Comments BlackBear has made

  • Can't

    I can't vote my pocketbook. Bush took it to finance the war.

    See? I can be snarky, too! Yea it's fun!On Sarah Palin on spreading the oil wealth in Alaska posted 1 year, 1 month ago 3 Responses

  • Rather

    It's clear to me that she doesn't mean anything at all. Palin is totally uneducated and unprepared to respond to any question that deviates from the GOP playbook.

    I've said it before. I can't vote someone into office less informed than myself. This is not a terribly high bar, people. :)On Palin can't name a single man-made cause of climate change posted 1 year, 1 month ago 7 Responses

  • Fires

    The straw bale house designs I've looked at confirm that the walls are fire resistant and are classed with interior stairways in industrial buildings. Not to shabby for an organic substance.On Umbra on straw-bale homes posted 1 year, 1 month ago 11 Responses

  • Never miss a pun opportunity!

    "I've stopped hugging trees, they get all sappy."

    Unlike Umbra's crew, my friends and I consider it our solemn duty to taunt each other, so I completely understand needing to have a snappy comeback. Puns aren't snappy, but I'm renowned (from here to next door) for them and it's my go-to response.

    Of course you can only use a pun once, so for Round Two, I might bust out some Sarcasm:
    "I know this is your planet, the other 6.5 billion of us are just squatters, right?"

    Or how about Weird for Round 3:
    "I have to recycle or the clowns will get me."On Umbra on deflecting eco-insults posted 1 year, 1 month ago 18 Responses

  • Makes me wonder

    What horrible atrocities I could get legalized if I had a lobby. In today's world nothing is out of bounds if you have money. You don't even need to buy off congress, you can appeal directly the the President.

    I love it! It's the perfect representative government. I wonder when it's my turn to get represented.On Bush admin moves to ease restrictions on mountaintop-removal mining posted 1 year, 1 month ago 1 Response

  • Already Taken

    I thought TVP had already been taken.
    Textured Vegetable Protein.On Despite industry lobbying, EPA toughens lead pollution limits posted 1 year, 1 month ago 5 Responses

  • "mountain bike lobby"!!!

    Hilarious! What is the mountain bike lobby? 12 guys in flannel looking to "own that mountain"? Come on, people.

    Mountain bikers will indeed make their own trails by riding where they want to, crushing plants all the while, if there aren't official trails to ride. So putting the single track decisions in the hands of people most familiar with the parks seems only sensible to me.

    I'd rather cave to the "mountain bike lobby" than the "motorcross lobby."On Bush admin aims to increase mountain-bike access to national parks posted 1 year, 1 month ago 6 Responses

  • Ehem...

    Before I finish getting ready to babysit until this Friday's football game, I just wanted to make a few observations.

    I wonder if America's distaste for complex language and nuance doesn't stem from our school system. Teachers often make it a habit to use their college vocabularies in class in an effort to "educate by example." If students don't buy into education, won't they automatically transfer this dislike to other people that talk like their teachers did?

    I'm not suggesting that teachers dumb down their language, (or babysitting would be too easy) I'm just thinking aloud here.

    I also wanted to ask a question: Given this latest series on rhetorical devices, are you of the opinion that the great rhetorical speakers don't actually believe what their saying? I have always been cynical about the sincerity of politicians, but to view them as coldly manipulative as this article suggests makes me sad and tired.

    (Incidentally, say what you'd like about public education. God knows I'm unhappy with it, too. But consider that it is the only profession not run by the professionals. Think about it.)On Why scientists aren't more persuasive, part 2 posted 1 year, 1 month ago 3 Responses

  • Another Dog Note

    Dogs are primarily driven by their sense of smell and their sense of taste is comparatively weak. Therefor, there is little to be gained by a taste test (I can't believe you did that!) because dogs probably don't taste their food as much as smell it.

    This probably also explains why your dog is attracted to whiffy roadkill et al. It smells much more interesting than baked kibble (of any stripe).

    Of course I'm not saying that feeding your dog recognizable ingredients isn't important or beneficial, I'm just trying to explain their "lack of taste."On Is organic pet food worth the trouble? posted 1 year, 1 month ago 12 Responses

  • Saluki

    I don't understand your outrage. You rhetorically asked if environmentalists pick and choose among people's ideas (you mentioned Hansen) to fit our point of view.

    Of course we do, who doesn't? Hansen might be a brilliant climatologist but that doesn't make his opinions on anything else automatically brilliant.

    Vakibs is trying to get people to consider nuclear power as a viable source of energy by appealing to reason and using rational arguments. You are effectively undermining his argument by implying that we should not use our own reason to solve problems, but instead pick a new Chief Mugwump and believe everything he says.On Nuclear proponents are, like, totally John Galt posted 1 year, 1 month ago 43 Responses

  • I wonder

    If it bothers either of them to know that they can only be trusted to interview with someone so sympathetic to their point of view that it might almost be called "fawning."

    Or do you think their souls are so deadened at this point that they don't even notice?

    Speaking to that: I'd LOVE to see Fox interview the democratic ticket or MSNBC interview the republican ticket... THAT would be interesting.On McCain and Palin talk energy with Fox's Sean Hannity posted 1 year, 1 month ago 3 Responses

  • Nice.

    What every high school debate club knows:

    From Wikipedia:

    The Ad Hominem Fallacy:
    An ad hominem argument, also known as argumentum ad hominem (Latin: "argument to the man", "argument against the man") consists of replying to an argument or factual claim by attacking or appealing to a characteristic or belief of the person making the argument or claim, rather than by addressing the substance of the argument or producing evidence against the claim. The process of proving or disproving the claim is thereby subverted, and the argumentum ad hominem works to change the subject.

    It is most commonly used to refer specifically to the ad hominem as abusive, sexist, racist, or argumentum ad personam, which consists of criticizing or attacking the person who proposed the argument (personal attack) in an attempt to discredit the argument. It is also used when an opponent is unable to find fault with an argument, yet for various reasons, the opponent disagrees with it.
    On Letterman rages on global warming posted 1 year, 2 months ago 5 Responses

  • Huzzah!

    To echo the sentiment, if not the actual words of Aldo Leopold, a forest without its wolves is just a stand of trees.

    I'm still not entirely sure that I like the ESA because it forces us to focus on individual species which leads to all this nonsense about whether or not numbers are up or down (see: polar bears, ivory billed woodpeckers, et al). In addition not every species is "attractive" (Pearly Winged Mussel, anyone?) and so its hard for anyone to see protecting them as terribly important.

    It would make more ecologic sense (but would admittedly be harder to approve) if we were in the business of Endangered Ecosystem Protection.

    A pipe dream? Impossible? Principles cannot be compromised and the facts do not bend.On Judge puts Great Lakes wolves back on endangered-species list posted 1 year, 2 months ago 2 Responses

  • Hate to say it...

    But I'm going to have to agree with Wolverine here. Are we supposed to say, "Congratulations Old Growth Forests, you've justified your continued existence by proving useful to human beings?"

    On the one hand I can see how this is another weapon to use to support efforts to protect these forests, on the other I think that it helps to reinforce the idea that if a living thing is not useful to humans then it is expendable.

    Perhaps this wasn't the intent of the author, but we need to be careful of our language.On Old-growth forests absorb more CO2 than they release, study finds posted 1 year, 2 months ago 6 Responses

  • BlackBear

    Well, if McBush is elected and works as hard as he's promising to warm the planet, Canada will become a very temperate place to live...On New Scientist assesses McCain and Obama on science issues posted 1 year, 2 months ago 27 Responses

  • Actually

    I perceive healthcare to be a "need" and not a "want." So that means that since we need healthcare, if it was deregulated, all the best doctors would all go work at the best hospitals where they would get the best pay... from people who need them and can afford to pay for it. This does, so some degree, happen already.

    Meanwhile our working class would be left with less-than-great hospitals with distinctly less-than-great services. Living as a do near one such hospital, I can say that I ever need major surgery, I'm driving hours and hours to a better one. On Resentment in partisan politics posted 1 year, 2 months ago 28 Responses

  • BlackBear

    Stories like this one help me to understand the actions of activist groups that become so desperate as to take matters into their own hands.

    If this MTR goes forward (I suspect it will, because it seems Massey will have to be physically stopped) I sincerely hope lots of overweight people in suits get hauled off somewhere dark and poorly ventilated.On Coal vs. wind showdown in West Virginia today posted 1 year, 2 months ago 2 Responses

  • Hand wringing vs. hand waving...

    This is exactly my point, thank you! What I hear a lot of (here as much as elsewhere) is that we're doomed to failure, that it can't be done, that any/all alternatives are the pipe dreams of aging hippies...

    Oil wasn't as viable a source of energy when it gushed out of the ground in Pottsville until people invested in its potential and made it so. The same can be said for everything useful we enjoy today.

    I guess that I am talking more about an attitude than specific solutions. Smarter people than I have proposed some really interesting strategies and solutions (here and elsewhere). I'm just wondering how folks that consider themselves to be fierce patriots on both sides of our political coin are missing this key point: Americans pride themselves on their independence, their free and indomitable spirit, and their willingness to embrace the future.

    Instead we get folks from both parties playing to our fears and suggesting short term and patronizingly simple "solutions" and I think that more people than anyone realizes it resent it.

    We are the spiritual (and actual!) descendents of wide-eyed radicals willing to risk hanging for our freedom, pioneers capable of trekking across a continent with their families, and heroes willing to fight for what is right even half a world away. Give us a challenge and a vision for an independent and sustainable America worthy of us.On It's time to break the American addiction to oil posted 1 year, 2 months ago 12 Responses

  • "Addiction"

    I think that calling our dependence on cheap oil an addiction is spot on. Most of the addicts refuse to see their habits as a problem. Those that do understand that their habit is bad for them and everyone around them tend to shrug their shoulders and say, "I'm trying to quit." We've tossed aside everything in our life that doesn't satisfy our craving and we're increasingly desperate to have more and more of it.

    I think that this latest "exploration" of tar sands and oil shale is the last stage before we hit rock bottom. Perhaps it's equivalent to the alcoholics that finds themselves chugging mouthwash.

    Even leaving out the "pollution" and "infinite growth on a finite resource" arguments, it is clear that Americans will once again have to grab their bootstraps and start haulin'. The only reason for optimism here is that this is what Americans do best.

    We have built one of the biggest and wealthiest countries in the world from nothing but a bunch of poorer than dirt immigrants, sweat, and a few good ideas. Most Americans are proud of that heritage and if they think about it will assert that no one has more gumption than us.

    What is this current set of problems but another chance to show the world how we get stuff done?

    (I'm very surprised that this argument isn't being used in this election.)On It's time to break the American addiction to oil posted 1 year, 2 months ago 12 Responses

  • How droll my wit!

    "Use Sunlight to Make Fuel From CO2"

    Back when I was in school we called that process photosynthesis.

    Sorry, JB, I just couldn't help myself!On Germany opens world's first carbon-capturing 'clean coal' demo plant posted 1 year, 2 months ago 8 Responses

  • Joining the Pickens LoveFest...

    I would wholeheartedly join the Pickens love fest if he would change his business model a bit and start bankrolling some of these Small Wind companies. Now I know that these small turbines aren't as sexy as their big cousins, but if a man of his clout started marketing them, you'd see houses all over the US making some of their own electricity on their rooftops and he could avoid wasting so much time and energy lobbying for transmission lines to cities.

    My personal favorite vision of the next generation of power production is a cluster of VAWTs on every available rooftop.On T. Boone Pickens embraces progressive policies but not progressive politicians posted 1 year, 3 months ago 25 Responses

  • Drama

    I can't tell whether I want to laugh or cry about this story.

    I am apalled at the amount of trash humans produce and the thought of Mtn. Dew bottles being my legacy on earth brings me almost to tears.

    At the same time, I am chuckling at the audacity of building a successfully seafaring craft out of actual junk lashed together. "It ain't pretty, it's my boat."On Homemade garbage barge about to make landfall in Hawaii posted 1 year, 3 months ago 6 Responses

  • I totally agree with Abbey.

    I couldn't agree more that we need to keep those poor immigrants out of this country! If we let immigrants make new lives for themselves in America what kind of place will this become? Why, the next thing you know, they'll want to work, and have a place to live, and go to the movie theaters... total disaster!

    I, for one, live in a semi-rural agricultural area and have as much experience with migrant workers as anyone. If you can find anyone to work as they do for the pay the farmers can afford, then you have a magic talent and need to share it more widely.On Border-fence design exacerbated flooding along U.S.-Mexico border posted 1 year, 3 months ago 9 Responses

  • China is going green at the request of its public?

    How bad is it that a totalitarian government would respond to such a polite (compared to some) public request for clean air when some other democratically elected governments (in theory) can't seem to quite hear the increasingly strident calls for the same from their constituents?On Beijing officials consider extending some clean-air measures beyond Olympics posted 1 year, 3 months ago 3 Responses

  • Green Party

    Why does the Green Party feel the need to self-destruct? There is overwhelming evidence that various things about our country can at the same time be more enviromentally friendly AND better for everyone all around, if we had the leadership to see it done.

    Instead, all I hear from the Green Party are increasingly strident arguments against "the Man." I mean, I understand that there are quite a few disenfranchised people in the U.S., but they are still a minority and you won't win an election by alienating the majority.

    I don't want to hear about what's good for [enter subgroup here], I want to hear about what's good for America and what's good for my family. Strike that chord with me and I'll vote for you.On Green Party presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney talks to Grist posted 1 year, 3 months ago 19 Responses

  • Elephants...

    I'm wondering if anyone has addressed a core fallacy of Anderson's argument. Perhaps it wasn't stated well in the article, but he seems to be suggesting that having more bicycles moving about on space previously used by autos will increase traffic congestion.

    This is interesting to me because it seems to assume that these extra cyclists will appear out of no where, when it is more likely that they will appear out of their cars. Will one more cyclist slow traffic to the same extent that one less car will speed it up?On Anti-bike crusader halts San Francisco's cycle-friendly plans posted 1 year, 3 months ago 13 Responses

  • Bikes as vehicles.

    I commute every day on my bike and I have to say that I actually feel safer using the streets as a vehicle instead of using the sidewalks.

    Drivers are not looking for traffic on the sidewalks, but me of the Many Blinking Lights acting as a vehicle is right where they expect to see stuff.

    I've found that it helps to be a little obnoxious about your right to be on the road. Don't feel badly about making folks slow down a bit and pass you like a car or motorcycle.

    Keep in mind, however, that I live in N.C. where folks aren't quite as quick to be belligerent as I've seen further north! ;)On Colleges, high schools move to be more bike- and pedestrian-friendly posted 1 year, 3 months ago 6 Responses

  • Funny.

    Jabailo! Dude, It's "puff, puff, PASS!" Come on, man, give us all a hit of what you're smoking! Sounds like good stuff!

    As much fun as your rhetoric is, this administration will definitely NOT be hailed as anything short of an environmental nightmare.On Presidential candidates keep the energy ads a-comin' posted 1 year, 3 months ago 8 Responses

  • Figures

    My prediction for this (and every) election is that the longer it goes on, the more Tweedle Dee will look like Tweedle Dum and voting for one or the other will be largely a matter of flipping a coin.

    Vote however you like, I can't see that it'll make much difference.

    - This message was brought to you by the companies that by politicians.On Obama softens opposition to offshore drilling, and more political news posted 1 year, 3 months ago 9 Responses

  • The Old School is the New School

    Seems to me that Roz is saying what I've been saying for a while... Just ask your favorite octagenerian how they did things "back in the day" and do it that way with today's products. Chances are it'll be simpler and just as effective as today's high tech gadgetry.

    Take today's example... "Face wash" vs. "soap and washcloth." I don't have perfect skin (what normal person does?) but my skin doesn't get better with the application of facewash, so why spend the money?

    Don't even get my started about people that use deodorant soap and then apply deodorant! Pick one, already!On Beads in many face scrubs harmful to marine life posted 1 year, 4 months ago 5 Responses

  • Chiming in.

    I'm just chiming in about adult tricycles. There is an small american company working on recumbent tricycles that are purportedly much more stable than the upright ones above.

    http://www.lightfootcycles.com/trikes.htm

    They are all handmade, and therefor much more expensive, but I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't dying to try one out.On Umbra on adult tricycles posted 1 year, 4 months ago 16 Responses

  • An Experiment

    I can agree with the above sentiment that using coal to produce the means to generate sustainable energy looks like the way we have to go, but I wanted to look at something Paleocon posted.

    "It releases too much of the stuff that plants breathe."

    This is humorous to me. I would like to see what happens to a healthy human being that tries living in a 100% oxygen environment... I mean, we breathe that stuff, right? And no, I'm not saying that CO2 will become that saturated; I'm making a point that organisms do have upper tolerable limits even to the things necessary for their life.On Alaska state legislature proposes fund to support alternative energy including coal posted 1 year, 4 months ago 12 Responses

  • Environmentalist v. Nature Winkie

    I can see where folks try to avoid terms because of the negative connotations others have attached to them.

    In college, I invented a new term for those wannabe hippies that "loved Mother Earth" without understanding the first thing about her mechanisms. I call them "nature winkies." And for a long time I was at pains to explain what separated me from the nature winkies. I was more analytical, intellectual, and of course I was right more often. :)

    Today I devote my time to educating people on environmental science and issues and I've come to realize that we all start out as nature winkies.

    What's in a name? If someone has conveniently assigned all "environmentalists" to the "eco-socialist conspiracy to bring down America" then there's little to be solved by claiming another title for yourself; they'll just expand the definition.On Don't be afraid to claim the term 'environmentalist' posted 1 year, 4 months ago 13 Responses

  • Heh.

    I sincerely hope that you're right, Larry. And this is all "much ado about nothing." Except that if it is a conspiracy, it's the worst one ever. Usually manufactured problems have simple solutions that benefit someone (usually the perpetrator of the hoax.) Wonder why everyone thinking about climate change has a different idea on how to solve it that benefits someone else?

    Sadly, I don't share your optimism that this is a flight of fancy. Because I care about our children, I think I'll continue working towards a solution.On Venture capitalist John Doerr shares four lessons on climate change posted 1 year, 4 months ago 24 Responses

  • Just goes to show...

    To paraphrase (it may be a direct quote, but I'm not looking it up) Douglas Adams from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy,

    "Anyone able to get themselves elected president should on no account be allowed to have the job."On RNC to drop $3 million on ads hitting Obama on energy posted 1 year, 4 months ago 3 Responses

  • Cue Evil Laugh.

    You folks are funny and those offering the suggestions that all meat must be removed immediately must not have the same kind of children that I do. If I tell them that the dinner I made is "good for you" they'll promptly make gagging noises for the next twenty minutes and refuse to eat it.

    So every new vegetarian recipe I try has cheese or sour cream on it to convince the kids that it's not health food and if it flies, I scale back on that stuff the next time I make it.

    Changing a family's diet takes time, but it can happen more quickly than trying to change a society's. In my experience, trying to force a big change quickly will lead to massive resistance and nothing will change.On How author Betsy Block convinced her finicky family to mend their dietary ways posted 1 year, 4 months ago 25 Responses

  • A car too far...

    I think that's too big a leap for me to make, Mad Mac. There are a few posters on these pages that do have a utopian view of hunting and gathering, but I take issue with a blanket statement like that.

    Having said that, I do wish to see an end to modernity;at least as long as we move into post-modernity. I think that we need to be more clever and more adult about our technologies as we move forward from here.

    A sustainable ICE substitute would be a fabulous invention and I would like to have 3, please! Ditto for fibers, foods, and energy!

    As we move forward as a society, we will have to make choices similar to ones we made as a child. Action figures were great toys, but I set them aside when I outgrew them. It would be amazing if I could keep every toy I ever owned, but sadly this is not possible. I think the same has to be said for the ICE automobile and some other technologies.On Five Boston Globe reporters compete in 'Mileage-athon' posted 1 year, 5 months ago 8 Responses

  • I still hate my car.

    Perhaps if I could afford a Prius, I'd hate it slightly less, but I still hate my car. I hate it quietly; no shouting or kicking. It's a passive loathing.

    Why do I hate my car?

    1. I hate it because it ties me down. It makes me work to pay for it and maintain it. It forces me to deal with the mindless drones at the DMV and get raked over the coals once a year by the govt. for the priviledge of owning it.
    2. I hate it because I'm not a mechanical person and any repair more complicated than a tire or oil change must be done by someone else that I have to trust not to rip me off.
    3. I hate it because it is another box for me to spend my free time in and while the CD player is pretty cool, it's not that cool.

    So I'm with hp on this one. I have started to think that the personal automobile might be a technology that we can do without. It's a fun toy, but we can be smarter. Since I've started hating my car and using my bike, there's a lot less of me to haul around, but my car still gets the same mpg. Maybe it hates me too?On Five Boston Globe reporters compete in 'Mileage-athon' posted 1 year, 5 months ago 8 Responses

  • Mad Mac

    Easy Cheetah!

    I can understand your ire at the "Debbie Downer" aspect of today's environmental activist, but bear in mind that if these people weren't generally optimistic about our future, they wouldn't be activists.

    Leopold said that to be an ecologist was to live "in a world of wounds" and I think that's what you're seeing here.

    What several people here are advocating without saying as much is a more ecocentric point of view. They want to see a general shift in the morality and philosophy of people. Some folks have a hard time understanding it and mistake it for liberalism, elitism, or feminism.

    The reason for pointing out potentially harmful connections like the one above is because while there is a general movement towards an ecocentric philosophy, there are no definitions (yet?) and folks are more or less feeling their way forward, trying to look at one thing at a time.

    It is the challenge of our age to devise a Way that is humane and earth friendly. We need to discover a new way of being and you can't reasonably expect us to simply wake up one day and shout, "Relax everybody! I know what's important and what's not!"

    Personally, I don't think non-organic waste used as fertilizer is a big enough deal to negate the benefits of organic food and will continue to not worry about it. However, if this topic is explored and someone out there is researching it, who knows what they might discover?On How the organic movement can regain its relevance posted 1 year, 5 months ago 24 Responses

  • Wow...

    That's amazing. I definitely think that we should throw out the lab tests identifying the substance as an endocrin disruptor right out the window and instead conduct illegal human psychology experiments. What a great idea!

    I don't even understand the objection here. The people in those counties decided that it was a harmful substance they'd rather not have sprayed in their neighborhoods. They should have the freedom to veto it. After all, my neighborhood can put a lien on my property if I paint my house without approval, so I can't imagine why this topic is causing such news.On California officials yank controversial urban spraying plan posted 1 year, 5 months ago 9 Responses

  • Easter Everywhere, All the Time!

    To make the above poster's reference to Easter Island even more poignant...

    The Islanders didn't die off right away. When they were discovered by Cook, they had devolved into bands of cannibalistic tribes that made constant war on each other with the apparant goal of getting a meal and knocking over each other's stone heads.

    If we are to learn anything from this story it is that Americans are doomed. We're the fattest people in the world, so I expect we'll be attacked first. On Conservative arguments to the contrary are intellectually bankrupt posted 1 year, 5 months ago 10 Responses

  • Amazing

    And I wonder why Americans are dropping out of politics? Hmm? Could it be that even the new heights of cynicism our youth are achieving today aren't enough to cope with "business as usual?"

    Even the politicians I like make me physically ill every now and then. I can't say how much I'd love to see real campaign finance reform and more effective term limits implemented, but I imagine that there would be actual dancing in the streets involved.

    Vote for short term corporate profits! Vote for a politician!On Offshore drilling will have no impact on oil prices through 2030 posted 1 year, 5 months ago 3 Responses

  • Drunk Drivers

    Drunk drivers kill people in cars or on bicycles. As bicycling becomes more popular, people will review the road rules and sober accidents will be avoided. Very much like trying to find statistics on the number of Amish buggies hit per year. On Umbra on the impacts of biking posted 1 year, 6 months ago 21 Responses

  • Seconded, Thirded, Whatever it is now...

    In terms of energy efficiency, the comparision of a 30-50 lb pedal driven machine vs. a 2 ton gasoline driven one is hardly worth doing the math. (Kudos to you, Umbra!) You could fill your garage up with bike parts, eat pounds of meat a day (ugh), and steal lollipops from schoolkids and still come out ahead of commuting by car.

    Myself, I'm saving my pennies for a cargo trike so that I can sell my car and cancel my gym membership for good!On Umbra on the impacts of biking posted 1 year, 6 months ago 21 Responses

  • At the end of day...

    Despite the rhetoric and the "figurin" I still can't in good conscience approve of nuclear power for two basic reasons:

    1. It is a nonrenewable resource. Any way you slice it, there is a limited amount of suitable radioactive materials on earth for nuclear power. The fact that these elements must also be strip-mined just furthers my point. Remember, people said that we'd never run out of coal and oil, too.

    2. The waste from nuclear power is not merely toxic, it is painful death to any organisms unlucky enough to encounter it. Since no one can intelligently guarantee that a nuclear burial site will remain perfectly sealed for 10,000 years (so that it can safely decay) it is irresponsible to pretend otherwise.

    At the end of the day, irregardless of whatever "fast math" you employ, we have a responsibility to ourselves and any/all future generations to do the best with what we know. Repeating the mistakes of the past with new fuels isn't it.On The latest sorties in the war over nuclear power posted 1 year, 6 months ago 43 Responses

  • as through a glass, darkly.

    I think I understand my friend jabailo a bit better now. At first I believed that he was taking the role of Resident Skeptic to new levels of zeal, but this latest thread has revealed a new and interesting datum:

    "Newton's "Laws" are really a definition.  It's a projection of an ordered world on a disorderly universe."

    Far beyond skepticism, this reflects a whole new school of thought. jabailo seems to be saying that since perfect knowledge is impossible, all knowledge is suspect.

    This is a fun philosophy because it allows people to think whatever they want with everyone being equally correct. However, very few people subscribe to it because it can make it difficult to find the coffee pot in the morning.

    I think that it is fair to say that while it has been reasonably well established that 100% certainty might not be possible for an empiricist, that doesn't make the world perfectly unpredictable.

    I am far more inclined to agree that the reason some scientific theories are accepted and others aren't has more to do with politics than with science. If you will recall, even the Copernican view of the solar system (that the sun and not the earth was the center of the solar system) was heresy while the Church had a political stake in astronomy. I would be willing to bet that if the world stopped burning fossil fuels tomorrow of its own accord, very few people would argue against global warming, because no one's politics would matter anymore.On Bizarre talking points of WaPo columnist Krauthammer posted 1 year, 6 months ago 18 Responses

  • Astounding!

    I find this to be simply an astounding piece of research! I mean, imagine feeding a grazing animal a diet for which it's digestive tract evolved for and having that have positive impacts on it's life and milk production! Simply inconceivable!

    Hey, I wonder if you fed human beings a diet that their bodies were evolved for (a plant-centric omnivorous diet consisting of varied whole foods)if that would have an equally positive impact on our health? Instead of the "extruded food products" most of us consume now, that is. Whaddya guys think? Should we try it?

    Sometimes people are so freaking dumb it makes me wonder if we're worth saving, ya know?On So says U.K. study posted 1 year, 6 months ago 13 Responses

  • Did they?

    Another case I guess of hiring the wrong people to whisper in your ear when you're running for Prez.

    I have to wonder, did they even look around West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, et. al. to see what coal mining looks like? How anyone hike through the ancient mountains of the Appalachians and come across a coal strip mine and not demand that we cease this nonsense!On Obama & Clinton shill for coal in Montana posted 1 year, 6 months ago 3 Responses

  • Ugh...

    In light of revolutionary new farming techniques which don't seem to require fertilizer of any type to be shipped to your farm, it astounds me that we are proving so slow to catch on. I mean, I know that composting is a very new technology and no has really had a chance to get it going, but I still think we could give it a chance.On Peru's guano supply threatened by overfishing posted 1 year, 6 months ago 3 Responses

  • Strike one!

    While I'm quite fond of jabailo, and think his attempts at skepticism are humorous, I can't help but point something out.

    The penguins in question live in the Antarctic, not the Arctic. It would be a neat trick to see penguins blow anything south to New Jersey.

    Ahh well, I don't suppose he was going to factual accuracy anyway, given his other posts around here. On Melting Antarctic glaciers may be releasing DDT, says study posted 1 year, 6 months ago 4 Responses

  • Worrisome

    I find this worrisome, but not for the same reasons Wolverine and canis do. It worries me that Alaskans, those folks in the U.S. witnessing the effects of a warming world first hand, can so blithely ignore what's going on in favor of continuing business as usual.

    I thought Alaskans were more pragmatic than this.

    If the Alaskan state govt. can so easily completely ignore the scientists running all over their state, then what chance have any of us (living in the lower 48) of convincing our neighborhoods that action is needed?On Alaska will sue over polar-bear listing posted 1 year, 6 months ago 7 Responses

  • Not thinking it through...

    They definitely DON'T want Lohan doing those commercials because the boys won't work to save the rainforest hoping for new commericials.

    We need less attractive people getting waxed and tell folks that they'll stop running the ads if you stop deforesting South America. :)On Harrison Ford's chest wax as PSA posted 1 year, 6 months ago 6 Responses

  • People do have half a brain...

    I think the major reason those hybrid SUV's aren't selling is because everyone realizes that they are ridiculous. If you are looking for gasoline economy, you're not going to buy a more expensive SUV hybrid that gets less mpg than a small car that costs 10-15k less.

    Give the consumers credit for being able to figure out that much, at least!On Consumers shunning hefty hybrids posted 1 year, 6 months ago 8 Responses

  • Ha Ha!

    I just love the fact that these guys can say whatever they like and get away with it because they know they've got us over a barrel. (How's that one, Grist?)

    The oil companies can charge us whatever they want and we have no choice but to buy it. They have successfully played their hand with lobbies and politicians and now this is their end-game.

    I'm with hp here, the answer is as simple as it can be. If you stop buying it, you won't have to pay for it.On Big Oil tries to evade blame for high energy prices posted 1 year, 6 months ago 6 Responses

  • Town Meetings... good times!

    I love being face to face with someone in a town meeting that hasn't done their homework! And I'm teaching my students to love it too.

    Our county meetings are televised, so I use them as a platform for local reform. Since I simply refuse to yield the floor (respectfully, of course!) to the other people there until my question has been answered, it really shows folks that people are serious about this stuff and that they had better get on the ball.On Small-town politics meets big-time energy crisis posted 1 year, 6 months ago 4 Responses

  • Agribizz

    I'm wondering out loud if rising fuel prices are reducing the driving done in the U.S., if this might also have an effect on agribizz.

    Consider: Agriculture is the second largest producer of greenhouse gases after electricity production. If rising fuel prices hit agribizz (as  the rising prices of meat, milk, eggs, and bread suggests) then will this perhaps cause a downturn in our consumption of those products and reduce the emissions from the agriculture sector as well?

    Wouldn't this have a bigger impact on our atmosphere since we're talking about a bigger chunk of the total? If we can't 'reason' folks into consuming fewer animal products to protect their environment, perhaps we can price it out of them.On U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions rising posted 1 year, 6 months ago 7 Responses

  • Scary, but true

    Here's my 2 cents:

    In each of the great mobilizations of the american people, they had something to work FOR. They had a goal and a purpose and it was an idea that they could rally around.

    Environmentalists have often been accused of being utopian and to a certain degree I think that the label is deserved. Scientists are very good at telling people What's Wrong, but as of yet have not been great at the Now What.

    If we are going to save ourselves and our planet then we need a principled discussion of Now What. I agree with Mr. Ward that we have gotten bogged down with short term goals and tiny victories. We need a well thought out vision of what an Eco-Society would look, smell, and feel like. How would we make decisions about what is good or bad? What guidelines would we use for choosing leaders, businesses, homes, etc?

    We need this kind of vision more than we need the sad wrangling of politicians trying to get us to shut up already. :)On The Climate Policy Paradigm has reached its endgame posted 1 year, 6 months ago 21 Responses

  • Was it really a fumble?

    Is it really a fumble to say, "I don't know?" The man has people jawing at him 24/7 and all of them think they know how to win an election and fix the world. If we're honest with ourselves we can admit that it would be frankly impossible to absorb it all.

    I agree with the above poster. I would much rather see "I don't know, but you can be sure as anything I'm going to find out," instead of "I can definitely tell you that it's a priority that will be addressed sometime in the future." I Definitely think I prefer honesty.

    Someone else accused Sen. Obama of having shallow convictions. Well perhaps that's true (I don't know him personally) but who's fault is that? We The People are regularly given the opportunity to elect people with strong convictions but such people are drummed out of the primaries because having strong convictions makes you unpopular. Remember that the winners of any game are those that are the best at it. In this case, winning means appealing to the lowest common demoninator.On In Oregon, Dem candidate admits ignorance on biggest environmental story in PNW posted 1 year, 6 months ago 16 Responses

  • Soy vs. Organic Milk

    I think that there might be a bit of a misleading argument here about organic milk. I don't think many people inclined to spend the money on organic milk are likely to be so foolish as to think organic milk production is more efficient. Rather I think they are concerned with the "fun" of growth hormones and feed additives present in conventional(?) milk.

    I've looked into soy as an alternative and I have to say that I was surprised at the studies and concerns being raised concerning the nutritional values of soy. I've been lead to believe that it was just about the "perfect food substitute."

    So if soy and milk are both out, what does that leave me with when I desire a creamy sauce or a handful of oreos?On Why that organic label on your milk doesn't tell the whole story posted 1 year, 6 months ago 25 Responses

  • Letting the inmates run the prison

    I would like to make a motion that researchers that are paid by private companies are not allowed to submit their findings to any U.S. government agency.

    All reports and claims must be peer reviewed and verified by independent researchers not affiliated with the company or industry.

    I have long since realized that scientists are much better at graphs and technical jargon than I will ever be and they can make most anything look like their analysis is correct. However, it is simply not possible for both studies to be correct in this case; either GM crops are better able to deal with extreme climates or they are not.

    Can I get a second my motion? On Federal food-aid package promotes GMOs posted 1 year, 6 months ago 7 Responses

  • *sigh*

    I'm an educator, Tas' Partner, so it hurts me to recognize that you may be right. I'm working on it. It's an uphill battle, but I think a handful of my students "get it" every semester. It's a start.On Presidential candidates may forgo shooting small animals to impress voters this year posted 1 year, 6 months ago 5 Responses

  • Seconded!

    Perhaps especially if you live in the eastern half of the US, please learn to ID the gypsy moth catepillar and destroy them. They are horribly devastating to the hardwood forests. Check with your local forestry officials to see what, if any, eradication or control measures are recommended and follow their guidelines.On Umbra on tent caterpillars posted 1 year, 6 months ago 14 Responses

  • Yea! Efficiency!

    In thinking about electricity, I like to think about building efficiency. Partly because I live and work in buildings, so it's something I'm familiar with and partly because I think that the concepts of building efficiency are things people can be shown immediately to work.

    So I like to think about reflective roofing, proper (or "super") insulation, natural lighting, solar water heaters, and geothermal heat exchangers.

    I would LOVE for someone with authority to come out and say, "Any new house with an annual heating/cooling bill of more than $100 is poorly designed."On Wind power: a core climate solution posted 1 year, 6 months ago 36 Responses

  • Or Well, there goes the neighborhood!

    Does anyone else feel like they are trapped in 1984? Where the governmental department of Environmental Protection is in charge of destroying our environment?

    I mean, I could possibly understand if the EPA had some other mandate to consider in addition to protecting the environment, but that is it's name!On EPA plans to loosen air-quality rules near national parks posted 1 year, 6 months ago 4 Responses

  • I'll never understand

    Why do candidates for office feel the need to be everybody else? For example, why can't they simply say that they support the local ice cream parlor without the hokey "Look at Candidate X eating an ice cream!" photo-op?

    What real purpose could this serve besides making you look like a shamelessly pandering pol who thinks the average american is an idiot?
    On Presidential candidates may forgo shooting small animals to impress voters this year posted 1 year, 6 months ago 5 Responses

  • The thing is...

    If this is a participatory democracy and Limbaugh is so smart, why isn't he looking to get elected himself or accept a position in the government to effect the changes he wishes to see?

    And I'm not even going to comment on how "smart" a man is that review the research being done of GCC and conclude that it isn't happening.On Limbaugh angry about being smarter than McCain posted 1 year, 6 months ago 5 Responses