Cyclotron - Last Emperor of the Planet Earth

Wired.com - SAN FRANCISCO — Maybe your old truck isn't responsible for destroying the planet after all.

New climate change scenarios quantify the idea that oil is only a small component of the total global warming problem — the real problem is coal.( Read more... )

Liquid fuels are so relatively insignificant that no matter what, nothing we put in our cars is likely to change the basic story of climate change. Even if oil ran out tomorrow and humans began converting coal in its solid form to a liquid you could put in a car — a worst-case scenario for environmentalists — the global warming contribution of that fuel is almost negligible.( Read more... )

[slashdot] "Calopteryx notes a New Scientist article on the discovery of "supercritical" water emerging from a vent in the Atlantic Ocean at 407 deg. C (765 deg. F). One of its discoverers actually said, "It's water, but not as we know it"; it's the hottest water ever found on earth. The cause seems to be a huge bubble of magma beneath the ocean floor, 3 km below the sea surface. Meanwhile Nymz shares a journal entry on a hot spot on land: a 2-acre patch in Ventura county, in California, that has heated up to 433 deg. C (812 deg. F). Here geologists blame buried hydrocarbons burning as they get access to air through cracks in the ground. That high temperature was measured a foot below the ground surface." read

Global warming may boost kitten population
http://www.suntimes.com/news/nation/1071179,kitten072308.article

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Therefore, if you do what Al GOre says, you are killing little fluffy kittens.

Here is an excellent article that puts "facts" in perspective.

http://www.alabamawx.com/?p=7509

" In the year since Al Gore took steps to make his home more energy-efficient, the former vice president’s home energy use surged more than 10 percent, according to the Tennessee Center for Policy Research."

"Since taking steps to make his home more environmentally-friendly last June, Gore devours an average of 17,768 kWh per month –1,638 kWh more energy per month than before the renovations – at a cost of $16,533. By comparison, the average American household consumes 11,040 kWh in an entire year, according to the Energy Information Administration.

In the wake of becoming the most well-known global warming alarmist, Gore won an Oscar, a Grammy and the Nobel Peace Prize. In addition, Gore saw his personal wealth increase by an estimated $100 million thanks largely to speaking fees and investments related to global warming hysteria. "

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We gave this guy awards and pay him as an "expert" and he can't seem to practice what he preaches.

Why?

Because oil futures traders freaked out and thought it had gone too high. Yes... the people trading in the commodities market made the price of oil drop. ...And they are the ones who keep driving it up. It's not George Bush, its not the oil companies, its hardly even OPEC's fault (although they do control the supply and production).

For those who don't understand the futures trading its similar to eBay in such that the buyers bid on contracts for the commodity driving the price up.

Also like eBay, the supply of oil is perceived to be limited - even scarce - due to oil producers production schedules. ...However some of us have realized that many eBay sellers have several items and list them as soon as they sell them. Another factor is how much the buyers/bidders want something. An eBay example would the Apple iSight webcam. Its just a webcam, nothing special, but for some dang reason the price the iSight remains over $100, USED!

So... how do we control this craziness? Raising taxes on American oil companies is not going to increase supply. It will probably increase the price though. (Remember oil companies profit is driven by volume sold, not outrageous profit margins).

One glimmer of light today is a newly bio-engineered microbe poops oil.


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Although I support TechCrunch's boycott of AP stories, I am compelled to give the Doubting Thomases here the link Oil hits new record, then reverses on worries

Satellite Data Suggests CO2 the Cause [of Increased Vegetation]

"An article from the Financial Post says that recent studies of biosphere imaging from the NASA SEAWIFS satellite indicate that the Earth's biomass is booming: 'The results surprised Steven Running of the University of Montana and Ramakrishna Nemani of NASA, scientists involved in analyzing the NASA satellite data. They found that over a period of almost two decades, the Earth as a whole became more bountiful by a whopping 6.2%. About 25% of the Earth's vegetated landmass — almost 110 million square kilometers — enjoyed significant increases and only 7% showed significant declines. When the satellite data zooms in, it finds that each square meter of land, on average, now produces almost 500 grams of greenery per year.' Their 2004 study, and other more recent ones, point to the warming of the planet and the presence of CO2, fertilizing the biota and resulting in the increased green side effect."
[Slashdot]

link
link

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So who's going to tell ole Al he has to update his slide show? The whole global warming thing is make the planet greener...

Although it is originally intended to appease the global warming doom-sayers. They will probably start with creating taxes if the polar ice caps ever melt completely.
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With living units priced from $180,000 - $2.5-million, "Freedom Ship" could be home to thousands when/if the ice caps melt. Features include: a casino, school system, and "more than 100 acres of outdoor park, recreation, exercise and community space." Click here for one more picture.



[techblog]

Seattle Times

"These plant-based fuels were originally billed as better than fossil fuels because the carbon released when they were burned was balanced by the carbon absorbed when the plants grew. But that equation proved overly simplistic because the process of turning plants into fuels causes its own emissions — for refining and transport, for example."

"Almost all biofuels used today cause more greenhouse-gas emissions than conventional fuels if the full emissions costs of producing these "green" fuels are taken into account, two studies published Thursday have concluded."

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Hello? This is what I have been telling you guys.

Biofuels do not save the environment. They wont even get us off of OPEC because the only countries who can produce what we need (and what China and INda needs) have radical politics aligned with OPEC countries and large Muslim communities.

Hehehe, global warming

First of all: Recycle, reuse, use less. Use solar. Use wind. Buy a hybrid. (Although, in most of the country electric cars mean burning coal - worse than burning oil.) There is nothing wrong with being green if it is Choice. Besides, if you are "green" you can get away with being snooty.

When it's not Choice, it becomes exploitation: The government is raising billions of pounds more in green taxes than it needs

That said...

"Of 528 total papers on climate change, only 38 (7%) gave an explicit endorsement of the consensus. If one considers "implicit" endorsement (accepting the consensus without explicit statement), the figure rises to 45%. However, while only 32 papers (6%) reject the consensus outright, the largest category (48%) are neutral papers, refusing to either accept or reject the hypothesis. This is no "consensus.""

"only a single one makes any reference to climate change leading to catastrophic results"

"Despite media claims of "thousands of scientists" involved in the report, the actual text is written by a much smaller number of "lead authors." The introductory "Summary for Policymakers" -- the only portion usually quoted in the media -- is written not by scientists at all, but by politicians, and approved, word-by-word, by political representatives from member nations. "

"By IPCC policy, the individual report chapters -- the only text actually written by scientists -- are edited to "ensure compliance" with the summary"

Rebuttal
http://scienceblogs.com/strangerfruit/2007/08/oreskes_responds_to_schulte.php

NASA screwed up.

"One of the key tenets of the global warming myth being advanced by [GISS head James] Hansen and soon-to-be-Dr. Al Gore is that nine of the ten warmest years in history have occurred since 1995."

...

1934 is now the hottest, and 3 others from the 1930's are in the top 10. Furthermore, only 3 (not 9) took place since 1995 (1998, 1999, and 2006). The years 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004 are now below the year 1900 and no longer even in the top 20.

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Part of the temperature error was due to a latent Y2K bug... Y2K really could have ended the world by getting Al Gore elected president! I need to watch IC to see if Al is using the 1998 data and the 2009 "were going to burn up" hysteria.

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For a few months I have been using the quip "Al Gore invented Global Warming". Apparently its true!

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Ah, science, you got to love it. All kinds of knuckleheads quacking "fact, fact, fact" like a flock of crazed ducks and every other week the facts are adjusted and modified like Clinton's story about Monica. Facts are not supposed to subjective, yo.

Pollution is a worldwide problem which does not respect national boundaries and is likely to intensify as the spread of industrial development continues. BBC News looks at some of the places around the world which are hardest hit by pollution.


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I find it interesting that the only spot blamed on the USA is caused by... those darn farmers. They are probably growing ethanol! Or maybe the illegal labor can't read the usage labels.

Global warming has hit Mars, but the shifting winds and swirling dust that scientists theorize power climate changes there bear no relation to the heat-trapping gases that concern the people of Earth.

Researchers studying images of the Martian surface taken by generations of orbiting spacecraft have found that the planet's most prominent features have darkened and lightened in recent decades, altering the way sunlight reflects from its sandy soils, its rocky heights and its deep craters.

The result, say the scientists, is that average global ground temperatures on Mars have risen by more than 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit during the past two decades, while the surface air temperature has risen by a little more than a degree in the same period.( Read more... )

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So does this indicate that global warming on Earth is caused by external forces?

"The United States' Department of Energy is stating that corn based fuel is not the future. From the article, "I'm not going to predict what the price of corn is going to do, but I will tell you the future of biofuels is not based on corn," U.S. Deputy Energy Secretary Clay Sell said in an interview. Output of U.S. ethanol, which is mostly made from corn, is expected to jump in 2007 from 5.6 billion gallons per year to 8 billion gpy, as nearly 80 bio-refineries sprout up." [slashdot]

source


"Corn prices have doubled over the last year" ... we'll feel that at the grocery store and pump. Democrats should note that even Castro is against using corn for fuel. AND Mexicans are unhappy with the increased cost of corn. Corn based ethanol will increas illegal immigration. Read this article. Mark my words.

To the people of Shishmaref who have to move because of the ice they are living on is disappearing. ....They are giving away free land in Alaska!


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Just came across this:

"So today Al Gore was preaching about ethics and global warming on Capitol Hill and attempting to place himself on the high throne above all others as a prophet. It worked for a while - until he was asked to sign a personal energy ethics pledge. The pledge was presented to Gore by Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, during today’s global warming hearing.

“Are you willing to make a commitment here today by taking this pledge to consume no more energy for use in your residence than the average American household by one year from today?” Senator Inhofe asked."

AND HE REFUSED

Gore, you may recall I told you before, "burned 221,000 kilowatt-hours last year, or 20 times the national average" on just his home.

“I don’t want to pick on Al Gore,” Don J. Easterbrook, an emeritus professor of geology at Western Washington University, told hundreds of experts at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America. “But there are a lot of inaccuracies in the statements we are seeing, and we have to temper that with real data.”

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Now that's an inconvenient truth!


I want to add this citation cause its funny:

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change "estimated that the world’s seas in this century would rise a maximum of 23 inches — down from earlier estimates."

"Mr. Gore, citing no particular time frame, envisions rises of up to 20 feet and depicts parts of New York, Florida and other heavily populated areas as sinking beneath the waves, implying, at least visually, that inundation is imminent."

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Smacks of images from the movie "Day After Tomorrow" whci was on tv tonight, oddly enough.

"Instead of making you spring for $25,000 or more in gear, Citizenrē says it will loan you a complete rooftop solar power system, install it for free and sell you back the power it generates at a fixed rate below what your utility charges. The company hopes to make back its investment with those monthly payments, augmented by federal tax credits and rebates.'

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More proof we have to be certain our "cures" for the environment an global warming must actually help, if not work to some degree And no matter what we decide to do, it cant make it worse like this did!


Someone tell Al Gore that ethanol blends are WORSE than fossil fuel alone.

Al Gore is going to be in San Jose tomorrow? ...Now where did I put that ethanol powered lite-bright bomb?


In other news :

PARIS - The world's leading climate scientists said global warming has begun, is "very likely" caused by man, and will be unstoppable for centuries, according to a report obtained Friday by The Associated Press.