Clipmarks | willhelm's 'environment' clips

The Best States For Business Forbes Annual Listing

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 13:51:12 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: In Forbes' annual ranking of the Best States for Business, Virginia finished first for the third straight year. But Georgia is the real story, moving from 15th to fifth place. Georgia finished in the top 10 in four of the six categories we examined (economic climate, growth prospects, labor supply and regulatory environment). Just two other states, Virginia and third-ranked Washington, managed this feat.

Our rankings measure states on six main areas of importance: business costs, labor supply, regulatory environment, current economic climate, growth prospects and quality of life. Business costs are weighted the most, but low costs were not enough to keep Louisiana and West Virginia from being the bottom two in our ranking. We look at a total of 32 data points to compile rankings of the six main categories.

Clip Source: www.forbes.com

100 Months left. Here is how to save the world

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 19:52:58 GMT

clipped by: willhelm
clipper's remarks: Hmmm. Looks familiar.

Clip Source: tigerhawk.blogspot.com

"a structural transformation of the regulation of the financial system"

"breaking up discredited financial institutions that have only survived through the injection of vast sums of public money"

"clamping down on tax havens and obfuscatory corporate financial reporting"

"to prevent inflation, we want to see much tighter regulation of the wider financial environment"

"establishment of an Oil Legacy Fund, similar to a highly successful Norwegian government initiative, paid for by a windfall tax on the profits of oil and gas companies"

"More realistic fossil fuel prices, raised to include their cost to the environment"

"make available the low-cost capital needed to fund the UK's green economic shift whilst having controls in place to prevent inflation" [Price controls? Seriously?

Proposals like these published in supposedly serious forums give credence to the concerns of the rest of us that climate change hysteria is just the latest justification for socialism.

Green Poetry Slam

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 23:27:14 GMT

clipped by: willhelm

Clip Source: www.ecorazzi.com

The Sundance Institute in partnership with Youth Speaks, is reaching out to the younger generation by inviting slam poets to Sundance to perform global warming poetry. Robert Redford has a long history of commitment to the environment, and he feels in this year of pending change it is a critical time for the youth to get involved. Art is the medium he’d like to see them express their priorities for the environment, and a poetry slam with a theme of global warming is just the ticket.

Many of the participants are first time voters, and the hope is that through expressing their ideas about this mammoth concept of a changing climate, poets and audience members will want to take a more active role in shaping their future

Isn’t it exciting when youth are really passionate about something, especially when it’s the environment?

50 feel-better boosters

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 19:55:18 GMT

clipped by: willhelm

Clip Source: www.lifeoptimizer.org

Read a book

Volunteer

Give someone a compliment

Dress well

Say please and thank you

Look for the best in others

Keep a gratitude journal

Eat well

Exercise

Smile

Meditate

Get a massage

Set goals

Take action

Call your best friend

Visualize success

Focus on your successes

Learn from your failures

Accept what you can`t change

Start a conversation with a stranger

Sing

Reconnect with an old friend

Go for a walk

Spend time with friends and family

Enjoy a great meal

Listen to some great music

Journal

Rejoice in the successes of others

Laugh

Forgive yourself

Get enthusiastic about something

Slow down

Spend time in nature

Pamper yourself

Be spontaneous

Watch a sunset

Spend time with children

Do something creative

Play a game

Ask for help

Daydream

Give someone a hug

Breathe deeply

Take a bath

Get into a happy environment –

Do some gardening

Think of some pleasant memories

Focus on the good in the world

Complete an unfinished task

Decide to be happy

Falsification of CO2 Effects Within the Frame of Physics

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 17:43:08 GMT

clipped by: willhelm

Clip Source: arxiv.org

The atmospheric greenhouse effect, an idea that authors trace back to the traditional works of Fourier 1824, Tyndall 1861, and Arrhenius 1896, and which is still supported in global climatology, essentially describes a fictitious mechanism, in which a planetary atmosphere acts as a heat pump driven by an environment that is radiatively interacting with but radiatively equilibrated to the atmospheric system. According to the second law of thermodynamics such a planetary machine can never exist.

(a) there are no common physical laws between the warming phenomenon in glass houses and the fictitious atmospheric greenhouse effects

(b) there are no calculations to determine an average surface temperature of a planet

(e) the assumption of a radiative balance is unphysical

(f) thermal conductivity and friction must not be set to zero, the atmospheric greenhouse conjecture is falsified.

Consumption up 10% over last year

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 18:01:44 GMT

clipped by: willhelm
clipper's remarks: Mine's down.

Clip Source: www.tennesseepolicy.org

Energy Guzzled by Al Gore’s Home in Past Year Could Power 232 U.S. Homes for a Month
Gore’s personal electricity consumption up 10%, despite “energy-efficient” home renovations

“A man’s commitment to his beliefs is best measured by what he does behind the closed doors of his own home,” said Drew Johnson, President of the Tennessee Center for Policy Research. “Al Gore is a hypocrite and a fraud when it comes to his commitment to the environment, judging by his home energy consumption.”

After the Tennessee Center for Policy Research exposed Gore’s massive home energy use, the former Vice President scurried to make his home more energy-efficient. Despite adding solar panels, installing a geothermal system, replacing existing light bulbs with more efficient models, and overhauling the home’s windows and ductwork, Gore now consumes more electricity than before the “green” overhaul.

Is Eco-therapy for you?

Mon, 05 May 2008 20:17:44 GMT

clipped by: willhelm
clipper's remarks: "Melissa Pickett, an eco-therapist in Santa Fe, N.M., who says she treats dozens of patients a month, said sometimes she has to tell extreme greenies to chill out for their own good. "The global warming craze will cause your clients to go into extremism fueled by fear," she says."

"And with eco-therapy around, that extremism can get expensive. Eco-therapy can cost as much as traditional psychotherapy, upwards of $100 an hour. There's a lot of green in being green."

"But Pickett said eco-therapy helps those grappling with feelings of helplessness and hopelessness about the environment."

"People break down and cry. They develop obsessive-compulsive behavior. They have nightmares," Pickett said. "And these are normally high-functioning people."

She pushes her eco-disturbed patients to take shorter showers, turn off lights and computers, consume less, buy less and learn as much as they can about global warming.

Clip Source: www.foxnews.com

Sarah Edwards worries about the gasoline she burns, the paper towels she throws out, the litter on the beach, water pollution. She worries so much, it literally makes her sick.

"Fear, grief, anger, confusion and depression," Edwards says, pointing to the negativity that has manifested itself in real-life symptoms such as neck and shoulder pain, fibromyalgia and fatigue.

Edwards suffers from eco-anxiety, the growing angst experienced by those who can't handle the thought that they — or anyone — are in some way contributing to global warming, species extinction and dwindling natural resources.

Things have gotten so bad, a new kind of therapy has sprouted up to keep people from going nuts over the environment.

"eco-therapy" or "eco-psychology." The time on the couch isn’t spent delving into a patient's childhood to find the source of misery. Instead, it looks at how much time a person spends in nature, the person's carbon footprint and what the individual is doing to save the planet.

Dems Favored In Electoral Map

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 16:00:05 GMT

clipped by: Skipper61

Clip Source: news.yahoo.com

WASHINGTON - The electoral road to the White House favors Democrats this fall — either Barack Obama or Hillary Rodham Clinton — and has Republican John McCain playing defense to thwart a presidential power shift.

A downtrodden economy, the war in Iraq and a public call for change have created an Electoral College outlook and a political environment filled with extraordinary opportunity for the Democrats and enormous challenge for the GOP nominee-in-waiting.

Both parties count on victory in dozens of states that long have voted their way. The competition to reach the 270 electoral votes needed to win is expected to play out primarily in 14 states. All but one saw the greatest action in 2004. The exception is Virginia, a longtime Republican stronghold where Democrats have made inroads.

Eight of the states went for President Bush four years ago, including the crown jewels Ohio and Florida.

Six, including big-prize Pennsylvania, voted for Democrat John Kerry.

North Pole Could Be Ice-Free in 2008

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 20:32:13 GMT

clipped by: nohobot

Clip Source: environment.newscientist.com

You know when climate change is biting hard when instead of a vast expanse of snow the North Pole is a vast expanse of water. This year, for the first time, Arctic scientists are preparing for that possibility.

In September 2007, Arctic sea ice reached a record low, opening up the fabled North-West passage that runs from Greenland to Alaska.

Arctic ice at its maximum in March, but that maximum is declining by 44,000 km² per year on average, the NSIDC has calculated (see graph, top right). That corresponds to an area roughly twice the size of New Jersey.

2 per year on average (Image: NSIDC)" />

Despite its news value in the media, the North Pole being ice free is not in itself significant. To scientists, Serreze points out, "this is just another point on the globe". What is worrying, though, is the fact that multi-year ice – the stuff that doesn't melt in the summer – is not piling up as fast as Arctic ice generally is melting.

Tags: new scientist, science, climate change, ice, global warming, climate, north pole, arctic, environment

Why big business loves regulation

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 02:21:35 GMT

clipped by: willhelm
clipper's remarks: Government and Big business collusion to ensure oligarchy.

Clip Source: scribblativeagincourting.wordpress.com

“Big business is often the chief lobbyist for, and the primary beneficiary of, government regulation. The media typically do not notice this, while big corporate executives and bureaucrats obscure their partnership, leaving the taxpayer, the consumer, the worker, and the entrepreneur in the dark about how big government and big business are ripping them off through regulation….

“Politicians and bureaucrats often portray these regulations as tools for restraining business in order to protect workers, consumers, the environment, or fair competition. Taking their word for it, the media tend to depict any debate about regulation as a battle pitting the government against big business, with big business asking to be left alone.

George Stigler, who won the Nobel Prize for economics in 1982, laid out the true story clearly and convincingly in a 1971 essay. ‘Regulation,’ wrote Stigler, ‘is acquired by the industry and is designed and operated primarily for its benefit’”…

Brave New Fed - Jonathan Macey

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 18:41:29 GMT

clipped by: willhelm
clipper's remarks: Macey: "The result will further weaken the U.S. banking industry and lead to a wave of mergers among investment banks seeking to become "too big to fail."

Clip Source: online.wsj.com

Regulation follows crisis as surely as mushrooms follow the rain. The collapse of Enron led to passage of Sarbanes-Oxley and to sweeping new powers for the Securities and Exchange Commission. Likewise, it now appears that the collapse of Bear Stearns will lead to broad new powers for the Federal Reserve.

The FDICIA was passed specifically to establish procedures to be used by regulators when dealing with failed financial institutions. But FDICIA applies only to federally insured depository institutions, like banks and savings and loan associations. When the statute was passed nobody in their wildest dreams thought that government bailouts would extend beyond federally insured deposit institutions to include investment banks

The bailout of Bear Stearns creates an unfair competitive environment in U.S. financial markets

investment banks are getting for free a better government bailout than commercial banks

Climate change causes mental disorders

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 18:07:06 GMT

clipped by: willhelm

Clip Source: www.worldchanging.com

A small yet growing body of evidence suggests that how people think and feel is being influenced strongly by ecosystem transformation related to climate change and industry-related displacement from the land. These powerful stressors are occurring more frequently around the world.

A case in point: When researchers from the Centre for Rural and Remote Mental Health at the University of Newcastle in Australia conducted interviews in drought-affected communities in New South Wales in 2005, the responses suggested some of their subjects may have been suffering from a recently described psychological condition called solastalgia (pronounced so-la-stal-juh).

I believe that we’re right at the leading edge of change research and we are very committed to supporting the network of ecological and social relationships that promote human health. There’s hope in recognizing solastalgia and defeating it by creating ways to reconnect with our local environment and communities.

Tips to help you cope with change

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 02:41:51 GMT

clipped by: willhelm

Clip Source: www.ext.colostate.edu

Following are tips to help you cope with change.

Develop support relationships at work and home. People with friends on whom they can rely during stressful times experience fewer negative effects of the stress change can bring.

Examine your work environment. If possible, change what you don't like about your work environment or accept what you can't change.

Take care of yourself. Eat a balanced diet, exercise, get enough rest.

Build self-esteem.

Be open and flexible. Knowing that change can happen at any time helps you accept an adjust when it occurs.

"Accent the positive and eliminate the negative. keep on the sunny side of life."

Take control of your life. What can you do now that will help you cope with the changes in your life? Make a list of options. What are the positive and negative outcomes of each choice. Practice finding the good in each of life's changes.

Use resources available to you.

Eta Carinae

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 12:36:07 GMT

clipped by: skwirlinator

Clip Source: antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov

Clip Source: www.coolscifi.com

Explanation: Eta Carinae, one of the most massive and unstable stars in the Milky Way Galaxy, has a profound effect on its environment. Found in the the South Pillar region of the Carina Nebula, these fantastic pillars of glowing dust and gas with embedded newborn stars were sculpted by the intense wind and radiation from Eta Carinae and other massive stars. Glowing brightly in planet Earth's southern sky, the expansive Eta Carinae Nebula is a mere 10,000 light-years distant. Still, this remarkable cosmic vista is largely obscured by nebular dust and only revealed here in penetrating infrared light by the Spitzer Space Telescope. Eta Carinae itself is off the top left of the false-color image, with the bright-tipped dust pillars pointing suggestively toward the massive star's position. The Spitzer image spans almost 200 light-years at the distance of Eta Carinae.

Tags: eta carinae, space, carina nebula

Dr. Marcel Leroux

Sun, 09 Mar 2008 00:07:55 GMT

clipped by: willhelm

Clip Source: epw.senate.gov

Climatologist Dr. Marcel Leroux, former professor at Université Jean Moulin and director of the Laboratory of Climatology, Risks, and Environment in Lyon, is a climate skeptic. Leroux wrote a 2005 book titled Global Warming - Myth or Reality? - The Erring Ways of Climatology. "Day after day, the same mantra - that ‘the Earth is warming up' - is churned out in all its forms. As ‘the ice melts' and ‘sea level rises,' the Apocalypse looms ever nearer! Without realizing it, or perhaps without wishing to, the average citizen in bamboozled, lobotomized, lulled into mindless acceptance. ... Non-believers in the greenhouse scenario are in the position of those long ago who doubted the existence of God ... fortunately for them, the Inquisition is no longer with us!"

Clipmarks | willhelm's 'environment' clips

The Best States For Business Forbes Annual Listing

No. 1: Virginia

No. 2: Utah

No. 3: Washington

No. 4: North Carolina

No. 5: Georgia

No. 6: Colorado

No. 7: Idaho

No. 8: Florida

No. 9: Texas

No. 10: Nebraska

No. 11: Minnesota

No. 12: Delaware

No. 13: North Dakota

No. 14: Maryland

No. 15: New Mexico

No. 16: Oregon

No. 17: Tennessee

No. 18: Arizona

No. 19: Nevada

No. 20: New Hampshire

No. 21: Kansas

No. 22: Iowa

No. 23: South Dakota

No. 24: Montana

No. 25: Indiana

No. 26: Oklahoma

No. 27: Hawaii

No. 28: Alabama

No. 29: South Carolina

No. 30: Missouri

No. 31: Wyoming

No. 32: Arkansas

No. 33: Connecticut

No. 34: New Jersey

No. 35: Illinois

No. 36: Massachusetts

No. 36: Vermont

No. 38: New York

No. 39: Ohio

No. 40: California

No. 41: Pennsylvania

No. 42: Mississippi

No. 43: Wisconsin

No. 44: Kentucky

No. 45: Rhode Island

No. 46: Maine

No. 47 Michigan

No. 48: Alaska

No. 49: Louisiana

No. 50: West Virginia

100 Months left. Here is how to save the world

Green Poetry Slam

50 feel-better boosters

Falsification of CO2 Effects Within the Frame of Physics

Consumption up 10% over last year

Is Eco-therapy for you?

Dems Favored In Electoral Map

North Pole Could Be Ice-Free in 2008

Why big business loves regulation

Brave New Fed - Jonathan Macey

Climate change causes mental disorders

Tips to help you cope with change

Eta Carinae

Dr. Marcel Leroux