This is criminal. It is yelling fire in a theater.

14 January 2018

An incoming missile alert (click here) plunged residents of Hawaii into panic on Saturday morning before it was declared a false alarm.

Mobile phone users received a message saying: "Ballistic missile threat inbound to Hawaii. Seek 
immediate shelter. This is not a drill."

State Governor David Ige apologised and said it was caused by an employee pressing the wrong button.

The US government announced there would be a full investigation.

An alert system is in place because of the potential proximity of Hawaii to North Korean missiles.

In December, the state tested its nuclear warning siren for the first time since the end of the Cold War.

What made the false alarm worse was a drill in December. The false alarm revealed the lack of preparedness the people of Hawaii and the USA have. The sirens made noise and the people stood confounded to know what to do next.

At least "Duck and Cover" made people think about what to do next. The reality that there is dearly little to do if there are nuclear missiles on the way should make people of all countries realize how moronic such weapons are in preventing war. What extreme do we go to in believing nuclear weapons are a deterent? It is ridiculous. The Emperor needs new clothes.

2 December 2017

Hawaii tests nuclear warning siren (click here)

The US state of Hawaii has tested its nuclear warning siren for the first time since the end of the Cold War.

The resumption of the monthly tests comes amid a growing threat from North Korea's missile and nuclear programme.

Pyongyang has tested a series of ballistic missiles and in September carried out its sixth nuclear test.

There are no excuses anymore. Get this done and hold responsible those that place greed at the top of "To Do List."

There can be no more denials or mistakes. It is possible to control GHG emissions and return Earth's gaseous layer to balance.

The petroleum industry purchased the USA federal government in the 2016 elections and they are trying to reverse any and all laws they find impacts profits. It is time to act against the grossly immoral agenda of families such as the Kochs and companies such as ExxonMobile with a former CEO in the State Department of the USA who promotes more oil and gas drilling to every country he visits.

It is time to take international legal action against legislators that look the other way and companies that pretend there are no impending deaths due to a climate crisis. There was a time when plausible denial of ending the Era of Oil was impossible, that is not the case anymore.

Currently, the international community is allowing work in environmental protection to end the assault against Earth by people such as Elon Musk, Tom Steyer and James Hansen; to name a few; to exist as a joke for Plutocrats. These people took up the challenge and are yet to be rewarded to end the climate crisis. This form of injustice is immoral and unethnical. The global community, especially the First World countries, should be grabbing onto the change that is needed and achieve it and now. There is no excuse left, simply exploitation of Plutocrats without morals and value of life. This is definitively an abuse of power entrusted to government leaders.

The dismissal of the foregone conclusion there are immeasurable profits and environmental protections when trucks are "Earth Friendly," in order to have rules reliquish such advanced technology to ideology is an assault against humanity. This particular form of assault has to end. It doesnt carry weapons, but instead greed as a tool to use against others. Government is not suppose to destroy citizens, but, uphold their greatest dignity. 

Jan. 8, 2018 - 

OttawaToday's operating environment (click here) for the commercial transportation industry is marked by growing fuel costs and the need for increased environmental responsibility. By promoting initiatives that reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the Government of Canada is helping industry contribute to Canada's climate commitments.

Today, Canada's Minister of Natural Resources, the Honourable Jim Carr, announced a redesigned online SmartDriver for Highway Trucking (SDHT) program to help the commercial trucking industry reduce operating costs while decreasing GHG emissions.

Developed in consultation with industry, Natural Resources Canada (NRCan)'s flagship training program for commercial truck drivers offers improved tools to prepare drivers for the demands of modern trucking. Flexible and convenient, the online, in-classroom and on-road training materials help drivers and instructors improve their driving efficiency.

With heavy-duty vehicles accounting for 37 percent of GHG emissions from the transportation sector, fuel-efficient equipment and the driving practices featured in the SDHT program can help individual drivers reduce their fuel consumption by up to 35 percent....

Thank you, Fayetteville, Arkansas; generations of Americans are grateful.

January 3, 2018
By David Ramsey

The city of Fayetteville (click here) yesterday became the fifty-fourth city in the nation — and the first in Arkansas — to commit to 100 percent clean and renewable energy. The City Council voted to adopt the city's Energy Action Plan, which aims to move all government operations to clean energy by 2030 and achieve 100 percent community-wide clean energy by 2050.

It can be done!

The graph...expands the time period from 1850 to 2011, during which data only on CO2 emissions are continuously available. In this case, the five major emitters—the United States, European Union, China, Russian Federation, and Japan— together contributed two-thirds of the world’s historic CO2 emissions - using up around 37 percent of our global carbon budget.

The Industrial Revolution was started before there was any notable increase in Greenhouse Gases. So to account for all the liability of the damage to Earth's troposphere it was necessary to return to 1850 and determine the percentages of historic responsibility.

The Industrial Revolution (click here) spanned the 18th and early 19th Century. Over this period, global CO2 emissions were a fraction of current levels. During the 18th Century, global CO2emissions were around 3 to 7 million tonnes per year. During the early 19th Century, CO2emissions steadily rose reaching 54 million tonnes per year by 1850. Currently we are emitting over 8000 million tonnes per year....

The oil sands is a waste land that desperately needs restoration of some kind.

January 2, 2018
By David Harvey

Mercury levels (click here) have risen to 16 times the regional “background” levels in an area around oilsands developments in northeastern Alberta, according to Environment Canada researchers.

At the Paris climate conference (click here) in December 2015, Canada reaffirmed its target of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 30 percent from the 2005 level by 2030. The Liberal government was roundly criticized by environmental groups and some opposition politicians for not going beyond the “weak” target of the previous Conservative government, but even today — two years later — there is still no plan in sight for how Canada could achieve its target by 2030, given that current total emissions are about the same as they were in 2005. At the same time, the oil industry is planning an expansion of oil production from the oil sands — one of the highest CO2-emitting sources of oil in the world on a per-barrel basis — and the federal government has approved contentious new pipelines to facilitate that expansion....

...As our calculations show, only with a complete phase-out of oil production from the oil sands, elimination of coal for electricity generation, significant replacement of natural-gas-fuelled electricity generation with electricity from carbon-free sources, and stringent efficiency measures in all other sectors of the economy could Canada plausibly meet its 30 percent target.

However, expected improvements in the performance and reductions in the cost of electric vehicles, combined with across-the-board improvement in the efficiency of cars and trucks, could see a permanent collapse in the price of oil by 2030, if not sooner, rendering oil sands oil a permanent money loser. Thus, the most urgent task related to the oil and gas industry in Canada is to plan an orderly phase-out of oil sands oil production — before such a phase-out is imposed by external economic forces. Doing so would align Canada’s international climate promises with its economic well-being....

World class scientists should work on a plan to return some biotic order to the oil sands. Besides being a blight on the world, producing the heaviest CO2 producing source of oil; there is a huge loss of green chlorophyll. There is much ot be done and ending the exploitation of the Alberta oil sands is only the start.

There are 195 countries in the world responsible for 31 percent GHG emissions.

The single country with the most historic GHG emissions in the USA. One single country, the USA, is responsible for 18 percent of all the historic GHG emissions. Those gases are still in the troposphere.

Cumulative emissions (click here) describe a country’s total historic emissions. They are a commonly used concept for understanding responsibility for climate change, since they are a proxy for the amount of current warming caused by specific countries. This measurement can vary significantly depending on the chosen start date and the inclusion of gases and sectors.

The graph below shows cumulative emissions including Land-Use Change and Forestry (LUCF) for the top 10 emitters during the period 1990 to 2011, when complete data are available. Almost half of emissions come from just four countries: the United States, China, European Union and Russian Federation.

California has the "Midas Touch." Everything it does turns golden.

January 11, 2018

Water-saving measures in California (click here) have also led to substantial reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and electricity consumption in the state.

That is the conclusion of new research from the University of California, Davis, published today in the journal Environmental Research Letters.

Measures to cut water use by 25 per cent across California were implemented in 2015, following a four-year drought in the state that caused the fallowing of 542,000 acres of land, total economic costs of $2.74 billion, and the loss of approximately 21,000 jobs.

The UC Davis researchers found that, while the 25 per cent target had not quite been reached over the one-year period -- with 524,000 million gallons of water saved -- the measures' impact had positive knock-on effects for other environmental objectives.

In California, the water and energy utility sectors are closely interdependent. The energy used by the conveyance systems that move water from the wetter North to the drier and more heavily populated South -- combined with utility energy use for treatment and distribution, end-user water consumption for heating, and additional pumping and treatment -- accounts for 19 per cent of total electricity demand and 32 per cent of total non-power plant natural gas demand state-wide.

Lead author Dr Edward Spang, from UC Davis, said: "Due to this close interdependence, we estimated that the decrease in water usage translated into a significant electricity saving of 1,830 gigawatt hours (GWh). Interestingly, those savings were around 11 percent greater than those achieved by investor-owned electricity utilities' efficiency programs over the same period.

"In turn, we calculated that the GHG emissions saved as a direct result of the reduction in electricity consumption are also significant -- in the region of 524,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e). That is the equivalent of taking 111,000 cars off the road for a year."...

This is an interesting graph. Emission intensity or what is a country doing to mitigate it's emissions.

 The graph...shows emissions intensity for the top 10 emitters’ whole economies and energy sectors. For the energy sector, the world average is 372 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions (CO2e) per Million $GDP, but intensities vary across countries. Seven of the top 10 emitters actually have a below average emissions intensity; Russia, China and Canada are above the world average. These differences result from varying emissions levels and size of economy, but are also dependent on factors such as a country’s energy mix the carbon intensity of sectors like electricity and heat generation, manufacturing, and transportation.

While many countries focus their de-carbonization plans on energy-related emissions, high emissions intensity could actually result from emissions from other sectors. For example, with emissions from deforestation and land-use change taken into account, Indonesia becomes the most intensive emitter.

Said differently, when Indonesians have a GDP of deforestation rather than tourism, their emission intensity changes.

June 30, 2014

By Ariana Alisjahbana, Fred Stolle and Belinda Margono

New analysis published (click here) in Nature Climate Change shows that Indonesia is losing primary forest at a staggering rate. The country now has the highest rate of loss in tropical primary forests in the world, overtaking Brazil. Primary tropical forests are the most carbon- and biodiversity-rich type of forest ecosystem....

The same phenomena exist with iceland and it's aluminum smelters. Iceland is geothermal. 100 percent geothermal, but, in contract to the zero or negative GHG emissions they have smelters polluting the air and ground. While other countries would heavy regulate the smelters and end their GHG pollution, Iceland has balanced their negative emissions with emitter industries.

There are three aluminum smelters in Iceland, (click here) in Reyðarfjörður, East Iceland, owned by Alcoa, on Grundartangi near Akranes, West Iceland, owned by Norðurál Century Aluminum and in Straumsvík near Hafnarfjörður, Southwest Iceland, owned by Rio Tinto Alcan Iceland....

The jump in emissions in 2008 was the opening of the Alcoa smelter in Iceland.

In Denmark, (click here) Finland and Sweden, greenhouse gas emissions decreased by between 22 and 25 per cent between 1990 and 2015, but emissions have increased in Norway and Iceland. Iceland has had the highest increase in greenhouse gas emissions since 1990, an increase of almost 25 per cent.

In both the Nordic countries and the EU, the energy sector (including the transport sector) accounts for the highest share of emissions of greenhouse gases. The exception being Iceland, where the largest share of emissions stems from industrial processes....

The Clean Air Act

January 8, 2018
By Steven Martinez

Environmental advocates, (click here) state attorneys general, and others are urging the Environmental Protection Agency to maintain the Obama administration’s regulation restricting the use of glider kits under the Greenhouse Gas Phase 2 rules, calling the current efforts to reverse the rule at odds with the Clean Air ActE.
Last November, EPA moved ahead with its promise to repeal the glider provision found in the 2016 GHG rules. EPA’s proposed repeal contended that glider kits should not be included in GHG regulations because glider vehicles are not technically “new motor vehicles” and glider engines are not “new motor vehicle engines," and thus are not subject to the EPA’s authority on environmental regulations.

In a phone conference Monday, the Environmental Defense Fund challenged this reading as intentionally misrepresentative of the CAA, saying it went against the principles upon which the legislation was founded....

The attack by Scott Pruitt on accomplishments of the US EPA is an assault on Earth by the US EPA. The current program began in the 1990s. This entire focus now to destroy a program that has been inexistance and successful for decades is nothing but pure hatred, a personal animosity for the responsible government and oil barron hubris.

The industry is not hurt by these regulations. The regulations have improved the efficiency of these engines.

Below is only one example out of thousands upon thousands of ads selling trucks already equipped with Glider Kits. Removing this progression in emission regulations on these trucks would put the current fleet too expensive to sell. The entire idea of ending this vital program makes absolutely no sense at all, both from an environmental perspective and an economic perspective. Pruitt is simply filled with hate for people who care about Earth and it's ability to support life.

This is a personal venteta that would destroy fuel efficiency and sell more dirty diesel. Pruitt is out to increase petroleum sales. His entire focus is nothing but laced with corruption of government.

Febuary 16, 2016
By Curt Bennink

Greenhouse gas emissions regulations (click here) being implemented through 2018 promise $50 billion in fuel-cost savings for the US fleet

On-road diesel engine emissions regulations have been around since the early 1970s, but these standards were achieved with in-cylinder solutions that did not require extensive technological innovations. That changed when the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) set on a path to dramatically reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) almost two decades ago.

In October 1997, EPA adopted new emissions standards for model year 2004 and later heavy-duty diesel truck and bus engines. The goal was to reduce NOx emissions from on-road heavy-duty engines to levels of approximately 2.0 g/bhp-hr beginning in 2004. Since then, emissions limits have been cut to 0.01 g/bhp-hr for PM and 0.20 g/bhp-hr for NOx....

With Phase 1 GHG standards currently being implemented, regulators have turned their attention to Phase 2. Announced this past June, these proposed regulations would build on the success of Phase 1 standards.

The proposed Phase 2 program, which is expected to be finalized this year, would cut GHG emissions by approximately 1 billion metric tons and conserve approximately 1.8 billion barrels of oil. The standards phase in over the long term beginning in model year 2021 and culminate in standards for model year 2027.

“The proposed regulations in Phase 2 don’t just address the engine, but also the vehicle as a whole,” says Dorwart. “The EPA is still in the process of refining vocational vehicle requirements for Phase 2. Given the varied applications and configurations of vocational trucks, including a wider range of operating conditions than highway trucks, more time is needed to fully understand the impacts Phase 2 may have.”...

Annex B of the Kyoto Protocol

Appropriately, Australia is at the top of the list of Annex B of Kyoto Protocol. But, before individual countries can be appreciated, I thought an overview would be appropriate.

In the previous entry I mentioned GDP at PPP (Purchasing power parity). A review of that concept might be helpful.

Chart to the left is from the world bank (click here).

PPP is an attempt to work out (click here) how much currency will be needed to buy the same quantity of goods and services in different countries. If this can be done, it can show the underlying exchange rate between the two different countries and a more accurate reflection of actual living standards in countries.

Often exchange rates don’t actually reflect different living costs because some goods are not easily traded. For example, if you live in Norway, it is irrelevant if there is cheaper accommodation elsewhere in the world. What is important is how far your income goes in buying goods and services.

Norway v India

For example, GDP per capita in Norway is $98,102. However, in Norway the cost of living is much higher (higher VAT, higher wages, higher rents). Therefore, even if you have a salary of $98,102 – it doesn’t go as far as elsewhere in the world..

By comparison, in India, GDP per capita is $1,489 per year. However, in India, living costs are much lower and so that income goes much further. If we adjust for the relative cost of living in the different countries, the gap between India and Norway is much reduced.

• Using GDP per Capita in $US, Norway’s national income is 65 times higher than India.
• Using GDP per Capita adjusted for PPP, Norway’s national income is only 17 times higher than India....

The Hague. Absolutely. There is no intention by the USA government to curtail any emissions anywhere no matter the cost to Earth's troposphere.

April 29, 2016
By Michael Biesecker and Matthew Brown

To left is the Bakken oil and gas fields.

Washington (AP) — An oil and natural gas field (click here) in the western United States is largely responsible for a global uptick of the air pollutant ethane, according to a new study.

The team led by researchers at the University of Michigan found that fossil fuel production at the Bakken Formation in North Dakota and Montana is emitting roughly 2 percent of the ethane detected in the Earth’s atmosphere.

That was 2 percent of the entire Earth's atmosphere. That is a lot of ethane from one source. It is an international crime to add ANY danger to the people of this planet. Just because this is a gas and an emission doesn't mean it is any less dangerous than dangerous dictators. It is ultimately killing of people even if with skin cancer alone.

This is international and settled law to protect life on Earth. Get serious about the polluters.

A flagrant violation that allows this level of emission is gross negligence of a first world country and the State of North Dakota Governors. If the time period is 2000 going forward, that would be John Hoeven, Jack Dalrymple and Doug Burgum.

This increase of ethane occurred under the management of the CEOs of Whiting Petroleum, Continental Resources, Hess, ExxonMobil and EOG Resources (click here).

This added danger to Earth's troposphere is all preventable. Enough! The cancer rates of the people that live and work in those fields is probably ridiculous.

Along with its chemical cousin methane, ethane is a hydrocarbon that is a significant component of natural gas. Once in the atmosphere, ethane reacts with sunlight to form ozone, which can trigger asthma attacks and other respiratory problems, especially in children and the elderly. Ethane pollution can also harm agricultural crops. Ozone also ranks as the third-largest contributor to human-caused global warming after carbon dioxide and methane.

“We didn’t expect one region to have such a global influence,” said Eric Kort, lead author of the study and an assistant professor of climatic science at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

The study was launched after a mountaintop sensor in the European Alps began registering surprising spikes in ethane concentrations in the atmosphere starting in 2010, following decades of declines. The increase, which has continued over the last five years, was noted at the same time new horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing techniques were fueling a boom of oil and gas production from previously inaccessible shale rock formations in the United States.... 

Ethane is a volatile organic compound. It is dangerous to human health in North Dakota and it forms CFCs in the upper atmosphere that effects the ozone layer.

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs): when derived from methane and ethane these compounds have the formulae CClmF4-m and C2ClmF6-m, where m is nonzero.

Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs): when derived from methane and ethane these compounds have the formulae CClmFnH4-m-n and C2ClxFyH6-x-y, where m, n, x, and y are nonzero.

Identifying emissions of greenhouse gases isn't enough, thought.

The top emitters as per November 2011 are below: 

Australia is not to be found anywhere. China has the most greenhouse gas emissions annually, followed by the USA and the European Union comes in third. After the top polluters the drop is significant beginning with India. What I find interesting is that both China and India have more than a billion people living within the country's borders. How is it India's emissions are so much lower than China's emissions of greenhouse gases? Both are BRIC countries, yet there is a significant difference. 

Australia is not anywhere in notable greenhouse gas levels. Nowhere. Not in total emissions, emissions per GDP or emissions per capita. Nowhere does Australia have notable greenhouse gas emissions, yet, it has some of the most profound damage on Earth, including the death of the Great Barrier Reef.

The USA and Europe needs to take example of a Western country with success in controling greenhouse gas emissions.

This graph to the right below shows greenhouse gas emissions among the 10 top emitters based in total emissions (first column), population (second column) and emissions per GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and Purchasing Power Parity (PPP). 

As expected the USA comes in second to China in total emissions, but, look at the population difference in the USA and China. The European Union also has a greater population than the USA. But, the real eyeopener is the last column where greenhouse gas emissions are significantly different when realizing the GDP of each of the top three countries.

The First World countries of the USA and Europe have promised technology would meet the challenge of reducing and eliminating greehouse gases. It is propaganda. The world has been fighting the growing danger of the climate crisis for decades. Even when government corruption was rampant, consumers were seeking products that would not emit GHG. It doesn't work. Consumer edication has probbly stemmed higher levels of GHG, but, it has not reduced or ended such emissions.

The graph to the left shows the greenhouse gas emission per capita. The USA comes in second only to Canada. The lower population in Canada actually leads the world in GHG emissions per capita. While Canada has a far lower total emission of GHG, the sources have yet to be realized and scrutinized. I have a feeling a larger part of Canada's emissions, the people have yet to control through their government, is the soils sands in Alberta. The people want that change as illustrated in their elections. This graph is from 2011, so things may have changed since then.

The country coming in second place in per capita emissions is the USA. We all know the emissions of the petroleum sector is out of control. The CAFE standards was to insure a reduction of carbon dioxide emission at the tail pipe of cars. That has mostly worked. The car companies have dug in and found engineering stratgies to achieve the standards.

I think the USA has somewhat of a handle on CO2 at the tail pipe into the future. There are still many old cars on the road, which was improved with the "Cash for Clunkers" (click here) under President Obama. The automobile of 2017 can be remarkable.  There are, of course, the electric cars, but, the hybrids are nothing to ignore (click here).

I recently drove an 870 mile trip in a Hyundai Elantra. The car was amazing with a odometer reading of 19,000 miles. The highway miles consumed extremely little gasoline. This is no lie, the Elantra achieved 70 mpg on the highway at the speed limit. The city miles were also impressive in the 30 to 40 mpg range. There is no reason for any other hybrid to do less. If Hyundai can build a car that remarkable every other company should as well. I remind, Elon Musk, shared his secrets to increase the number of benign cars on the highway when it comes to GHG emissions. It is going to take that level of compassion to beat the climate crisis into submission.

Also to pay attention to are FLEX vehicles that use far cheaper E85 fuel. I really feel the people of the USA and the companies where they purchase their cars are dedicated to absolutely clean energy and ultimately without any GHG emissions.

The real concern is controlling and ultimately eliminating methane from being removed from the ground. We don't need it. We need energy that will protect the Earth our children will inherit.

It's Sunday Night









The sexiest nationalities for men:

10. Dutch
9. Canadian
8. Brazilian
7. Irish
6. American
5. Spanish
4. Scottish
3. British
2. Italian
1. Australian

The sexiest nationalities for women:
10. Canadian
9. South African
8. Bulgarian
7. Australian
6. Spanish
5. Filipina
4. British
3. Colombian 
2. Russian
1. Brazilian

Thunderstruck by AC/DC (click here for official website - thank you)

Thunder, thunder, thunder, thunder
I was caught
In the middle of a railroad track
I looked round
And I knew there was no turning back
My mind raced
And I thought what could I do
And I knew
There was no help, no help from you
Sound of the drums
Beating in my heart
The thunder of guns
Tore me apart
You've been
Thunderstruck

Rode down the highway
Broke the limit, we hit the town
Went through to Texas, yeah Texas, and we had some fun
We met some girls
Some dancers who gave a good time
Broke all the rules
Played all the fools
Yeah yeah they, they, they blew our minds
And I was shaking at the knees
Could I come again please
Yeah them ladies were too kind
You've been
Thunderstruck

I was shaking at the knees

Burdened with an additional $1.5 trillion national debt to bailout the wealthy, how are American children suppose to dream?

The new tax law is a bailout at every turn for the wealthy.

There have been systematic attacks on the Middle Class since Trump took office and the Republicans have a congressional majority. The Middle Class has the most children in the USA. Christian conservatives don't even want birth control. The children born to the Middle Class are for military recruitment, by design. We witnessed it during "W"s administration.

The Republicans cannot be trusted with the USA's people or the future of their children. Just that simple.