foliated areas.)  

   If the present warming trend is valid and if its ever proven indisputably anthropogenic, and its causing a major global emergency, it then makes sense to deploy scarce resources in a manner achieving the most result for effort/wealth invested.  That means aiding China, India and other emerging industrial nations in "cleaning up their act" as the  most egregiouos current CO2 offenders. (We can safely postpone such aid to undeveloped nations in the Southern Hemisphere for the nonce as it appears from the record, "GW" hasn't crossed the equator.)  

  To argue otherwise is to admit the current "GW crisis" is far more about economic heat, than  caloric/environmental.  

  In a similar vein, before we embark on a GWR crusade we ought to define some benchmarks and goals.

  1.  A climate history baseline that accounts for the Medieval Warm Period, the Maunder Minimum, and inexplicabe failure of the  much ballyhooed "New Ice Age" to appear on schedule. As well as verified explanations for emerging discovery of "discontinuities" such as plants, bones and other debris emerging from beneath melting glaciers.

  2.   At least three "Climate Models" that successfully replicate known conditions when fed historical data and produce results congruent with alterations in that data before permitting their use as predictive tools.

  3. Declaring a "Geoclimate Year" where the world's nations would undertake to discern, document and report both historical and current climate data by empirical and proxy methods.

  4. Create a completely apolitical world congress of scientists, economists and engineers to examine Geoclimate data, and formulate reccomendations.  

  5. Require the data and work of the nos. 3 & 4 be publicly available 24/7 without restriction, hinderance or editing.

  6.  Declare an immediate world-wide moratorium on the international trading of CO2 "futures" or "credits" to continue in place until nos 1-5 are accomplished and the Congress determines such a program will enhance control.  

   Rant on !!  >MW       On Hey, That's Half the Battle posted 2 years, 6 months ago 1 Response

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  Flourescent bulbs

    I hear a lot about compact flourescent bulbs - all of it pretty good, except for one thing.  Disposal.  

  As written the cited proposal offer the choice between feeding plants a little more CO2 and feed ourselves a little more mercury.  Plants thrive on CO2, animals don't due nearly as well on mercury.  

   A more responsible lighting source is LED's rapidly emerging as more efficient, safer and less toxic than flourescents.  

   I'll go along with driving less.  For most a car is an utility and driven with all the care, thought and skill one finds exhibited in a public restroom.....>MW

  millwright

  On How to reduce your household energy consumption, easy-like posted 2 years, 6 months ago 30 Responses