To Build Walls, or to Build Windmills... That is the Question

Gavin Newsom has proposed that San Francisco start erecting windmills. The idea is that by the year 2030, San Francisco will be carbon neutral. In Newsom's proposal, windmills will be put anywhere they can. That would mean parks, buildings, and even homes. To be honest, this proposal makes me feel a little uneasy. Being carbon neutral would be a wonderful thing, but it would drastically change the look and feel of San Francisco. From what I've heard, wind turbines are not very quiet. They also pose a threat to birds of prey, because smaller birds often roost in the turbines, and the larger birds often get clobbered by the windmills. And because global warming is making our weather more intense, we may in the future have storms that could topple a turbine easily. Those things are huge, and could take out a lot if they were to fall. I think that we should be pushing more solar energy, depending on which one is more expensive. Solar panels are relatively unobtrusive, and are also useful. At DVC, they serve as shade for the parking lots. And once, at the Horse Expo, I saw ones that slowly turned so that they were always facing the sun. But the problem with solar energy in San Francisco is the near constant cloud cover. So my final opinion is that we should give it a shot. It is a step in the right direction

A Break through!! (kind of)

A possible vaccine has been identified for AIDS. At this point it is only 31.2 percent effective, but considering how challenging it is to prevent AIDS in the first place, that is an incredible achievement. This study was also unusual in the fact that it tested on humans, rather than animals. It was done in Thailand, and all of the participants were promised health care if they got aids. But still, I think it is slightly unethical, since these people will now have to live with the disease for the rest of their lives, unless a cure is discovered. Another worrying fact, is that right now, our world population is being kept from exploding because of diseases like this. Without these diseases, there would be very few natural threats to our species. The only negative side of finally discovering a vaccine would be the population explosion, but hopefully by that point, we will have been able to level out our growth curve.

Following in Denmark's footsteps

Finally, an effort on the part of the USA to curb CO2 emissions, or at least one state. California has pulled ahead of the rest of the country to impose a CO2 tax on large companies. But we are still only leading by a nose. If we wanted to go all out, we should start charging a tax on car size. People argue that charging people more money wont change the climate. But it will, by giving people incentive to produce less CO2 and to innovate. The tax is also expected to raise 63 million dollars next year which will go into monitoring and regulating greenhouse gases. Personally, I think that money should go into improving public transportation, and planting more trees, as well. But regulating greenhouse gases is also helpful. The act, called AB32, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, Calls for the state's emissions to drop to 1990 levels before 2020, and our guvernator says we are already 40% of the way to that goal. One small step, but a good one, in the right direction.

Don't think, BELIEVE!!!

As if America wasn't already the laughing stock of the rest of the world. Sure, we're powerful, but the people we churn out are getting kind of ridiculous. This guy, Inhofe, made it into a position of political power. Which I think is a little scary. His idea that he is planning to take to the climate change summit in Copenhagen is ridiculous. He calls it "another view" and claims that global warming is a hoax. He also really doesn't want taxes to be added. I think that paying a few extra dollars is worth our planet. Apparently, God is up there. Yep, and we are just going through natural changes. A five year old could tell you that's not true. Science has tested, and retested theories and come to the same conclusion. We are changing our world for the worst. Countless experts have proven this time and time again. Well then this bimbo waltzes in and starts firing off that the science lies. The science lies, and this is all natural. Has this guy even taken a history class? No changes this radical have ever happened on the face of this earth in the history of the earth. We have ways of figuring that out now. O, but I suppose those are all lies too!! He has done no work, no research, there is no proof that his theory is correct. And his entire argument? That ours is wrong. That's like using the comeback "well...well...You're Stupid!!". I wonder what his defense will be when the world starts to come to an end. Maybe wizards did it.

Is Ayatollah getting to big for his breeches?

Iran has recently agreed to allow UN inspection of their nuclear sight. But this facility seems to be destined for two uses, at least according to Ayatollah. The first, more innocent pursuit of the project is said to be for electrical power. But in my opinion, the location seems fishy. In real estate, what is said to matter most is location, location, location. And what better location for a nuclear power plant, than a heavily guarded, underground facility? Ya, it doesn't seem right to me either. Nuclear energy is dangerous, but not dangerous enough to need this kind of protection, it would seem. My misgivings were supplemented by the Ayatollah's assertion that it will pose a threat to those who oppose Iran. Now unless we get into a competition on who can cut their reliance on oil back more, I don't think he is referring to the facility for the use of power. Especially not after Mohammad Mohammadi Golpayegani said "This new facility, God willing, will become operational soon and will blind the eyes of the enemies". The article does not say who this guy is, but I doubt after this comment the world will be hearing much more from him, seeing as his country is now trying show that they will be using it for power only. Although it is not illegal for a country to possess nuclear weapons, I am sure the UN would find a way to not allow Iran to. Maybe just for that comment.

These Times are a Changin'

In the past, America has been the leader of the world in innovations, science, business and many other fields. We were considered the land of opportunity, where people came to make a new start. Currently though, we are falling well behind Europe and many other nations due to our inability to accept the fact that we need to change. We are building walls around ourselves, hurting our image. We are embracing stupidity, and forgetting the value of knowledge. And we are closing our minds to the prospect of change. In Thomas Friedman's book Hot, Flat, and Crowded, the problems with America today are explored along with ways that we may pull ourselves back onto our crumbling throne.
After 9/11, America took a defensive stance against the rest of the world. No longer is America the land of opportunity, where we welcome immigrants with open arms and minds. Our security now restricts many from even entering the country, and as a result, the way the rest of the world views us has fallen drastically. As Friedman points out

"An America living in a defensive crouch cannot fully tap the vast rivers of
idealism, innovation, volunteerism and philanthropy that still flow through our
nation" (5).

It has turned into a vicious cycle, kids in foreign countries see America as where they want to be, and how they want to live. When they are denied the luxuries we enjoy, they understandably hate us, and consequentially tend to join group like the Taliban. Right now we are spending billions on war and defense. If we were to put more money into starting American style schools in foreign countries, and welcoming anybody who wants to try the American lifestyle, we would begin to end problems like terrorist groups, intent on our destruction. This idea of spreading knowledge, not war, is pretty liberal, and many would oppose it, but seeing as the war method has not really gotten us anywhere near world peace, maybe we should try a new tactic.
Another disturbing trend that is affecting America is the notion that we can be

"as dumb as we want to be"

This frightening aspect of our current culture puts little emphasis on solving important problems, like ones having to do with the health of our population, and our environment. instead, we indulge ourselves in bickering about red state, blue state aspects of our political scenery. The easy solution to this is a simple wake up call. We need to wake up and smell the CO2 buildup in our atmosphere. Then we need to put more money into saving things vital to the survival of our species, like our planet, rather than investing in petty political campaigns. If we destroy the planet and don't survive, it will not matter what political party you are with. Some will contest that all great nations come to an end, but it is the hope that we have been able to evolve since then, and to learn where others made mistakes. Should we go on ignoring the signs, we may cause history to repeat itself, with dire consequences.
At the moment, we are far behind other countries in our ability to sustain ourselves with energy not from foreign nations.

"France Gets 78% of its electricity from nuclear plants and much of waste is
reprocessed and turned into energy again"(14).

We are almost completely dependent on foreign oil. While other countries have very high gas prices, and high mileage requirements, we continue to not raise our standards for cars, allowing car companies to continue to produce Hummers and SUV's, facilitating the need to import oil. The defense is that raising taxes would upset the economy. We have proof that it will not (if instituted correctly) after the Danish government raised gas prices, and imposed a CO2 tax, their economy

“has grown 70 percent while our energy consumption has been kept almost flat”
(18).

Europe and Japan, with their high gas prices and taxes on engine size now are making smaller and smaller cars, which are much better for the environment. The good news is that in 2007, Congress moved the fuel economy standard up to 35 miles per gallon, by 2020. Sadly, this is where Europe and Japan are already. If we were to take action quicker, with more drastic measures, we might be able to catch up. But our leaders are more concerned with upsetting the economy than saving the planet. In this area, we have already lost our title of world leader.
As a country, we have been great. That is undeniable. We have created an image for ourselves that now, we cannot uphold. Our values of equal opportunity, innovation and change for the better have all but been forgotten in recent years and we have suffered accordingly. We no longer are considered the first, the leading country. If we wish to crawl back to our spot on top, some serious changes will have to be made quickly. The means for improvement are there, we just need to take advantage of them. But the one thing we have to watch out for is time, the number one non-renewable resource.

Scary Statistics

"The average cow expels 600 liters of methane a day, climate researchers report" (quoted by Thomas L. Friedman in Hot, Flat, and crowded. Quote from Tom Wirth of the EPA). Considering the number of cows on this planet, that is a ridiculous amount of gas!! normally in nature, cows would not normally be considered a significant contributor to green house gasses (although I can't remember seeing a cow in the wild ever). But now that we cram them into feed lots by the thousands, we are causing significant damage to the environment. Because not only is methane a greenhouse gas, it is also highly explosive, and can cause suffication if enough is enhaled. Who knew the average bovine could be so dangerous?

What is Australia doing right?

Australia's business confidence is the highest since 2003!! I find this very odd, because in a world where the economies are so enter-twined, you would think that America's situation would have a bigger effect on countries like Australia, seeing as we are much larger and more powerful. Yet it seems that they must have done something different, and better, considering our current standings. But there is talk about raising interest rates, so we will see how long this high will last...

sensationalized news? or down right scary fanatic.

with news these days being available 24/7, information tends to get sensationalized as a way for news programs to get higher ratings. This news clip from CNN has parts that are difficult to know if they are being exaggerated or not. Other parts though, like the pastor's thoughts are definitely chilling. Beliefs are beliefs, and everyone is entitled to their own, and should not be openly scorned by others. America is supposed to be an open country, with an accepting culture. Religion is one thing, but when people start believing that their way is the only way, and anyone who doesn't agree with them deserves to die, that is in my opinion, inappropriate. I believe that it is perfectly fine to have religion, and practice religion, and even preach your beliefs, but I don't think it is ok to trash other peoples' or discriminate against them because of their beliefs. True, the president is an extremely influential being, because of his status. But this pastor's sermon is in my opinion, inappropriate

Cash for clunker may be gone, but the program for old appliances lives on!!

Although cash for clunkers was ended by the government, a new program that is the equivalent for old appliances is now in place. In fact, the amount you get for turning in an old appliance to be recycled is more than the cost of just throwing it out (because it contains hazardous materials that must be taken care of). In my opinion, this program is extremely beneficial for the economy and the environment, if the appliances are being recycled in the proper facilities in the united states. I believe that programs like these should be started for other things too, like computers, televisions, and other electronics. That way people would be buying more and stimulating the economy.

Hot, Flat, and crowded

An interesting quote from the book Hot, Flat, and Crowded by Thomas L. Friedman-

"There is a chinese proberb that says, 'when the wind changes direction, there
are those who build walls and those who build windmills'".

This quote goes along with Friedmans other idea that americans are

"as dumb as we want to be".

The resources are there, the technology is there, all that is left is the initiative to take action. The wind has changed direction, and right now we are building walls, blocking out reason. At the moment, we should be building windmills, both literally and metaphorically. We must call what friedman calls, a "code green", a summons to the country to pull together to change, and begin to end global warming. We must build windmills, or end up being blocked in by walls.