Climate Change

perplexed

November 27, 2018 By Joe 7 Comments

Those that have been so kind to read the few words I post on here, as I am studying quite a bit & the old life thing going on I don’t have too much time to post.
I have found it difficult to put into words what I see politically and globally with what is going on.

Last night I was watching the series by James Burke entitled “The day the universe changed!”

We are back in 1984-1985 and the cold war is still up and running, the threat of nuclear war still looms & the world wonders what the future will hold.
We all know the mission to the moon was a pissing contest between Russia and the United States. With a side mission called scientific discovery. I was about 9 years old when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon & got to dress up as a spaceman in my class.

When I was in my teens I would read boys books about time and space and the future science will bring. It was exciting and full of hope for the future. Western countries stood for freedom of expression and movement, the idea you can make it if you try! The United States was by far the biggest economy so it was felt the best opportunities were there, not that it was any more free than any other western country.

Russia & China being the opposite of freedom, no freedom of movement and being told what you can and cannot do was not the way for the future of society, if we were to go to space and beyond!

Of course times change and the cold war ended & we left the moon and didn’t go back because we won the contest. The funding for science dropped because funding was never really about the science. Time moves along and technology moves into the mainstream. So there is money to be made, and today we have the web (light & dark). We have access to more info than any humans since the beginning. This was going to be the new dawn of humankind.

But of course the dark side was always possible, and with the availability of knowledge was the availability of crap, social media, fake sites, scams, identity theft, click bait, Fox News!

The Russians discover they can fight a media war because people aren’t equipped to filter, and they don’t know where to get news they can trust.
Trump calls any story he doesn’t like fake news because it doesn’t stroke his ego. News media continue to give time to stupid people to give the impression of being fair. People begin to believe the stupid people because they are getting exposure.

And then there was this!
THE CHRISTIAN RIGHT AND THE RISE OF AMERICAN FASCISM

Before the 1970’s the christian right was part of the rest of the united states, probably just as happy with the moon landing and what science might bring for the future. A baby wasn’t a baby until it was a baby, not today when some consider a few cells to be a baby. But things changed and it may change what was once the bright future of the United States.

For some the multi-diverse idea of society breaks what they consider the mold from their youth. It was a fiction but real enough to them, and they feel it is gone & want to rekindle the past. They have been deceived into thinking it can come back. Society and business moves forward because business in the end wants to make a profit. The old industries are no longer really viable but they have been told the reason is immigrants, unions, the other side selling jobs overseas.

Business did move overseas, but it was purely for profit, and cheap labor. But another reason not mentioned too much was due to technological advances. Now we have people being voted into government who don’t believe in science, who want to make the United States a purely christian country, which goes against freedom of religion. I believe in freedom of religion, you should be able to practice what ever religion you choose. But do not try and impose your religious beliefs on me. If you take away my right to choose, I may as well be living in 1985 Russia or China!

Fire Season, Power lines, stupid people.

August 10, 2018 By Joe 7 Comments

Recently I have been very despondent with stuff going on, The US has lost respect as a world leader, our President is a joke, he lies openly and yet people still support this man. People have been fed propaganda against the press, and some believe it, and when people don’t understand what the truth is how can they make informed decisions.

It’s fairly obvious that due to climate change summer fire season is going to be a normal state of events. My heart goes out to the thousands of people who have been affected by the fires. I have had family stay with me when they had to evacuate their home. To see the look of devastation not knowing if you will have a home to go to or not is heartbreaking, it should be the primary focus of the government to prepare for a future where this is the new normal.

I know that some of the reason we had fires was due to utilities electrical equipment, and the utilities are complaining that that they cannot afford to keep paying out when there is a fire. The Governor is looking into giving the utilities a break from prosecution if they are known to be in regulatory compliance. And to be honest I see logic in this. If you can still sue some company when it’s doing what the state dictates and it’s not good enough, well we need to change the regulations!

Burying the electric cables is not an option due to cost and maintenance, it’s just easier to maintain a line overhead when you have access. This started me thinking that in this day and age there must be a mix of technologies that would in fact make it mush easier for people to have electricity and require no power lines at all.

It turns out the technology does exist, but as always it’s just around the corner, like the cure for cancer! This company Solar Windows seems to have one answer to electricity production for the future. My contention is with solar windows and roof panels and efficient storage we could eliminate the need for cables and utilities as we know them completely. But as always the move to efficiency is being held up because the power brokers still want to burn fossil fuels and don’t believe what the whole world can see! How do we as a nation get the stupid out of politics?

I can understand different people can have opinions about how to get something done. But they should be able to debate and prove why their way is better. The truth should be the arbiter not alternative facts or bluster, or rage, or disrespect!

Peace People!!

Will we ever get our shit together!

January 5, 2018 By Joe 1 Comment

I am truly concerned with the direction the world is moving at. Half the population of one of the most advanced countries in the world don’t believe in climate change. Like the scientists who can send craft to space to study different worlds can’t figure out the behavior of gasses on earth.

Before Lead was removed from gasoline due to the effect it was having on people, (making them sick)! There was kickback by the companies who liked the status quo. Eventually common sense gave way to unleaded gasoline.

Tobacco industry fought for years claiming smoking did no damage, even they in the end had to face the fact it wan’t healthy to smoke. Climate change is no different, industry likes to keep the status quo & they will play what ever cards they can. They know the truth and being businesses they are planning for the future The oil & gas climate initiative. I expect smart people to make plans and move forward.

My concern is the millions of people who I believe have been told a crock & at some point are going to discover they have been lied to. It’s not fair to these people who have been deceived, for political gain in most cases. There are real divides between areas of the united states that it feels like we have different countries. With the politics of division running at full speed, how can we come together in truth not fake facts to move forward with the potential this country truly has.

There are real challenges ahead, employment or to be more specific the kind of jobs that will be available in the future have been changing since the 1970’s. I know some would like to blame immigration, but the truth is very easy to understand. Some manufacturing jobs went to other countries because they don’t have to pay as much. In countries with universal healthcare the companies save a fortune as they don’t have to pay for health insurance, which is significant! But the biggest factor in job loss in the united states has been due to automation and robotics. This trend isn’t going to change and in the next ten years a significant percentage of the population will be out of work.

With the advance in driver-less technology and automated delivery services the future does start to look like the science fiction we dreamed of when we were young. It could be absolutely great! But the change in society is going to be big, and for some reason the powers don’t seem to be doing much about it.

Universal basic wage is a idea being tested in a few countries, it’s a base wage paid to citizens to allow then to survive and allow the option of part time work or starting their own business. Some argue it will cost too much, but it’s replacing unemployment and if 46% of the population are in fact out of work you had better find a way to make it work!

Maybe the answer in the end will be something I have not read yet, or maybe with the current people in charge they won’t deal with it at all, and just let people go hungry and tell fake stories to cover their ass. The problem will not go away so we shall all get to see what heppens.

How small should government be?

December 5, 2013 By Joe

In the united States we have a situation that is a bit different from other countries, in that you have two governments over you. One being the State which has it’s own rules and depending on politics is either for or against the Federal Government. This means that we have federal laws to protect citizens that can be completely ignored by the states by finding some loophole. In other countries the laws would be primarily from the Federal level and the state would be in charge of running the state services financially. So the conflict I see today with Conservative governors trying their best to undermine the healthcare law by not expanding Medicare, and not setting up healthcare exchanges seems to be just a United States thing!

I grew up in Europe with universal healthcare, AKA socialism, but the truth is when you break a leg it gets fixed, don’t even have to be in the communist party! So when people cry out socialism over the ACA AKA Obamacare, I wonder with the rest of the planet how you can be so miss-informed. When you sign up for Obamacare it’s with a health insurance company, not the government. You can compare prices and choose the plan you like, that’s called the market place and it’s definitely not socialism. As to the reports of death panels, a true government health plan is Medicare, and as of yet seniors have not heard about the death panels. Most seniors love Medicare, even the ones who don’t realize it’s government healthcare.

Then I hear people saying that government is bad and we need small government, lets take America back to some time in the past. Is this before we had safety standards for industry or building codes. Is this before we had food safety, or tried to have food safety if the FDA gets funding. How dare it try to tell us what to eat, I love contaminated beef. Or maybe that toy from China is the greatest, and the poison doesn’t worry me; I won’t be sucking on it! I know bridges are falling apart, and yes if States politicians put infrastructure up there and not getting reelected (both parties), maybe there wouldn’t be so much unemployment.

So I come back to my question; how small should government be? I don’t like waste, and this includes my tax dollars, I don’t like to have politicians telling me what to do, vote sensible laws and I have no problem. I respect laws (well most of them anyway). I believe in religious freedom, you should have the freedom to practice your religion with out the government imposing on you. Of course people who are not of your religion have the right to follow their own religion and follow their religions rules (hence freedom). When those religious rules don’t conflict with the laws of the land. Imposing your religious teaching on someone not of your church is in fact religious persecution, and we don’t like that!

So when people say small government do they mean just the federal government, and the disaster aid, one of the most powerful militaries in the world & shear influence of the United States means nothing. They just want the State to be the body in charge, local politics only. Maybe some people just have not liked being part of the Union, and would prefer secession from the United States completely. Form a theocracy and live away from those heathens who believe women have a choice and should be paid the same as men. Have the freedom to marry who you love, and not denounce it in public; but when you are caught just go to therapy and ask god for forgiveness, and it will be ok!

So how big or small should government be?

I don’t give a rats ass, it should not waste my tax money and should be looking after my best interests. Don’t spy on me unless I have actually done something to deserve it. And allow me to pursue endeavors in the future for my families happiness and myself. I am not afraid of government, I get to vote; but I want it to function for my interests and not just for the corporation who makes donations.

How the Internet or Web is changing our world.

June 8, 2012 By Joe 1 Comment

We live in a mobile world, I find it easier to get my news & write my blog on my phone. We have our social networks, too many for me to be actually social. Personally I think texting is the most social program. As I’m actually having a conversation rather than just making statements.

The social thing like other online programs will change as one loses popularity as another takes the lead. Just like trendy bars in Los Angeles. They are only the flavor for a short time.
There are other ways our world is changing.

The Arab Spring would never have occurred without social networks. Groups who wish to promote their cause now have a platform. This can be good or bad depending on the cause!
I believe in free speech, but hate & violence are not free speech. The promotion of free speech while restricting hate is the challenge of the modern web.

Pornography (the industry), is actually on the decline due to the web. With so many free online sites & people willing to put their exploits on the web for free!

I see a change in our TV viewing in the near future. The only thing holding change back is the media companies. The advent of the reality show (oxymoron), was probably the worst thing to happen to TV since its inception. I have never understood the purpose in giving fools a platform just for ratings. I know it’s cheap but there is no value in it!

The web will be our answer to this, as content & software develop more of our viewing pleasure will be web based rather than just network TV. It will of course have to be paid for. My hope is we move to a one payment system for everything. Web, tv, data, because in a digital world it’s all just data! You pay for the data you use. Very simple & no throttling thank you.

I do wonder what will happen to the TV when we get all our news and shows on our mobile devises. Will the TV just be for gaming? We are in a constant state of technology transition waiting for the next leap. Only when that’s settled & people have decided what works do we know. Until then it’s just opinion, this was mine!
Thank you!!

Climate Change, Climate Sensitivity, the Unknowns.

November 25, 2011 By Joe 11 Comments

Today we have this thing called climate change, most scientists believe we have caused change in the climate by pumping tonnes of CO2 and other chemicals into the atmosphere since the industrial revolution. This theory has been tested since the 1970’s, and most people who have studied the subject believe this to be true.

Because we are doing this climate change thing for the first time. There have been arguments and disagreement with what change will occur and how quickly. I personally believe with some climate scientists that the climate may be changing faster than the climate models have predicted.

Aside from the obvious changes we have seen in the weather in regions around the Earth, fires in Australia and increased fire season in Los Angeles, drought in Texas. In some countries and pacific islands we are looking at the disappearance of habitat; large migrations of people from one part of the planet to another. I was pleased to read recently a leading climate sceptic Professor Richard Muller after an exhaustive study came to the same conclusion, that climate change is real. I am sure at some point in the future most deniers will conclude their wrong; but how long and at what cost?

Also the new technologies that would replace the existing climate polluting hydrocarbons are giving the possibility for cleaner and ultimately cheaper energy. And energy is the future, without energy we are sitting at home with candles or cooking over an open fire.

I believe the climate is changing, this leaves me with a few questions of my own. How will we cope with the migration due to flooding? Why aren’t we taking into account possible changes in climate, and building infrastructure to facilitate future populations? Clean drinking water, water for livestock, what kind of crops yield the most food per acre? How will governments deal with the harsher weather systems and loss of life and property?

Because even the sceptic’s can no longer deny there is a change in weather patterns. The recent attacks seem to be on the data. Just say the scientists are telling climate stories and not climate facts. Like saying the smoke from the house isn’t the color you said it would be, as we watch it burn to the ground.

I sincerely hope that reasonable people come together soon, put the bikering aside and look at the facts. Stop telling the lies that the scientists have some sort of agenda, not too many scientists have solar cell companies, but all too many deniers like the oil business. Don’t invent your own facts and deny the truth. We don’t have much time, I will be fine, but many poorer countries and people who don’t realize how close this all is. They deserve the truth, not stories, not vested interested lies; just the truth!

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