Two of the world´s most extreme global warming doomsday prophets, James "Gaia" Lovelock and Kevin Anderson (head of the UK Tyndall Centre for Climate Change) have at least one ardent follower. The Australian scientist Gideon Polya ("I am a five-decade career scientist and teach science students at a major Australian university") has made the following detailed "Climate Genocide" compilation based on Lovelock´s and Anderson´s "estimates":
Both Dr James Lovelock FRS (Gaia hypothesis) and Professor Kevin Anderson ( Director, Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Manchester, UK) have recently estimated that only about 0.5 billion people will survive this century due to unaddressed, man-made global warming. Noting that the world population is expected to reach 9.5 billion by 2050, these estimates translate to a Climate Genocide involving deaths of about 10 billion people this century, mostly non-Europeans, this including about 6 billion under-5 year old infants, 3 billion Muslims in a terminal Muslim Holocaust, 2 billion Indians, 1.3 billion non-Arab Africans, 0.5 billion Bengalis, 0.3 billion Pakistanis and 0.3 billion Bangladeshis. Already 18 million people die avoidably every year in Developing countries (minus China) due to deprivation and deprivation-exacerbated disease and man-made global warming is already clearly worsening this global avoidable mortality holocaust. However 10 billion avoidable deaths due to global warming this century will yield an average global annual avoidable death rate of 100 million per year
Where does your country come in this “years left until zero emissions” analysis? The World will have to take action against the more notorious climate criminal and climate racist countries such as Australia through Sanctions, Boycotts, Sporting Boycotts (as were successfully applied to Apartheid South Africa through exclusion from the Olympic Games and other events), Green Tariffs, International Court of Justice litigations and International Criminal Court prosecutions. Indeed I have sent a formal complaint to the International Criminal Court over Australia’s complicit in ongoing genocidal atrocities (see “9 January 2010 Formal Complaint by Dr Gideon Polya to the International Criminal Court (ICC) re US Alliance Palestinian, Iraqi, Afghan, Muslim, Aboriginal, Biofuel and Climate Genocides.”).
The World is badly running out of time to deal with man-made climate change.
Read the entire article here
It appears that Polya until recently has been a member of the senior staff of the Biochemistry department of the La Trobe University. There is still a university webpage interview with him, which includes the following characterization:
Gideon is the closest to the image of a 'zany scientist' of any of the Biochemistry senior staff. He's an interesting person who loves a chat about almost any topic - but Jane Austen and historical politics are special favourites.
It certainly must have been a uplifting experience for Dr. Polya´s students to have lovely "chats" with him e.g. about the 10 billion "Climate Genocide", the 3 billion "Muslim Holocaust" or "Australia’s complicit in ongoing genocidal atrocities".
Saturday, 13 August 2011
The dirty little secret of wind power: When demand is high, output is low
Robert Bryce discloses the dirty little secret of wind energy:
The wind-energy lobby has been masterly at garnering huge subsidies and mandates by claiming that its product is a “green” alternative to conventional electricity. But the hype has obscured a dirty little secret: When power demand is highest, wind energy’s output is generally low. The reverse is also true: Wind-energy production is usually highest during the middle of the night, when electricity use is lowest.
This is what happened when it was really hot in Texas last week:
Consider the afternoon of August 2, when electricity demand hit 67,929 megawatts. Although electricity demand and prices were peaking, output from the state’s wind turbines was just 1,500 megawatts, or about 15 percent of their total nameplate capacity. Put another way, wind energy was able to provide only about 2.2 percent of the total power demand even though the installed capacity of Texas’s wind turbines theoretically equals nearly 15 percent of peak demand. This was no anomaly. On four days in August 2010, when electricity demand set records, wind energy was able to contribute just 1, 2, 1, and 1 percent, respectively, of total demand.
Over the past few years, about $17 billion has been spent installing wind turbines in Texas. Another $8 billion has been allocated for transmission lines to carry the electricity generated by the turbines to distant cities. And now, Texas ratepayers are on the hook for much of that $25 billion, even though they can’t count on the wind to keep their air conditioners running when temperatures soar.
That $25 billion could have been used to build about 5,000 megawatts of highly reliable nuclear generation capacity, or as much as 25,000 megawatts of natural-gas-fired capacity, all of which could have been reliably put to work during the hottest days of summer.
Read the entire article here
PS
Another way to describe the reality of wind power:
PS
Another way to describe the reality of wind power:
"Wind turbines are a poor way to harness energy - but a very good way to generate public subsidies"
No wonder wind (and solar) energy subsidies are experiencing drastic cutbacks in a number of European countries.Friday, 12 August 2011
Kite propulsion for cargo ships - could save fuel and reduce real pollution
This blog has - for obvious reasons - been critical of most "green" solutions for transportation, mainly because they are expensive and they do not deliver what they promise to deliver (e.g. battery or solar powered cars). However, if an invention actually works, saves fuel and is good for the environment
- meaning that it reduces real pollution (not CO2, which is not a pollutant) - then it deserves to be looked into.
This German invention, which promises to reduce real pollution and fuel costs for ships, could very well be a success in the near future:
In another video the founder of the SkySails system, Stephen Wrage - not surprisingly - mentions the shipping industry´s alleged contribution to "global warming". However, that should be seen more as a sales argument in line with the current climate orthodoxy. It does not change the fact that his invention actually could be useful in the real world of future shipping.
- meaning that it reduces real pollution (not CO2, which is not a pollutant) - then it deserves to be looked into.
This German invention, which promises to reduce real pollution and fuel costs for ships, could very well be a success in the near future:
In another video the founder of the SkySails system, Stephen Wrage - not surprisingly - mentions the shipping industry´s alleged contribution to "global warming". However, that should be seen more as a sales argument in line with the current climate orthodoxy. It does not change the fact that his invention actually could be useful in the real world of future shipping.
The crackdown on dissent continues in communist China
The crackdown on dissent continues in communist China. Today human rights activist Wang Lihong went on trial in Beijing:
Wang, 55, a doctor and a veteran of China’s pro-democracy movement in Tiananmen Square in 1989, was arrested on April 21 and is charged with creating a disturbance, the group Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) told Agence France-Presse.
Prominent artist and activist Ai Weiwei, recently released from detention, tweeted his support for Wang earlier this week.
“If you don’t speak out for Wang Lihong, you are not just a person who will not stand up for fairness and justice, you do not have self-respect,” Ai wrote.
Rights groups say Wang’s charges are linked to her support for activists who used the Internet to call for Chinese citizens to join anti-government protests echoing unrest in the Middle East and Africa.
The charge she faces carries a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment, Joshua Rosenzweig of the human rights group Dui Hua Foundation told AFP over the phone from Hong Kong.
site
More than 100 people gathered outside the court early Friday in an outlying suburb of Beijing, where they were monitored and filmed by dozens of police.
Several people shouted 'Wang Lihong come home!' and 'Wang Lihong is innocent!'
One well-known activist outside the court said police had detained scores of other legal rights petitioners near the Beijing South railway station late Thursday to prevent them from supporting Wang during the trial.
Nine mainly European diplomats went to the court and asked to observe Wang's trial.
Police escorted the diplomats into the court building but they were not allowed into the courtroom, said one of the group, which included representatives of the German, Austrian, Swiss and Canadian embassies.
site
PS
Where are the protests of the "international community"? Why is European Union "High Representative", Baroness Ashton not already speaking out loud an clear against China´s crackdown on human rights?
Thursday, 11 August 2011
Voting opened for sanctimonious "Best Green International Celebrity Award"
We now read that voting is has opened for the first "Best Green International Celebrity Award". A look at the shortlist of 15 nominees - which include Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, supermodel Gisele Bündschen, and Sting - makes it clear that the award is in urgent need to be renamed to e.g. "Green Celebrity Hypocrite of the Year Award".
This is how the organizers choose to describe the award:
The International Green Awards aims to raise the bar around the ‘cult of celebrity’ and the ‘green’ agenda as the world counts down to the COP 17 Conference in Durban and the crucial Rio Earth Summit in 2012. This new award will put the spotlight on those progressive individuals who are keen to harness the power of the media, challenge conventional thinking on the climate agenda and who are really ahead of the game by ‘doing their bit’ for the future of us all.
---
Through their media stature and public interest, celebrities are also in the unique position of promoting positive environmental messages, merely through their own example. Celebrities’ advocacy of ‘green’ lifestyles and vocalised support to the environment can generate widespread change, if even through audience’s imitation.
Here is our shortlist of the shortlist:
Leonardo DiCaprio
(organizers´presentation):
The highest paid actor in Hollywood is not one just to spend his money on luxury, but is in fact a strong advocate for environmental issues. This personal affinity towards the environment is acknowledged in his own aptly named “Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation” which supports efforts towards sustainability.
Personally, the actor lives in a solar panel covered home with water saving features, drives a hybrid car and flies commercial airlines instead of a private jet.
Reality check:
"It's time people stop talking about clean energy and climate change and start acting"
site
“The 35-year-old actor was also seen traveling through Johannesburg with socialite Paris Hilton. The twosome were flown from London by private jet to Johannesburg by a mysterious Malaysian millionaire so they could watch the World Cup.”
"Leonardo DiCaprio gets out of his car and boards a private jet with his pal Bradley Cooper on Thursday (April 21) in Los Angeles."
“Leonardo flew ‘commercial ‘ to the Cannes Film Festival and they lost his luggage,” said Leila. “He knows he shouldn’t probably fly private anymore.”
site
Leonardo DiCaprio is the first in line to receive the new $96,000 Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid sports car. This vehicle features 400 horsepower, 0 to 60 mph in 5.9 seconds, "eco-friendly" leather seating, and your choice of oak, mahogany, or walnut inlays. The car was only possible due to $529 million in "stimulus money" courtesy of the Obama administration and US taxpayers.
link
"Admiral LEONARDO DiCAPRIO invited a few Tinseltown chums for a jaunt on his multi-million-dollar yacht off the coast of Hawaii".
site
Dicaprio´s huge mansion in LA probably uses more energy than ten ordinary houses - even if it has a few solar panels on its roof and an "energy efficient toilet" that cost Leonardo over $3,000
Gisele Bündschen
One of the world’s best known models, Gisele, walks more than just runways. Growing up in Brazil, she witnessed the beauty and destruction of the rainforests and the domino effect on surrounding communities.
Reality check:
"according to the Guiness Book Of Records, Gisele is the highest paid model in the world, and even has her own $50million private jet"
site
"One day after she was named the United Nations advocate for environmental awareness, Gisele Bundchen was snapped down in Marshfield taking flying lessons in a fuel-guzzling helicopter. Way to lower that carbon footprint, Mrs. Brady!om Brady’s bride, who has campaigned against Amazon deforestation and for sustainable development and even launched an environmentally friendly line of sandals, was spotted flying off in a gas-sucking Robinson R-44 chopper yesterday morning.Shoreline Aviation prez Keith Douglass confirmed that Bundchen has been talking helicopter-flying lessons for about a month at Marshfield Airport. Apparently, Mrs. 12 wants to shorten her commute between Massachusetts – where she and Tom have set up housekeeping for football season – and NYC, where Gisele has most of her modeling assignments.“She’s doing it for lots of reasons,” Douglass told the Track . “But mainly because of where she lives, she needs a helicopter…”In case you’re keeping track, according to infinitehealthresources.com, a one-hour helicopter ride emits a whopping 466 pounds of CO2 per passenger".
site
"Recently some pictures have been released showing the couple as they inspect the progress on their new Los Angeles home. The multi-million dollar home looks to be as luxurious and extravagant as you would expect and the progress seems to be coming along quickly.Ok I said multi-millions...but how many zeros?
How about 20,000,000 or $20M!!!!
The three-time Super Bowl wining QB is having the home built from the ground up and it clearly is going to be a palace.
Having their dream house constructed is a dream of the couple and money is the last issue. Brady is entering the final year of a six year and $60M and Bundchen reportedly made a cool $25M for modeling in the year 2010.
site
Cameron Diaz
Crowned ‘Queen of Green’ by Vogue magazine, Cameron Diaz is not just a pretty face to the green movement. Not looking to be just a poster girl for the environment, she actively tries to live sustainably, based on the simple premise of it being a ‘choice’ that anyone can make.
Sting:
In recognition of his efforts towards the environment, a species of Colombian tree frog, Dendropsophus stingi was named after him.
Reality check:
"He maintains no fewer than four properties in the UK with his 'core' home the 800-acre Lake House estate in Wiltshire, which boasts 14 bedrooms and eight baths.
Earlier this year, a glimpse into Sting's daily routine at the mansion was provided by Jane Martin, 42, a cook who took the rock star and his wife Trudie Styler to an employment tribunal which awarded her £24,944 following her "shameful" dismissal from her job.
According to Ms Martin, Styler in particular had a "grandiose ego" and wanted to be treated "in a royal manner beyond her station as an actress".
Revealing some of the "fabulous" lifestyle of her former employers, Ms Martin said that "opulent extravagance reigned" at Lake House, and that there was "no regard to expense, cost or wastage" where food and drink were concerned.
The cook added that she had often been required to make an expensive rail and taxi journey between London and Salisbury just to prepare a soup and salad meal for the family, even though they also kept two housekeepers, two nannies and a butler on the premises.
But Sting's well-heeled lifestyle in the Wiltshire countryside is only one part of his worldwide empire.
This same paragon of self-denying minimalism who reminds us all not to squander our resources also owns a three-storey mansion in Highgate, North London, a townhouse in Westminster and what's described as a workman's cottage in the Lake District.
He also maintains a beach house in Malibu, California, and a 600-acre estate in Tuscany.
And when Sting performs in New York he goes home at night to a £1 million duplex on Manhattan's exclusive Upper East Side."
site
PS
The organizers of the Best Green International Celebrity Award suggest that the "audience" imitate the "progressive" celebrity nominees. However, it is not an easy task to imitate the acquisition of e.g. a $20 million mansion or a 14 bedroom estate, or even a trip by private jet to Johannesburg, South Africa.
This is how the organizers choose to describe the award:
The International Green Awards aims to raise the bar around the ‘cult of celebrity’ and the ‘green’ agenda as the world counts down to the COP 17 Conference in Durban and the crucial Rio Earth Summit in 2012. This new award will put the spotlight on those progressive individuals who are keen to harness the power of the media, challenge conventional thinking on the climate agenda and who are really ahead of the game by ‘doing their bit’ for the future of us all.
---
Through their media stature and public interest, celebrities are also in the unique position of promoting positive environmental messages, merely through their own example. Celebrities’ advocacy of ‘green’ lifestyles and vocalised support to the environment can generate widespread change, if even through audience’s imitation.
Here is our shortlist of the shortlist:
Leonardo DiCaprio
(organizers´presentation):
The highest paid actor in Hollywood is not one just to spend his money on luxury, but is in fact a strong advocate for environmental issues. This personal affinity towards the environment is acknowledged in his own aptly named “Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation” which supports efforts towards sustainability.
Personally, the actor lives in a solar panel covered home with water saving features, drives a hybrid car and flies commercial airlines instead of a private jet.
Reality check:
"It's time people stop talking about clean energy and climate change and start acting"
site
“The 35-year-old actor was also seen traveling through Johannesburg with socialite Paris Hilton. The twosome were flown from London by private jet to Johannesburg by a mysterious Malaysian millionaire so they could watch the World Cup.”
"Leonardo DiCaprio gets out of his car and boards a private jet with his pal Bradley Cooper on Thursday (April 21) in Los Angeles."
“Leonardo flew ‘commercial ‘ to the Cannes Film Festival and they lost his luggage,” said Leila. “He knows he shouldn’t probably fly private anymore.”
site
Leonardo DiCaprio is the first in line to receive the new $96,000 Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid sports car. This vehicle features 400 horsepower, 0 to 60 mph in 5.9 seconds, "eco-friendly" leather seating, and your choice of oak, mahogany, or walnut inlays. The car was only possible due to $529 million in "stimulus money" courtesy of the Obama administration and US taxpayers.
link
"Admiral LEONARDO DiCAPRIO invited a few Tinseltown chums for a jaunt on his multi-million-dollar yacht off the coast of Hawaii".
site
"Hollywood legend Steven Spielberg can certainly afford some magnificent toys for himself, wife Kate Capshaw, and their kids. For Cannes, the directing icon was aboard his $200 million megayacht Seven Seas with fellow film figure Leonardo DiCaprio"
site
site
Gisele Bündschen
One of the world’s best known models, Gisele, walks more than just runways. Growing up in Brazil, she witnessed the beauty and destruction of the rainforests and the domino effect on surrounding communities.
Reality check:
"according to the Guiness Book Of Records, Gisele is the highest paid model in the world, and even has her own $50million private jet"
site
"One day after she was named the United Nations advocate for environmental awareness, Gisele Bundchen was snapped down in Marshfield taking flying lessons in a fuel-guzzling helicopter. Way to lower that carbon footprint, Mrs. Brady!om Brady’s bride, who has campaigned against Amazon deforestation and for sustainable development and even launched an environmentally friendly line of sandals, was spotted flying off in a gas-sucking Robinson R-44 chopper yesterday morning.Shoreline Aviation prez Keith Douglass confirmed that Bundchen has been talking helicopter-flying lessons for about a month at Marshfield Airport. Apparently, Mrs. 12 wants to shorten her commute between Massachusetts – where she and Tom have set up housekeeping for football season – and NYC, where Gisele has most of her modeling assignments.“She’s doing it for lots of reasons,” Douglass told the Track . “But mainly because of where she lives, she needs a helicopter…”In case you’re keeping track, according to infinitehealthresources.com, a one-hour helicopter ride emits a whopping 466 pounds of CO2 per passenger".
site
"Recently some pictures have been released showing the couple as they inspect the progress on their new Los Angeles home. The multi-million dollar home looks to be as luxurious and extravagant as you would expect and the progress seems to be coming along quickly.
How about 20,000,000 or $20M!!!!
The three-time Super Bowl wining QB is having the home built from the ground up and it clearly is going to be a palace.
Having their dream house constructed is a dream of the couple and money is the last issue. Brady is entering the final year of a six year and $60M and Bundchen reportedly made a cool $25M for modeling in the year 2010.
site
Cameron Diaz
Crowned ‘Queen of Green’ by Vogue magazine, Cameron Diaz is not just a pretty face to the green movement. Not looking to be just a poster girl for the environment, she actively tries to live sustainably, based on the simple premise of it being a ‘choice’ that anyone can make.
On the personal front, the actress claims to follow an eco-friendly lifestyle by using reused and recycled products that are beneficial to the environment. Cameron Diaz claims to use only energy-efficient home appliances and minimal essential lighting, besides using carbon neutral offsets for travelling.
Reality check:
"But as a smiling Cameron Diaz and A-Rod climbed aboard a private jet together yesterday it was clear their relationship was on track."
site
"She packed for her flight in a practical, yet totally luxurious Bottega Veneta taupe tote bag which retails for $3,920 and is also available in Black"
site
"And I travel so much - and that's something that I have just become so hyper-aware of, because a lot of people have a community that they live in their hometown - they travel a certain miles - a few miles in their day-to-day life. And in my life I've been fortunate enough to travel and extend those miles a little bit further and I feel like my community now, I really feel like it's global. Everyplace I go - everyone's the same! I go to Africa, and I just got back from Peru two days ago - and no matter what the culture is, everybody's doing the same thing.
--
And I see it everywhere I go - there's no exception. And that's really powerful. It's really powerful to see that we really are all the same. We all need the same things, we all require the same things and we all get it from the same place".
site
"Hollywood beauty Cameron Diaz has splashed out $ 10 million on a sprawling mansion in Beverly
Hills.
The Charlie's Angels star who is reportedly dating baseball star Alex Rodriguez brought the house modelled on a English countryside mansion after she fell in love with it's decor.
And Diaz will be surrounded by friends and famous faces when she moves into her bachelorette pad.
Her neighbours included Nicole Kidman, Jessica Simpson and newlyweds Penelope Cruz and Javier Barden who live a stone's throw away, reported Daily Mail online.
The 37-year-old actress liked the mansion's wooden beams, gold-plated framed paintings and big comfortable sofas, which give off a cosy, cottage feel.
The 5,000 sq ft single storey house comes with a detached three bedroom guesthouse, a tennis court and swimming pool with hot tub."
site
Reality check:
"But as a smiling Cameron Diaz and A-Rod climbed aboard a private jet together yesterday it was clear their relationship was on track."
site
"She packed for her flight in a practical, yet totally luxurious Bottega Veneta taupe tote bag which retails for $3,920 and is also available in Black"
site
"And I travel so much - and that's something that I have just become so hyper-aware of, because a lot of people have a community that they live in their hometown - they travel a certain miles - a few miles in their day-to-day life. And in my life I've been fortunate enough to travel and extend those miles a little bit further and I feel like my community now, I really feel like it's global. Everyplace I go - everyone's the same! I go to Africa, and I just got back from Peru two days ago - and no matter what the culture is, everybody's doing the same thing.
--
And I see it everywhere I go - there's no exception. And that's really powerful. It's really powerful to see that we really are all the same. We all need the same things, we all require the same things and we all get it from the same place".
site
"Hollywood beauty Cameron Diaz has splashed out $ 10 million on a sprawling mansion in Beverly
Hills.
The Charlie's Angels star who is reportedly dating baseball star Alex Rodriguez brought the house modelled on a English countryside mansion after she fell in love with it's decor.
And Diaz will be surrounded by friends and famous faces when she moves into her bachelorette pad.
Her neighbours included Nicole Kidman, Jessica Simpson and newlyweds Penelope Cruz and Javier Barden who live a stone's throw away, reported Daily Mail online.
The 37-year-old actress liked the mansion's wooden beams, gold-plated framed paintings and big comfortable sofas, which give off a cosy, cottage feel.
The 5,000 sq ft single storey house comes with a detached three bedroom guesthouse, a tennis court and swimming pool with hot tub."
site
Sting:
In recognition of his efforts towards the environment, a species of Colombian tree frog, Dendropsophus stingi was named after him.
Reality check:
"He maintains no fewer than four properties in the UK with his 'core' home the 800-acre Lake House estate in Wiltshire, which boasts 14 bedrooms and eight baths.
Earlier this year, a glimpse into Sting's daily routine at the mansion was provided by Jane Martin, 42, a cook who took the rock star and his wife Trudie Styler to an employment tribunal which awarded her £24,944 following her "shameful" dismissal from her job.
According to Ms Martin, Styler in particular had a "grandiose ego" and wanted to be treated "in a royal manner beyond her station as an actress".
Revealing some of the "fabulous" lifestyle of her former employers, Ms Martin said that "opulent extravagance reigned" at Lake House, and that there was "no regard to expense, cost or wastage" where food and drink were concerned.
The cook added that she had often been required to make an expensive rail and taxi journey between London and Salisbury just to prepare a soup and salad meal for the family, even though they also kept two housekeepers, two nannies and a butler on the premises.
But Sting's well-heeled lifestyle in the Wiltshire countryside is only one part of his worldwide empire.
This same paragon of self-denying minimalism who reminds us all not to squander our resources also owns a three-storey mansion in Highgate, North London, a townhouse in Westminster and what's described as a workman's cottage in the Lake District.
He also maintains a beach house in Malibu, California, and a 600-acre estate in Tuscany.
And when Sting performs in New York he goes home at night to a £1 million duplex on Manhattan's exclusive Upper East Side."
site
PS
The organizers of the Best Green International Celebrity Award suggest that the "audience" imitate the "progressive" celebrity nominees. However, it is not an easy task to imitate the acquisition of e.g. a $20 million mansion or a 14 bedroom estate, or even a trip by private jet to Johannesburg, South Africa.
Tuesday, 9 August 2011
Australian writer: Lack of leadership on climate change one reason for UK riots
It was bound to happen. Sooner or later somebody would blame the riots in London and elsewhere in the UK on climate change or lack of action against it. Gavin Heaton, "a valued contributor to (Australian) Business 2 Community" thinks that the rioting is a result of lack of leadership "on big, moral and social issues such as racism, asylum seekers, access to opportunity and education, and yes, even climate change":
Now I in no way condone the violence that is taking place. But it is important to point out that these type of events occur when populations are disenfranchised, when disadvantage is baked into the institutions that make up our society, and when access to opportunity, to a future worth living, is limited by where you were born and where you went to school.
The woman in this video says, “we’re not fighting for a cause” – and she is right. Decades of social, political and cultural neglect reinforced and amplified by the divisiveness of dog whistle politics has led to this point. As Laurie Penny explains:
But we’re also seeing the same thing here in Australia. We’re following the same path. Rather than leadership on big, moral and social issues such as racism, asylum seekers, access to opportunity and education, and yes, even climate change, we see minute focus on what our politicians believe they can get away with. It’s the bare minimum in terms of social policy.
Read the entire article here
It would not surprise anybody if Heaton, or some other ecofundamentalists, would soon start blaming extreme weather events, caused by global warming, "big oil" and the "climate deniers" for contributing to the riots.
Now I in no way condone the violence that is taking place. But it is important to point out that these type of events occur when populations are disenfranchised, when disadvantage is baked into the institutions that make up our society, and when access to opportunity, to a future worth living, is limited by where you were born and where you went to school.
The woman in this video says, “we’re not fighting for a cause” – and she is right. Decades of social, political and cultural neglect reinforced and amplified by the divisiveness of dog whistle politics has led to this point. As Laurie Penny explains:
The people running Britain had absolutely no clue how desperate things had become. They thought that they could take away the last little things that gave people hope, the benefits, the jobs, the possibility of higher education, the support structures, and nothing would happen. They were wrong. And now my city is burning …It’s a terrible situation.
But we’re also seeing the same thing here in Australia. We’re following the same path. Rather than leadership on big, moral and social issues such as racism, asylum seekers, access to opportunity and education, and yes, even climate change, we see minute focus on what our politicians believe they can get away with. It’s the bare minimum in terms of social policy.
Read the entire article here
It would not surprise anybody if Heaton, or some other ecofundamentalists, would soon start blaming extreme weather events, caused by global warming, "big oil" and the "climate deniers" for contributing to the riots.
Russia´s "liberal" president Dmitry Medvedev reveals his true colors
Russia-media has published an interesting - and chilling - interview with the "liberal" president of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev. Medvedev´s way of describing his mentor (and boss) Vladmir Putin´s brute use of force in Chehncya, is revealing:
ALEXEI VENEDIKTOV: Allow me to speak bluntly then: How is Saakashvili’s action on Tskhinval different from what Russia was doing to Grozny back in 1999?
DMITRY MEDVEDEV: This is a question I get to hear rather often. The difference is that Russia was not after the same objectives in Grozny as Georgia was in Tskhinval. We were pursuing a legitimate task of restoring order. We were not set on mass-killing our own people. We were fighting criminals: the people who defied a legitimate government, draping themselves with various slogans, from pseudo-Islamic notions to pure extremist propaganda. There was nothing of the kind in either South Ossetia or Abkhazia, since these two republics had long existed as self-proclaimed independent states which had their own governments and maintained some sort of law and order. These cases are essentially different.
Contrast this with what actually happened in Chechnya:
In 2004, the human rights group Memorial estimated the amount of civilian casualties of both wars at "more than 200,000" and the amount of Russian soldiers killed at 20,000 to 40,000
Earlier on in the interview Medvedev said this about the Georgian president:
Saakashvili had committed a crime against the Russian Federation and its nationals. Hundreds of our citizens were killed on his orders, including Russian peacekeepers.
When one of the journalists pressed Medvedev on the number of persons killed by Georgian troops in Tshkinval, suddenly the number of "our citzens" killed were of no importance:
EKATERINA KOTRIKADZE: Let us look at some of the numbers. In the wake of the war in 2008, Russian envoys and the representatives of South Ossetia’s de facto government argued that the fighting in Tskhinval had claimed 2,000 lives. That was the number that was announced. Later on, Russia’s Investigative Committee estimated the casualties at no more than 150 people. Meanwhile, it was this alleged toll of 2,000 that had served as one of the main reasons for launching the so-called peace enforcement operation. How would you account for this discrepancy now, three years after the war?
DMITRY MEDVEDEV: I have explained my rationale for taking that decision on numerous occasions. You see, I didn’t look to any figures for motivation. This isn’t exactly a case for mathematics.
Read the entire Medvedev interview here
PS
Vladimir Medvedev´s answers speak volumes about the mindset of this puppet of Putin, who for some difficult to understand reasons still is considered to be a "liberal" by many western political leaders. Medvedev has the temerity to claim that Russia´s well documented war crimes in Chechnya were just "a legitimate task of restoring order" while at the same time (falsely) alleging that Georgian troops were "set on mass killing our own people". Western leaders should understand that Russia´s only hope of moving towards a society based on the rule of law and respect of human rights is in replacing the corrupt Putin/Medvedev regime with a new generation of leaders who share western values.
ALEXEI VENEDIKTOV: Allow me to speak bluntly then: How is Saakashvili’s action on Tskhinval different from what Russia was doing to Grozny back in 1999?
DMITRY MEDVEDEV: This is a question I get to hear rather often. The difference is that Russia was not after the same objectives in Grozny as Georgia was in Tskhinval. We were pursuing a legitimate task of restoring order. We were not set on mass-killing our own people. We were fighting criminals: the people who defied a legitimate government, draping themselves with various slogans, from pseudo-Islamic notions to pure extremist propaganda. There was nothing of the kind in either South Ossetia or Abkhazia, since these two republics had long existed as self-proclaimed independent states which had their own governments and maintained some sort of law and order. These cases are essentially different.
Contrast this with what actually happened in Chechnya:
In 2004, the human rights group Memorial estimated the amount of civilian casualties of both wars at "more than 200,000" and the amount of Russian soldiers killed at 20,000 to 40,000
Earlier on in the interview Medvedev said this about the Georgian president:
Saakashvili had committed a crime against the Russian Federation and its nationals. Hundreds of our citizens were killed on his orders, including Russian peacekeepers.
When one of the journalists pressed Medvedev on the number of persons killed by Georgian troops in Tshkinval, suddenly the number of "our citzens" killed were of no importance:
EKATERINA KOTRIKADZE: Let us look at some of the numbers. In the wake of the war in 2008, Russian envoys and the representatives of South Ossetia’s de facto government argued that the fighting in Tskhinval had claimed 2,000 lives. That was the number that was announced. Later on, Russia’s Investigative Committee estimated the casualties at no more than 150 people. Meanwhile, it was this alleged toll of 2,000 that had served as one of the main reasons for launching the so-called peace enforcement operation. How would you account for this discrepancy now, three years after the war?
DMITRY MEDVEDEV: I have explained my rationale for taking that decision on numerous occasions. You see, I didn’t look to any figures for motivation. This isn’t exactly a case for mathematics.
Read the entire Medvedev interview here
PS
Vladimir Medvedev´s answers speak volumes about the mindset of this puppet of Putin, who for some difficult to understand reasons still is considered to be a "liberal" by many western political leaders. Medvedev has the temerity to claim that Russia´s well documented war crimes in Chechnya were just "a legitimate task of restoring order" while at the same time (falsely) alleging that Georgian troops were "set on mass killing our own people". Western leaders should understand that Russia´s only hope of moving towards a society based on the rule of law and respect of human rights is in replacing the corrupt Putin/Medvedev regime with a new generation of leaders who share western values.
Monday, 8 August 2011
Wind and solar energy stocks on their way to hit rock bottom
Vestas wind turbine crashing in storm
There are clear signs now that wind and solar energy stocks are heading towards rock bottom, in spite of huge goverment subsidies to wind and solar power parks:
Clean energy stocks are approaching a floor after European austerity measures and cheap U.S. natural- gas pushed wind and solar companies lower, Impax Asset Management Ltd. said.
Vestas Wind Systems A/S, the world’s biggest wind turbine maker, this week fell to its lowest level in more than five years and Trina Solar Ltd. (TSL), the No. 4 solar cell maker, is down 36 percent this year.
Read the entire article here
Another sign of the decline of wind energy:
German wind energy developer PNE Wind has announced turnover of €16.6m for the first half of the year, a huge decrease from the same period in 2010 when turnover stood at €41.1m. EBIT decreased to €0.9m from the €8.2m level it stood at in the first six months of last year. The company attributed falling revenue to a decision to focus on offshore wind projects, which have a higher investment and construction time than onshore developments.
Read the entire article here
The prospect of loosing subsidies is already impacting wind and solar investments:
Cleantech venture-capital investments appears to be waning, despite increased mergers and acquisitions among green tech firms, a new report from Peachtree Capital Advisers says. The midyear report by the New York-based investment bank said economic uncertainty and the prospect of losing federal subsidies – especially as funds from the 2009 stimulus expire – have discouraged venture capitalists from green technology investments.
Read the entire article here
The hopeless UK climate change secretary, warmist Chris Huhne, still refuses to see where the wind is blowing. He lives in his own cosy world of government subsidies and would like to see the whole of the UK covered with those unprofitable, environmentally and aesthetically horrible monsters:
Energy and climate change secretary Chris Huhne, on a visit yesterday to the Vestas wind turbine facility in the Isle of Wight, spoke enthusiastically of the UK leading the world in the area, with some 1.5GW of wind capacity already installed.
"Last week’s new European Wind Energy Association numbers found almost all turbines installed in the first half of this year were in the UK: 101 off the UK, compared to just 7 in the rest of Europe," he said.
Read the entire article here
No wonder serious investors in other countries are staying away from this sad reality, created by Chris Huhne and David Cameron:
The report, entitled The Green Mirage, exposes the colossal scale of public subsidies for renewable energy and warns that by propping up many of these schemes, ministers have simply ‘picked losers’ and prevented the development of more cost-effective ways of generating energy.It says the UK’s £5billion subsidy to renewable electricity generators in the eight years to 2010 was the equivalent of paying every worker in the wind industry £230,000. Each job in the wind industry was subsidised to the tune of £54,000 last year.
Read the entire article here
Sunday, 7 August 2011
"There are no future events on the Al Gore schedule"
(image wikipedia)
This morning I had a look at the site Eventful , "a leading digital service connecting consumers with entertainment and live events". Eventful offers excellent information about thousands of concerts and other events worldwide. However, what made me particularly happy, was this event information:
"There are no future events on the Al Gore schedule"
If nothing else, this must be a good omen of things to come.
Although it is difficult to believe, there still seem to be a number of companies and organizations - fewer than before - who are willing to pay hoaxter Gore $100,000-150,000 for his standard global warming scaremongering appearance. First-class airfare, a car service, accommodations and meals for Gore and an adviser are additional.
During these days of financial and economic crisis, when every dollar counts, the public should know which companies and organizations have chosen to use their money to pay hoaxter Gore for his dubious services.
This list - more properly it should be called a "hall of shame" - is available on Gore´s agent´s website:
Congressional Youth Leadership Council
The Ganley Group of Companies
British American Business Council in the Midlands
FORM Perth
 |
| "There are no future events on the Al Gore schedule" |
This morning I had a look at the site Eventful , "a leading digital service connecting consumers with entertainment and live events". Eventful offers excellent information about thousands of concerts and other events worldwide. However, what made me particularly happy, was this event information:
"There are no future events on the Al Gore schedule"
If nothing else, this must be a good omen of things to come.
Although it is difficult to believe, there still seem to be a number of companies and organizations - fewer than before - who are willing to pay hoaxter Gore $100,000-150,000 for his standard global warming scaremongering appearance. First-class airfare, a car service, accommodations and meals for Gore and an adviser are additional.
During these days of financial and economic crisis, when every dollar counts, the public should know which companies and organizations have chosen to use their money to pay hoaxter Gore for his dubious services.
This list - more properly it should be called a "hall of shame" - is available on Gore´s agent´s website:
Congressional Youth Leadership Council
The Ganley Group of Companies
British American Business Council in the Midlands
FORM Perth