Uninhabitable 2010

Everything You Never Wanted to Know About Global Warming pt.1

noreply@blogger.com (B.Alan Goldsmith) — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 07:11:00 +0000

OK, so I’ve been real good. I haven’t went off like a sky rocket in ever so long. I’ve been living the rant-free lifestyle, but the need has grown strong and I can no longer resist the dark side. Where-o-where to begin?

For starters, I would like to know how, the entire environmental movement, together with a few other little things like droughts, killer storms, floods, famine, melting icecaps, volcanoes, earthquakes, loss of species, ocean anoxia to name just a few, somehow get bunched together under the benign sounding catch-all of global warming. No wonder nobody seems to cares about the irreversible damage that's being done to the planet. Environmental issues have dropped like a rock off opinion poll about what’s important to Americans.

Global warming? What’s the big emergency? After all, a little warmer in the summer, a little less snow in the winter? When people hear that we must address global warming to the detriment of our economy or inconveniences to our personal lifestyle, many just don't get it. And can you blame them?
But, you say, the polar bears are having a tough time with this moderate warming trend? Well, the little ones are cute, there is no denying that. The big ones, on the other hand, are big and mean and eat baby seals. Let them get their own air-conditioning. Isn’t one of those oldie-time movie stars raising money for those cute ones, anyway?

Global warming sounds so comfy. Had a tough day? How about a foot massage and a nice global warming? And if you live in a colder climate, it sounds downright inviting. When you’re in snow up to a tall Indian’s totem, and your bunghole’s puckering up and freezing over it’s hard to get super hyped -up about the good fight against evil global warming. For some it’s a fight not to do a little jig.

Known for massive ice sheets, Greenland, is loving the effects of global warming. The rising temperatures have expanded the island's growing season and crops are flourishing. For the first time in hundreds of years, it has become possible to raise cattle and start dairy farms. As the climate changes it will be beneficial in several areas of the globe. The problem is, these fortunate areas are not where most of earth’s population live or crops are grown and of course climate change is not going to stop there. Someday, these fortunate locations can expect a lot of company, and they are going to be hungry.

What has happened? On the first earth day, 40 years ago there were 20 million angry collage students demonstrating in the streets, demanding the government put the brakes on the run-a-way train of environmental destruction. We insisted they stand up to greedy corporations, who didn’t feel they should have to pay for cleaning up after them self's. And we made the government listen. For a while the corporation were forced to modify their antisocial behavior. But they were pouty about it. Soon, they began to plot to circumvent these pesky restrictions. Who were we to tell them, they couldn’t screw every single living thing on this planet, if there was a good profit in it.

For a while there, we kept a pretty close eye on them. They couldn’t just make due the old fashion way, buy off the politicians, finance campaigns against anyone that had enough integrity to resist their bribes. The whole trouble was the system. See, all the players knew, we could vote out the political flunkies, if they rolled over and spread-em in public. But the corporations were fast learners and had unlimited bankrolls. They wondered if they could beat the system. Was there a way they could buy it? If they ganged up together, pooled their resources, their banks, television networks, Insurance Companies, newspaper empires, financial institution, captains of industry, energy companies, you know the guys down at the club, The good old white boys club. They decided that if they consolidated their power, merged, conglomerated and diversified they could scam the system. But it could not be done over night…

They would need to be patient, bide their time, let thing settle down a bit. So they took the show on the road for a while. They bought a dictator here and there, toppled a government or two and found that buying foreign politicians was a productive business model almost everywhere. So they systematically did all the thing to the planet they could not get away with here,. Fun stuff, but they still had a boner for the system back home and at last, many had began to relax their vigil. Now was the time to strike..

First they would need soulless minions to misdirect, confuse, distort and misstate the facts so that the political henchmen could slip the knife in without being caught red-handed boffing us. The first order of business would be to gut all truth in advertising regulations. The minions pulled it off, all the while screaming freedom of speech and protect our rights. Now it was the American way to lie and mislead, to label bills and propositions the exact opposite of what they were intended to achieve. They knew that even the most outrageous lie, if repeated on TV often enough, would be believed by many in a population to lazy to look closer. Let me give you a couple of examples;

Who in their right mind wouldn’t vote for a bill called; The Taxpayers Right to Vote Act. Jeez, you would have to be some kind of communist not to vote for a bill like that. And the boys will spend millions asking; “Don’t you want the right to vote?” But the bill is designed to make your vote useless, against the power companies. If you cannot overcome their huge advertising budgets and get a two-thirds majority, your community cannot shop around for alternative sources of energy.
Proposition 16, the New Two-Thirds Requirement for Local Public Electricity Providers Act is on the June 8, 2010 ballot in California as an initiated constitutional amendment..
Pacific Gas & Electric is the primary financial sponsor of the initiative, having contributed $28.5 million through March 26, 2010. That makes PG&E the Goliath in a David-v-Goliath battle, since Prop 16's opponents have raised $40,000 through late March.
By voting “Yes!” on prop 16, you gain absolutely no more rights than you had before, you only make it harder for local and state governments to turn your tax dollars into something useful: cheap power for you. The name “California Taxpayers Right to Vote Act” is a misleading name designed to dupe the voters into voting for higher energy prices and less competition in the energy market.

The California Jobs Initiative; Isn’t that a great sounding bill? What kind of stupid a-hole would vote against a job initiative bill when California's unemployment is 12%. Well, you should for one and tweet your friends too.
This bill, backed by big oil companies is designed to circumvent Assembly Bill 32, that was signed into law in2007 , The Global Warming Solutions Act Establishes first-in-the-world comprehensive program of regulatory and market mechanisms to
achieve real, quantifiable, cost-effective reductions of greenhouse gases (GHG). Assembly Bill 32 (AB 32) makes the Air Resources Board (ARB) responsible for monitoring and reducing GHG emissions. Continues the existing Climate Action Team to coordinate statewide efforts.

All the most rigorous research done so far on AB 32's economic impact agrees that the law will have a small but positive impact on the state's jobs. That California households will save money by using products that are more energy efficient — such as appliances that use less electricity and cars that use less gasoline — and they will be able to spend that savings on other goods and services, which will create jobs. In addition, generating energy savings by doing things like retrofitting buildings produces more domestic jobs than generating fossil fuel energy.

The currant law has already brought over three billion in venture capital into the state with much more projected. So, The California Jobs Initiative has little to do with jobs and everything to do with big oil not wanting to clean up their refineries. The bill would gut the 2007 Global Warming Situation Act, that we manage to get past tremendous opposition. It would be suspended until unemployment rates drop below 5.5% for more than 4 consecutive quarters. Considering the economy and that the energy companies are huge employers in the state and capable of influencing unemployment rates, that could take a long time. You think? These deceptive bills are being sold across America, at every voting cycle and the only way to stop them is an informed public. Where are our 20 million collage students now?

Well folks, I haven’t even got to the really scary stuff you never wanted to know about global warming. But I’m going to have to leave you for a while. Being a recovering rant junky, my home is suppose to be a rant free zone. I think my wife may have heard me mumbling to myself or slamming my fist on the desk, because she just stomped in and ask, Have you been ranting again? No dear, I said, Just watching porn. You better be! she said. I may have fooled her for a moment but the woman is mean as a snake and smarter than she looks. So, for now I must say...

Earth Day 2010 Bitter Sweet

noreply@blogger.com (B.Alan Goldsmith) — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 22:32:00 +0000

So another earth day has come and gone and as usually it’s been a busy time of year. It’s the time when everybody in the media scurries around trying to find interviews and articles to show how concerned they are about the environment. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the spotlight being shined on the subject, but I wish it could be shined brighter and longer. So, for me this earth day was both bitter and sweet. Let’s get the sweet out of the way first;

Both Barnes & Noble book signings went well. Not only selling the books but talking to the people reminds me that some are really paying attention. After the signing the manager decided to build an end cap display of the book for the rest of earth month. Got a Lot of new request to come to signing’s at out of state locations, we'll see, but some will not economically viable. Amazon ordered more books {an almost religious experience for me} and it looks like Baker and Taylor will need to order again soon.

The highlight of the week was the charity celebrity author’s event at The Harvard Club. Very che-che-foo-foo stuff at #1 Howard Hughes place, one of the most prestigious address in Vegas. The service and setting were flawless. Even better was the chance to mingle with others unstable and unhinged enough to be considered kindred spirits and to meet the key alumnus. Meeting next year’s students inspired both nostalgia and hope. What a bright and intent group of fine young people. Only 2200 were accepted out of more than 35,000 worldwide applications. I was sad to find there were only 6 from Nevada this year but for those who made the cut, it is a very nice leg-up from the powers to be.

I thought that President Osama’s earth day speech was adequate and it was encouraging to hear that he is sticking to his alternate energy plans for the future. But, of course, I did not think it went nearly far enough in scope or resource allocations. You know, I think the bitter stuff is going to have to wait, till Monday. It’s a beautiful day out and I know if I get started on that bitter rant now, I’ll miss the rest of the day. So, I’m just going to close the laptop and enjoy my weekend. I hope you do same.

Earth Day Speaking Engagement

noreply@blogger.com (B.Alan Goldsmith) — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 19:13:00 +0000

Hey everyone, hope you have a happy and productive Earth day. I will be at Barnes & Noble on Maryland Parkway in Las Vegas on the 20th signing books from 4 to 7 pm, and I will be at the Harvard Club on Wednesday evening the 22nd for a charity authors event. If you are in the area please stop by and say hello.

Killer Quakes and Volcanoes Linked to Global Warming

noreply@blogger.com (B.Alan Goldsmith) — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 06:10:00 +0000

Escalating worldwide disasters coupled to climate change

A rising sequence of natural disasters may be examples of some of the less understood and more unpleasant consequences of global warming.

Geologists say that Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis and landslides are some of the additional catastrophes that climate change and its rising sea levels and melting glaciers could bring

The impact of human-induced global warming on Earth's ice and oceans is already noticeable: Greenland's glaciers are melting at an increasing rate, and sea level rose by a little more than half a foot (0.17 meters) globally in the 20th century, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

With these trends in ice cover and sea level only expected to continue and likely worsen if atmospheric carbon dioxide levels continue to rise, they could alter the stresses and forces fighting for balance in the ground under our feet—changes that are well-documented in studies of past climate change, but which are just beginning to be studied as possible consequences of the current state of global warming.

To put this into laymen’s terms, pretend you have a round child’s balloon in your hands. Now put your hands on the top and bottom of the balloon and gently press. This is like the pressure from the weight of the water, frozen into ice, at the polar caps is exerting on the ground beneath it.

Now slowly reduce that pressure, notice the slight changes to the shape of the balloon. This is like the weight of the ice being reduced, as the water melts and drains into the oceans and the ground beneath slowly rebound from the pressure.

Now place your hands in the middle section on the balloon and gently press and you will get an idea of the weight all that additional water now exerting forces on the bottoms of the oceans and notice the changing shape. This is a simple example of how the redistribution of massive amounts of water and weight trigger seismic events.

Many people that study climate change believe that we have already passed the point of no return. That it may be too late to change our ways and save civilization as we know it.

As I was watching the talk shows last Sunday morning, I happened to catch Thomas L. Friedman, an internationally renowned author, reporter, and columnist for the New York Times—the recipient of three Pulitzer Prizes and the author of five bestselling books including his environmental bestseller “Hot, Flat and crowded”

I don’t remember which talking head was doing the interview, but he ask Mr. Friedman straight out. Do you think it is already too late? I do not have a transcript of the answer, but the jest of it was; If you woke me up at two in the morning and ask that question and I just gave you my gut answer I would probably say,” yes it already too late”

But if you ask, as I was having breakfast with me daughter, I would said that with all the ingenuity that humankind has demonstrated in the past and we can just focus the full force of our resources on the crisis, we may still advert catastrophe.”

Many scientists now believe that our best hope of survival is a focusing event. A disaster so big that it will make everyone focus on the danger and understand that if we do not change our course very soon, all will be lost. As sad as it sounds, we need an event so destructive, so off the charts, so in your face, that the profiteers and politicians will decide that the profits, no matter how great are just not worth the risk of total extinction.

Some notable examples of resent seismic activity;

Haiti - A 7.0 earthquake shook Haiti, killing an estimated 230,000 on January 12th. It injures an additional 300,000 and left over a million homeless. By the end of January at least 52 aftershocks of 4.5 are larger had been recorded. The area recorded at least 3 of that magnitude on the day of this posting.

Chile - Over 1.5 million persons were displaced on February 27 when an 8.8 earthquake struck Maule, Chile. The monster quake was the 8th largest ever recorded. A 4.9 and 5.1 were reported the date of this posting.
Recent noteworthy quakes;

Magnitude 6.9 SOUTHERN QINGHAI, CHINA April 13, 2010

· Magnitude 6.3 SPAIN April 11, 2010

· Magnitude 6.8 SOLOMON ISLANDS April 11, 2010

· Magnitude 7.7 NORTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA April 06, 2010

· Magnitude 7.2 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO April 04, 2010

Volcano or Brain Cloud?

Eyjafjallajokull, Iceland- For the second time in less than a month a volcano located under the retreating glacier erupts after more than two hundred years dormancy. The second explosion is located more than a mile from the May 10 blast is causing widespread flooding, evacuations and disrupted air travel worldwide.

Iceland's Meteorological Office said a plume of steam rose at least five miles (eight kilometers) into the air. Scientists aboard a Coast Guard plane that flew over the volcano said the new fissure appeared to be up to 1.2 miles (2 kilometers) long. A bigger worry is Katla, which in the past has erupted in tandem with Eyjafjallajokull. Katla is located under the vast Myrdalsjokull ice cap.

What will it take to make the world wake up? Let me know what you think.

C.S Goldsmith is author of “UNINHABITABLE a case for caution,” available at Barnes & Noble. Goldsmith has spent over 10 years studying the Climate Change issue from the risk assessment perspective of the Insurance industry.

To schedule an interview with Craig Scott Goldsmith, please contact Robert Schechter at 212-499-6809.

Earth Day, Now and Then

noreply@blogger.com (B.Alan Goldsmith) — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 01:59:00 +0000

1970-2010

On April 22, we will celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. As a witness to all of these events, ten years of serious academic studies, a book, numerous articles, debates and interviews, these are my observations.

The first Earth Day, in the spring of 1970, was powered to a great extent, by young Americans and college students. Many of whom, had turned out in huge numbers to protest the war in Vietnam.

The first earth day officially kicked off at a conference in Seattle in September 1969 when Senator Gaylord Nelson announced that in the spring of 1970 there would be a nationwide grassroots demonstration on behalf of the environment and invited everyone participate. The wire services carried the story from coast to coast. The response was electric.

Five months before that first Earth Day, on Sunday, November 30, 1969, the New York Times carried a lengthy article by Gladwin Hill, reporting on the astounding proliferation of environmental events planned;

"Rising concerns about the environmental crisis is sweeping the nation's campuses with an intensity that may be on its way to eclipsing student discontent over the war in Vietnam. A national day of observation of environmental problems is being planned for next spring, when a nationwide environmental teach in, coordinated from the offices of Senator John Gaylord is planned.”

“Earth Day worked because of spontaneous response, at a grassroots level. Senator Nelson's office had neither the time nor the resources to organize the 20 million demonstrators in thousands of schools and local communities that participate.”

That was a remarkable thing about Earth Day, it organize itself. Earth Day began as a massive grassroots uprising to protest corporate and political corruption and demand change. And it worked.

It is clear, that the Earth Day evolution and the grassroots environmental movement behind it have been a resounding success. Clearly, it is been a motivating factor in the fight against many of the worst corporate polluters of our land, air and water.

But the corporate villains did not go softly into that good night. Even before those original protesters had picked up the litter from those first Earth Day gatherings, huge resources were being marshaled to hinder, delay, corrupt and defeat the movement’s long term objectives.

Backed by limitless corporate bank accounts, professional climate change deniers were hired and teamed with Madison Avenue public relation Gurus. Their mission was simply, obscure the truth. They produced countless misleading and fraudulent studies and arranged for them to be repeated endlessly. They knew that if they repeated these false facts often enough, some of the people would eventually begin to believe them.

The global warming debate, as presented, by a strangely complicit national media, is being fought by two distinct camps. On one side is every credible university climate department, along with virtually every climate scientist on the planet. In the other camp is a tiny group of well-financed dissenters. Almost all of whom have clear ties to the oil, gas and coal industry. Many of these dissenters are not even climate scientists.

These corporate misinformation campaigns are designed to give the illusion of a legitimate climate debate. In truth, the only purpose is to confuse, delay, and misdirect the public's perception away from challenges that must soon be faced to avoid global disaster. And it’s working.

That global warming and climate change are a real threat to all life on Earth is a certainty.

Is Earth Day, as a once a year event, enough to compete with the massive war-chest of the international corporate energy conglomerates and their hired henchmen in the media, Madison Avenue and politics?

What do you think?

It's a sad fact that these corporate giants cultivate lies and deceits, putting civilization as we know it and millions of lives at risk, for the sake of their bottom lines.

Here is an even sadder fact. In the age of the internet, when the facts are available to anyone with a computer or a library card, tens of millions of Americans choose to believe the corporation's self-serving fraudulent campaigns.

C.S Goldsmith is author of “UNINHABITABLE a case for caution,” available at Barnes & Noble. Goldsmith has spent over 10 years studying the Climate Change issue from the risk assessment perspective of the Insurance industry.

To schedule an interview with Craig Scott Goldsmith, please contact Robert Schechter at 212-499-6809.