Slow Freight

Everything old is new again. Shipping wine from Europe via sail.
See TreeHugger: Slow Freight Joins the Slow Movement

What Links These People Together?

The Traverse City Record-Eagle has a blog by a pseudo-William F Buckley (he's not erudite enough to be called a wannabe) and usually his time is spent tilting at Barak Obama's windmills but recently he mentioned the crackpot idea of abiotic oil. This is the idea that oil is produced within the Earth and without a biological origin. The idea came from a single scientist in the U.S.S.R who wrote the paper (not peer reviewed) defining the idea but its real aim was propaganda in order to try to convince the west that the Soviet states had an inexhaustible supply of crude oil.

I just cannot see how there are people who can claim climate change is junk science, evolution is un-proven, and abiotic oil the real deal. So much dishonesty... but there is a link between all these things. See Geology.About.com: Abiotic Oil and Barack Obama

Another Economic Option For Farmers And Land Owners

Via PhysOrg: Farmers get money for capturing carbon

Interested parties can join here:
Farmers Union Carbon Credit Program

However, the web site indicates there are no more offset enrollment "pools" available for 2008 and Spring, 2009 will be the earliest anyone can join.

If a farmer were to install some windmills, get paid for sequestering carbon, and continue farming; then the business of farming becomes much more diverse and appealing to more people.

2009 Will Be A Make Or Break Year

By the end of 2009, perhaps even next summer, we'll know where we stand economically - 1990's like growth based on new technology or 1930's like depression.

The current news is not good.

See:
SA - IMF Economist: The Worst Is Yet To Come in the U.S.
SA - The Great Consumer Crash of 2009

In conclusion, the gathering storm has arrived. It will be long, painful and destructive. Those who prepared for the storm by not taking on excessive debt and living above their means, will ride it out unscathed. Those who built their house on sand by leveraging up and living the “good” life, will see their house swept out to sea. The storm will pass and we will rebuild. Our country is resilient. The purging of this massive debt will result in the creative destruction that is the hallmark of American capitalism. New opportunities, new technologies and a new attitude will put us back on course.

There has been and will be resistance to the inevitable deep recession that is coming. The American consumer is not cutting back willingly. They are being dragged kicking and screaming towards the joys of frugality. The “material generation” needs to dematerialize. My biggest concern is that our politician leaders and their cronies running our government will continue to try and reverse the normal capitalistic course of recession and expansion. Companies need to fail, housing needs to find its bottom based on supply, demand and price. Those who gambled must be allowed to lose and suffer the consequences. If the government attempts to shift the losses to those who lived lifestyles of thrift, an angry uprising will ensue. Government intervention in this natural process could lead to a decade long depression. Let’s hope that reasonable heads prevail.

[my biggest signposts are store closings, urban house prices, and credit card defaults]

Telegraph - Sharp US money supply contraction points to Wall Street crunch ahead

The US money supply has experienced the sharpest contraction in modern history, heightening the risk of a Wall Street crunch and a severe economic slowdown in coming months.

Review of 'American Chestnut: The Life, Death, and Rebirth of a Perfect Tree'

See American Scientist for the book review: Blighted Hopes

My interest in the Chestnut stems from its status as a multitasker species. And when you consider the American Chestnut, the American Elm, and the Passenger Pigeon - you have three of the biggest and preventable eco-tragedies in the United States.

Your Government At Work

These pictures were all over the Internets, I saw them at USAToday.com.



The background:
AP -
All the world an Olympic venue for sportsman Bush
LAT - Pres. Bush declines to slap Misty May-Treanor's bikinied butt

Key Industries Believe In Obama's Ability

U.S. Troops support Obama (See: Troops Deployed Abroad Give 6:1 to Obama) and so do the folks who work on Wall Street (See: Obama Bests McCain Among Bush-Backing Bankers, Drug Companies)

Obama's Time At The University Of Chicago

IHT has a profile of Barack Obama's time while at the University Of Chicago - Teaching law, testing ideas, Obama stood apart

Oil Drilling

The facts of life:

Drilling for oil does not equal pumping oil. That is why it is called exploration.

Any increase in supply goes on the world market. This is why the United States set a record for petroleum products EXPORTED for May, 2008 (See: Bush pushes oil drilling, but more US fuel exported)

McCain got paid -well- for his offshore drilling switch (See: Industry Gushed Money After Reversal on Drilling).

Even if oil is discovered in America's continental shelf, it would have no impact on prices until 2030 (See: Candidates Clash On Impact Of Offshore Drilling)