No Alternative
One way or another, fossil fuels will be the end of Western industrial society in its current, overarching form. If humans worldwide continue to pump greenhouse gases into the atmosphere at Western emission levels, the global climate will change to the point of no human return. And if fossil fuels that create these gases cease to power industry at today’s levels, then humans will live in a world in which they must find other means to survive. However, the “alternative” means of energy production by which so many people are pinning their hopes also have their limits, according to a new report by two think tanks in California.
Industry To Die Without Conservation: Report
SANTA ROSA, Calif. — One way or another, fossil fuels will be the end of Western industrial society in its current, overarching form.
If humans worldwide continue to pump greenhouse gases into the atmosphere at Western emission levels, the global climate will change to the point of no human return.
And if fossil fuels that create these gases cease to power industry at today’s levels, then humans will live in a world in which they must find other means to survive.
However, the “alternative” means of energy production by which so many people are pinning their hopes also have their limits, according to a new report by two think tanks in California.
The report “Searching for a Miracle: Net Energy Limits & the Fate of Industrial Society” concludes that there is no combination of non-carbon-based means of creating energy that can sustain the way of life Westernized industry fosters at present levels.
“This is very grim news, and demands vast, rapid adjustments by all parties, from governments to industries and even environmental organizations, that thus far are not clearly in the offing,” wrote Jerry Mander, founder of the International Forum on Globalisation, in the foreword to the report.
The only alternative is for local communities to do more with little resources and no expection for economic growth in the process, the report said.
The Method
The report — authored by Richard Heinberg, Senior Fellow of Post Carbon Institute — details the limits of 18 possible energy production systems that include wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, even nuclear means of producing energy as well as others in a mix.
The method of analysis Heinberg employed is based on “full life cycle assessment” and “net energy ratios” to compare the ways industrial society might operate in the future.
In laymen’s terms, Heinberg calculated how much energy is produced by these production system in relation to how much energy is invested to sustain them through the course of their operations.
This Energy Returned on Energy Invested (EROEI) method was developed and its implementation for the purposes of this report is considered the first.
Heinberg also took into account these 18 systems’ impacts on the environment, society, and geopolitics, as well as “resource and materials supply, resource location, transportation, waste disposal issues, and others to create a full life cycle picture of each technology’s impacts.”
“Alas, as we will see the ‘net energy’ gain from all alternative systems… is far too small to begin to sustain industrial society at its present levels,” Mander explained.
The Problem
According to the report, the key problem facing the future of humanity’s energy production is two-fold: the dominant economic mindset is pro-growth, and the Earth has limited resources for human consumption.
This problem is coupled with the fact that 85 percent of the world’s current energy comes from three sources — oil, natural gas, and coal — all fossil fuels.
While the report does favor adapting its energy needs to sources from fossil fuels to wind and solar power energy production, these fuels are also limited in their scope for supporing heavy industry.
Truth is, none of the “alternative” or “renewable” means of producing energy can work without fossil fuels.
The report shows this to be true for two reasons: 1) the parts used for manufacturing solar cells and wind turbines also utilize oil and chemical products such as plastics and 2) their supplies are intermittent and remote.
The same goes for the mining of fuels; it takes oil-driven machines to extract coal and uranium ore from mines; there are no coal-burning or nuclear powered machines that do the same work.
In addition, these carbon-based and uranium fuels are becoming increasing harder to find due to humans depleting them.
The report maintained that the world’s oil production has already peaked as predicted in the 1960s, so that it will take more resources at greater expense to keep the current and “alternative” energy systems functioning in the future.
In reality, no technological solution can meet humanity’s current needs for energy in the long term.
“Technologies such as ‘carbon capture and sequestration’ and ‘4th generation’ nuclear power remain largely hypothetical and may never be deployed on a large scale, while the prospects for oil shale, tar sands, and shale gas have been overstated to varying degrees,” Heinberg wrote.
The Transition
Heinberg concluded that humans must manage the eventual collapse of this carbon-based system, which he foresees happening in “the coming decade.”
“Major adjustments will be required in industrial production and personal consumption; attention will need to be paid to stabilizing and reducing population levels over the long term,” he wrote.
His report outlines three basic transition scenarios for the world to remove itself from using fossil fuels: the American way, the European way, and current per-capita energy usage.
The assumptions for the scenarios are that the world population must max out at nine billion people, and the cost of solar panels is 50 cents per watt installed — “one tenth the current cost and less than the current cost of coal.”
At American energy standards, the total hypothetical cost of moving to a solar energy production system is $500 trillion, the report noted. At the European standard, cost is $150 trillion.
As for per capita, Heinberg said, “The range is very wide. If Americans were to reduce their energy use to the world average, this would require a contraction to less than one-fifth of current consumption levels, but this same standard would enable citizens of Bangladesh to increase their per capita energy consumption nine-fold.”
Heinberg admitted that the scenarios are simplistic and fail to account for sources of fuel already in existence as well as the costs to construct electric grids and transport the electricity.
He wrote that none of these scenarios seem likely unless energy prices drop dramatically and the global economy reaches a Western level of energy consumption that mandates such a huge investment in infrastructure.
The Conservation
In terms of policy, the report advocates for governments to immediately and rapidly support resource conservation and local, self-sufficient economies for essential needs like food and energy.
The goal basically is to reduce demand for resources, which is another way of saying that the days of economic growth is “no longer practical,” the report said.
Heinberg said that “this is not necessarily a negative prospect, as some research shows that, once basic human needs are met, high material consumption levels do not correlate with high quality of life.”
In practical terms, the reliance on certain transportation system, for example, will lessen, especially airplanes, cars, and trucks, since energy costs will skyrocket while use of mass transit like trains and buses might increase to pick up the slack.
“The question the world faces is no longer whether to reduce energy consumption, but how,” Heinberg wrote.
Heinberg noted that there is good news. People in the West have numerous examples from not only less wealthy populations but also their ancestors to live their lives using less energy and resources.
“A considerable literature exists on how people in recently affluent nations can reduce energy consumption while actually increasing levels of personal satisfaction and community resilience,” he wrote.
Still, time is “quickly dwindling,” he said.
The report published by the International Forum on Globalization was provided by the Post Carbon Institute.
INFO
Post Carbon Institute
The International Forum On Globalization
Afghan Women Between Rock, Rapists
The women of Afghanistan will experience an increase in abuse during the U.S. military escalation, according to a new report.
KABUL, Afghanistan — The women of Afghanistan will experience an increase in abuse during the U.S. military escalation, according to a new report.
However, even almost a decade without the Taliban in power, the local indigenous population still disrespects the human rights of women.
Human Rights Watch reported, for example, that over half of the females in Afghan prisons are being held for “moral crimes,” like running away from home.
And the women running away from home are more than likely teenage girls seeking reprive from marriage against their will.
Moreover, rape of women is still not seen by Afghan authorities as a serious crime; the anti-rape law was put only on the books this year.
In fact, President Hamid Karzai pardoned a group of rapists, one of whom was a local militia commander, according to the report.
Violence against women is so widespread that an unnamed woman serving in the Parilament told The Guardian/UK that the police tell her to quit making enemies, “to keep quiet.”
“But how can I stop talking about women’s rights and human rights?” she asked.
Therefore, more foreign troops deployed to the area “could deteriorate” the situation, said HRW’s Rachel Reid.
HRW has called for the prison releases of women who ran away from home.
Drug Cartels Prefer Euros To Dollars
The U.S. dollar is no longer the currency of choice for international drug cartels.
LONDON, England — The U.S. dollar is no longer the currency of choice for international drug cartels.
It’s not the euro, according to Europol.
The reason for the change over is due to space requirements; it easier to launder illegal profits from one 500 euro note than five $100 bills.
American pop culture has already notcied the difference, such as in rapper Jay-Z’s video for Blue Magic which features a suitcase full of the European currency.
“We have seen examples of high denomination notes hidden in cereal packets, tyres, concealed compartments in lorries, and so on,” Rob Wainwright, director of Europol, told The Guardian/UK.
Dodge GMO Foods With New Website
The United States may still not have laws concerning the labeling of genetically-modified (GM) foods.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The United States may still not have laws concerning the labeling of genetically-modified (GM) foods.
However, the Institute for Responsible Technology (IRT) has just launched a new website helping consumers dodge such “Frankenfood” products.
The U.S. advocacy group set up a guide for shopping and a comparison chart for different GM-and non-GM products.
The website can be found at (www.nongmoshoppingguide.com).
As a basic rule to avoid GM products, one must: stick to single ingredients on labels, stay away from processed foods that use GM crops such as corn, soy, canola, and cotton; and get 100-percent cane sugar.
Morales Defeats Presidential Opponents In Landslide
Evo Morales will return as Bolivia’s president for a second term after a landslide victory against his opponents last week.
LA PAZ, Bolivia — Evo Morales will return as Bolivia’s president for a second term after a landslide victory against his opponents last week.
The 50-year-old Bolivian president defeated nine candidates with 63 percent of the vote based 91 percent of votes counted, according to Equipos-Mori polls.
Moreover, Morales’ party — the Movement Toward Socialism — gained control of both houses of congress, though falled short of enough seats to change the nation’s constitution.
Under Morales’ last term, the state nationalized parts of the economy, increased spending for social programs, and promoted “traditional community justice.”
However, poverty and land inequality are still major problems in the region.
Also, Bolivia’s economic growth is based on the coca and cocaine industries, which are unsustainable, according to presidential candidate and a cement magnate, Samuel Doria Medina.
That said, the IMF forsees the Bolivian economy to grow by 2.8 percent next year, which is excellent for one of South America’s poorest countries.
Morales’ opponents still fear that he will become an authoritarian leader and follow Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez.
Bolivia under Morales’ tenue has strained relations with the United States due to it expelling the U.S. ambassador and anti-narcotic officials this year.
Supreme Court To Review Religious Discrimination At Public Universities
Should a public law school fund clubs on campus that discriminate on religious grounds? The U.S. Supreme Court will answer this question when it soon hears such a case coming from California.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Should a public law school fund clubs on campus that discriminate on religious grounds?
The U.S. Supreme Court will answer this question when it soon hears such a case coming from California.
The case centers on the Christian Legal Society which sought taxpayer subsidies and an official status at Hastings College of Law at the University of California in San Francisco.
However, the club bans gays and non-Christians from membership. Its voting members are required to sign a statement of faith to an evaneglical Christian theology.
Hastings College of Law, though, has policies banning such discrimination on its campus and therefore refused to accept the club’s requests.
An appeals court ruled in the college’s favor.
Said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, “Public schools have every right – indeed, an obligation – to refuse to advance religious discrimination.”
Senate Mulls Lowering Age For Medicare Coverage
A proposal is circulating the Senate that would lower the age for citizens to become eligible to receive Medicare.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A proposal is circulating the Senate that would lower the age for citizens to become eligible to receive Medicare.
This Medicare expasion to 55-year-old citizens comes among the myriad of healthcare reforms on Capitol Hill.
The idea is being floating in order to quell liberals who would rather see implemented the so-called “public option” for national insurance coverage.
Earlier this month, Senate Democrats mulled axing a public, non-profit plan with one operated by for-profit, private insurers but overseen by a federal agency, the Office of Personnel Management.
Lowering the Medicare eligibility age from 65 has been a goal for liberals for some time since the program is one of the most popular government-run institutions in the country.
However, the discussion for Medicare expansion has always stumbled over its possible cost to taxpayers.
Republicans, according to one Democratic health care strategist on Huffington Post, will not buy into such a proposal.
“And for progressives, well, it’s not much of an olive branch. It doesn’t solve the problem [of reforming the private industry],” the strategist said.
‘Public Citizen’ Backs Speculation Tax On Wall Street
Wall Street ought to pay a tax on speculation, according to a non-profit advocacy group last week.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Wall Street ought to pay a tax on speculation, according to a non-profit advocacy group last week.
Public Citizen in this call backed a bill establishing such a tax on stocks, derivatives and other financial instruments.
Of Rep. Peter DeFazio’s “Let Wall Street Pay for the Restoration of Main Street Act,” Robert Weissman, President of Public Citizen, said:
“It would allocate the raised funds for the purposes of job creation and deficit reduction. The speculation tax is an idea whose time has come. We expect it to gain traction in Congress quickly, and we are committed to working to help it become law.”
This tax has three benefits, Weissman explained.
One, it will slow trading on Wall Street in order to curb risk that endanger the entire financial system.
Two, it will raise a modest federal revenue stream at a quarter of a percent on trades, amounting to $150 billion a year.
Three, it will only slightly hurt a small minority of Americans – the richest one percent who own 40 percent of the stocks.
Rep. DeFazio’s bill is co-sponsored by Reps. Mike Arcuri (D-N.Y.), Ed Perlmutter (D-Colo.), Bruce Braley (D-Iowa), Betty Sutton (D-Ohio) and Bob Filner (D-Calif.).
Sarah Palin Dodges Tomatoes, Thrower Arrested
Former 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee was never hit by two tomatoes intended for her at a book signing event at the Mall of the Americas.
ST. PAUL, Minnesota — Former 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee was never hit by two tomatoes intended for her at a book signing event at the Mall of the Americas.
But the alleged thrower was arrested for assaulting a police officer.
Minnesota station WCCO reported reported that the thrower was a 33-year-old man from St. Paul named Jeremy Paul Olson.
Police said, according to WCCO that two more tomatoes were found on Olson.
The former Alaska governor attended the event with her husband and son.
Palin reportedly did not talk to the crowd or answer questions from reporters; she signed only books for four hours.
The book seller where the event took place refused to disclose the number of her books sold that day.
Venezuela Merges Four Banks Into Public Institution
Four private banks here will join together into one new government-run bank, according to Venezuela’s president.
CARACAS, Venezuela — Four private banks here will join together into one new government-run bank, according to Venezuela’s president.
This public bank called “Banco Bicentenario” formed as a reaction to accuations of the previous banks’ accounting irregularies.
The four banks — Confederado, Central, Bolivar, and Banco Real — were seized by the Venezuelan government.
Other financial institutions — Banco Canarias and BanPro — were also closed.
About 70 percent of the Venezuelan banking sector is under private ownership.
In May, the government nationalized the third-largest bank, Banco de Venezuela.
President Hugo Chavez announced the restructuring on his television and radio programs last week.
Chavez threatened to take over more private banks on grounds of rampant “financial speculation.
New Book Tells Texas Game Warden Tales From Pages Of Lone Star Outdoor News
Lone Star Outdoor News has compiled five years’ worth of its Game Warden Blotter into a new book, “Poachers, Crooks and Other Turkeys.”
DALLAS — Lone Star Outdoor News has compiled five years’ worth of its Game Warden Blotter into a new book, “Poachers, Crooks and Other Turkeys.”
“Texas game wardens have wild stories to tell from their time in the field,” said Craig Nyhus, Lone Star Outdoor News’ editor and publisher. “We are glad to put so many of their tales together in one source.”
The Game Warden Blotter has been one of Lone Star Outdoor News’ most popular features since the newspaper’s inception five years ago.
It’s a broad mix of truth-is-stranger-than-fiction stories about miscreants who get caught breaking wildlife laws — and the rest of the penal code.
“Poachers, Crooks and Other Turkeys” is 272 pages and available in paperback (5 by 8 inches). For purchasing information, call (214) 361-2276, visit www.LSONews.com’ or e-mail mhughs@lonestaroutdoornews.com. The price is $14.95 plus shipping and handling and tax where applicable.
A portion of the proceeds from sales of the book go to the families of the three game wardens who have died in the line of duty since Lone Star Outdoor News began in 2004. They are Justin Hurst, Teyran “Ty” Patterso,n and George Harold Whatley Jr.
Now in its sixth year, Lone Star Outdoor News covers hunting and fishing across Texas and the nation.
Hate And Coping In Copenhagen
It’s cliche but still true.
The direction of the world’s climate future is not so much dependent on what happened in Copenhagen, Denmark last week.
It’s more important what you do on your own block.
Sure, you could have swam across the Atlantic like a nostalgic anarchist to reinact the WTO protest in Seattle circa 1999.
But that is certainly not necessary.
All that is required is to learn basic human survival skills in the comfort of your own home.
You don’t see coral reefs getting their panties in a tuff over some “Danish text” or doctored emails, do you?
And if you did, what size were the panties?
Back to the point: change your habits. Now. Immediately. Before Houston becomes Venice and Galveston, Atlantis.
Consider this your intervention. It costs you only, well, nothing, but the rewards are plenty.
Do you really need to fly to see your nephew in Oregon this Christmas? Can’t you ride a train instead?
Actually, do you really need to ride a train? Can’t you send him a note via email?
And do you really need to keep your personal computer on when you sleep? Can’t you share a computer at your local library?
By the way, do you really need to build another library in your community forest land? Can’t you could just add on to an existing one at the school?
Think about it: do you really want to spend that much time with your nephew? He’s so demanding, isn’t he?
Think about this: in 1859, Edwin L. Drake developed the world’s first oil drill.
And within a blink of a geological eye, the world has lost half of its oil.
But within a blink of the other geological eye, humans are moving back to where they started.
The first drink took only 100 years; by human standards, that’s not so bad.
Civilizations come, and they go. So do bee hives, birds nests, and said reefs.
However, this is by no means a plea to surrender; in fact, we’re not even talking about “civilization” here.
We’re talking habits — simple habits like picking your nose in public (bad) or wiping your bum in private (good).
Truth be told, humans will eventually no longer have the resources to fix bicycles since flat tires require rubber, a petro-chemical synthetic or otherwise.
But by that time, our grandchildren will be fluent in tracking wild game like our water-breathing ancestors before us.
Who said you can’t cross a land bridge twice?
— Nathan Diebenow
Too Stupid To Live
As Uncle Hugh used to say, “The only thing stupider than a chicken is two chickens. So if smarts mean survival, how come we still have enough chicken to feed all the preachers in Texas every Sunday?”
Haven’t been here for a while, so it’s been way too long since an episode of TOO STUPID TO LIVE!!!
And our first contestants are: The Threaders of Texas and their customers.
Or, people who pay other people to pull their hair out.
No, not a new trend in S&MB&D; although probably on the way to an adult bookstore near your church even as we speak, but an ancient technique for hair removal.
Understand that at my age, removing hair is really sort of a sore subject.
No pun intended.
OK, I lied. Completely intentional.
I remove enough hair just taking a shower to reprise a Broadway show.
But people are picky.
They dread losing hair in the right places while expending time and money to get ride of it in places TeeVee deems unsightly.
But vanity and evolution collide, and humans seem to consider earthworms and mole rats more attractive than chimpanzees or sasquatch, and a whole new lawsuit was born.
The ancient Oriental art of threading involves running over one’s body a twisted cotton string held between the practitioner’s teeth and fingers, entangling the unwanted hair and twisting it out by the roots.
Oriental art according to Sun Tzu.
It is supposedly less painful than waxing.
While deprived of any personal experience here, I suspect that a 150-grit random orbital sander is less painful than waxing.
But then Porter-Cable isn’t suing the state of Texas.
Which is what threaders are doing.
Texas requires a license to pull hair — at least to charge people to pull hair.
And said license requires about 750 hours of training, apparently none of which instructs one in how to tangle hair and twine.
The State of Texas is accused of meddling in the free pursuit of lassoing hair while flossing.
Threaders consider the license unfair, expensive, and irrelevant.
Sort of like pulling your hair in order to attract someone of the opposite sex, as though one would want to attract someone so shallow that he or she considers a hair out of place to be decisive in a relationship.
I refuse to make any litigation jokes about splitting hairs.
Do they ring doorbells in WHAT?
In a Williamson County suburb of Austin, D.C., a 40-year-old man is accused of threatening three boys with an AR-15, the civilian version of our continued commitment in Afghanistan, for ringing his doorbell and running away.
No poo, no burning paper sack, no Prince Albert in the can.
Ring the doorbell and run away.
Hysterical to anyone under 12.
Hysterically involving use deadly force if you’re 40.
So, let’s all go downtown and sort this out, Rambo.
Burglary 101
Lesson 1: Do not attempt to burgle a residence when the occupant is at home. They tend to call the cops, then pursue you, as did the resident of an East Sixth street apartment in Austin (Where else?) last week.
Lesson 2: Do not wear a bright red flannel coat and a ski hat. Clothing suitable for burglary should be difficult to describe. Not “Santa Claus with a head like a chicken…”
Lesson 3: City buses make poor getaway vehicles. Particularly when you board carrying a 12-guage double-barrel shotgun and a pillow case full of household items.
Lesson 3: Wait until dark.
Genie’s HOT SOX Recipe — Do Not Eat!!!
If you’re in need of a new idea for a gift (not a BIG gift) or something just for yourself this cold winter, here’s my long promised HOT SOX recipe. I know I’ve alluded to this for years in my columns, but unless I’m having a senior moment and forgotten, I don’t think I ever put the instructions in a column. So here it is! This works great for me in this old, cold farmhouse and anytime for aches and pains. Anywhere you would use a heating pad, you can use a sock. HOT SOX can keep feet — or anything else — warm. I even used some old ones once in the bed of an aging cat. I can assure you it was greatly appreciated!
If you’re in need of a new idea for a gift (not a BIG gift) or something just for yourself this cold winter, here’s my long promised HOT SOX recipe. I know I’ve alluded to this for years in my columns, but unless I’m having a senior moment and forgotten, I don’t think I ever put the instructions in a column. So here it is! This works great for me in this old, cold farmhouse and anytime for aches and pains. Anywhere you would use a heating pad, you can use a sock. HOT SOX can keep feet — or anything else — warm. I even used some old ones once in the bed of an aging cat. I can assure you it was greatly appreciated!
Buy a package of nice, new boy’s or men’s tube socks (or a more decorative long tube like sock if you like. You could sew something jazzy in any shape you like, maybe in fleece, but that’s too much like work). I like the men’s gray tube socks from discount stores. You don’t HAVE to buy them new. But if you gift HOT SOX made from old, used socks, I can’t guarantee how thrilled the recipient might or might not be upon receiving.
Round up some shoelaces or stout string — or something without metal that you can tie convincingly. Buy a big ol’ bag of the cheapest rice you can find. I use an old canning funnel with a wide mouth to fill the sock with rice, probably a pound or two. (Any funnel with a wide mouth would be better than nothing. I’ve used a tube from paper towels as a “poor man’s funnel,” too. But remember to cut the hole in the rice bag very small. A canning funnel is easier and faster. Another set of hands is helpful too. If you try to pour rice into a sock with no funnel or tube, it’s a disaster. Take my word for it.)
You want the sock filled nice and plump but not stuffed too tight like a fat, hard sausage. Leave five or so inches of material loose on the top — so you can tie the string around it tightly with some sock to spare flapping at the end. Tie the string or shoelace twice, double knot, very tightly — so no rice escapes EVER.
Slip the whole stuffed thing into another empty, identical sock that you can remove and wash. (Never wash the one with the rice inside, of course).
Place one HOT SOX in microwave two to three minutes. I’d try two minutes in the microwave at first. Microwaves are different. This might have to be adjusted. But two minutes might be enough. And watch the temperature especially on older, younger, or more tender and sensitive skin! The first time a HOT SOX is heated, there may be a little steam. The sock might even appear damp for a while. This will go away with subsequent heatings. I suppose if a sock is heated too long, it might catch fire in the microwave. But two to three minutes has never been a problem for me.
A HOT SOX will stay hot/warm under covers almost all night. Or you may drape the HOT SOX over a sore neck or knee or whatever. It’s more flexible and portable than a heating pad. In the air, a HOT SOX will cool off more quickly than under covers. You can even take one in the car to keep you warm until the heat kicks in. I’ve been known to drag a HOT SOX or two to the deer stand on cold mornings. I LOVE them!!! Everyone I’ve ever given them to loves them. There was a commercial product like this years ago, also meant to be heated. It may still be around. There were also some bags and little pillows filled with more aromatic additions such as lavender. I believe there were some filled with beans and other products, some sort of hull perhaps. But they aren’t as soft in my opinion. I’ve only used rice. If you experiment with other ingredients, please let me hear from you! (I will rejoice with you on your successes and commiserate with you on your disasters.)
A well made HOT SOX can be heated and used every day, several times a day if you like, for at least one season. I’ve had some much longer, but I usually keep half a dozen around to rotate. On a really cold night, I might have three under the covers (sort of like a three dog night, but with HOT SOX. The SOX may start to smell burnt or get holes after a certain amount of use. You’ll know when it’s time to make a new one! Enjoy!
(Gene Ellis, Ed.D is a Bosque County resident who returned to the family farm after years of living in New Orleans, New York, and Florida. She is an artist who holds a doctoral degree from New York University and is writing a book about the minor catastrophes of life.)
Galileo and Aristotle
Four hundred years ago, an Italian mathematics professor named Galileo Galilei unwittingly made a dramatic career change when he turned his new telescope skyward and became the world’s first telescopic astronomer.
Four hundred years ago, an Italian mathematics professor named Galileo Galilei unwittingly made a dramatic career change when he turned his new telescope skyward and became the world’s first telescopic astronomer.
But Galileo didn’t merely marvel at the never-before seen sights in the night sky. He gave serious, and often ingenuous thought, to what he saw, and began making discoveries and inferences that profoundly changed our view of the cosmos and our place in it, and in so doing, firmly affixed his lauded place in history.
The 17th century scholarly view of the cosmos was still dominated by the teachings of the Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 BCE). And many of his ideas about the nature of things, being more akin to beliefs and conjectures than observation-based science, came to be incorporated into the dogma of Christian religion. Thus, in both academia and the church, Aristotle’s world view carried great weight for the better part of two millennia.
The Aristotelian view saw the Earth and all things earthly as composed of four substances: earth, water, air, and fire. Thus the things of our world — the realm of imperfect humans — were imperfect, changing, and subject to death and decay.
All heavenly bodies beyond Earth were composed of a substance not found on Earth called aether (or quintessence) which was perfect, eternal, and unchanging — indeed, godly. Heavenly things were perfectly round with perfectly smooth surfaces; the eternal heavens were fixed and unchanging; and with Earth at the center of the universe, all heavenly objects orbited Earth in perfectly circular orbits.
It was probably not his original intent, yet Galileo and his telescope began to dismantle this world view piece by piece. Each discovery seemed to refute a key element of the Aristotelian view, and in so doing, challenged the official teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, ultimately getting Galileo in big trouble.
In December 1609, Galileo began his study of the heavens by focusing first on the Moon. Next time, we’ll see what he found and which part of Aristotle’s world view took the first hit.
[Much of the above information is from Stephen P. Maran and Laurence A. Marschall’s highly recommended book, Galileo’s New Universe, which was recently reviewed in this column; my Web site contains an archive of previous columns.]
· Sky Calendar
* Dec. 13 Sun. all night: The Geminid meteor shower peaks with no Moon interference.
* 16 Wed.: The Moon is new.
* 20 Sun. evening: The crescent Moon is below Jupiter tonight and above it tomorrow evening.
* 21 Mon.: Winter solstice, the Northern Hemisphere’s first day of winter and shortest day of year after which days begin lengthening for six months.
* 22 Tue. all night: The Ursid meteor shower peaks with the best viewing after the Moon sets around 11 p.m.
* 24 Thu.: The Moon is at 1st quarter.
* 31 Thu.: The second full Moon of the month, popularly called a Blue Moon although it has nothing to do with its color; there will be a slight partial lunar eclipse not visible over the U.S.
· Naked-eye Planets. (The Sun, Moon, and planets rise in the east and set in the west due to Earth’s west-to-east rotation on its axis.) Evening: Jupiter is the brightest object in the southwest; Mercury is near the west southwestern horizon at dusk. Morning: Saturn is high in the southeast with Mars even higher in the southwest. Venus is all but lost in the glare of the rising Sun.
· Astro Milestones. Dec. 14 is the 463rd birthday of Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe (1546-1601) whose meticulous observations and records of Mars’ movement over many years enabled Johannes Kepler to discover elliptical orbits. Dec. 25 is the 367th birthday of the English scientist Isaac Newton (1642-1727), father of modern physics and discoverer of gravity. Dec. 27 is the 438th birthday of the German mathematician Johannes Kepler (1571-1630).
(Stargazer appears every other week. Paul Derrick is an amateur astronomer who lives in Waco. Contact him at 918 N. 30th, Waco, 76707, (254) 753-6920 or paulderrickwaco@aol.com. See the Stargazer Web site at stargazerpaul.com.)
Santa Summit Prompts Greenland ‘No-Fly Zone’
What makes e-mail great is that it’s so darned easy to use. For example: If you come across something that absolutely HAS TO BE SEEN by everyone you know — like say a picture of a cat doing chin-ups — you can simply click a button and send it to 100 people. Or in the case of my favorite aunt who still hasn’t mastered this process, you can send that very same knee-slapping picture to one person — such as your favorite nephew — 100 times.
What makes e-mail great is that it’s so darned easy to use. For example: If you come across something that absolutely HAS TO BE SEEN by everyone you know — like say a picture of a cat doing chin-ups — you can simply click a button and send it to 100 people. Or in the case of my favorite aunt who still hasn’t mastered this process, you can send that very same knee-slapping picture to one person — such as your favorite nephew — 100 times.
The reason I bring this up is because, if not for e-mail, I sincerely doubt someone from Midland, Mich., would’ve gone to the trouble of sending me a photo of 176 Santas standing on the deck of a fishing boat off the coast of Greenland (And YES, this is primarily the kind of e-mail I get.)
I should mention that we were one of 50 newspapers that received the photo, which was part of an announcement letting people know that classes at the Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School had come to an end.
Now, opening my email at 5:45 in the morning to find a wild pack of Santas waving champagne glasses at me from the bow of a fishing boat was enough to make me re-start my computer AND swear-off watching any more claymation Christmas cartoons after 9 p.m. However, it wasn’t enough to keep me from visiting the school’s website in order to find out the connection between Michigan, 176 wild Santas, and what must’ve been the strangest cruise ship experience this side of Orlando.
What I discovered was that the photo was taken during the first-ever Santa Summit in Northern Greenland, where men and women from 13 different countries — including the U.S. — came together to exchange ideas, drink too much, and get stuck in the chimneys of local villagers. This would explain why all 176 Santas were apparently confined to a large fishing boat and taken out to sea.
It also explains why Greenland, a peace-loving country that has no military of its own and proudly proclaims it has never waged war on anyone, recently passed a resolution allowing persons dressed as Santa to be attacked by snow dogs and/or harpooned on sight.
No questions asked.
Given that all three of my questions had been answered, the safe thing to do would have been to delete the photoand get back to work. But as we all know, the Internet can be a dangerous place, particularly for those who are impressionable, unsupervised, and not facing a deadline. As a result, I discovered some interesting mathematical equations about Santa’s yearly trip around the world.
To begin with, Santa actually has 31 hours to work with on Christmas Eve, thanks to the different time zones and the rotation of the earth. Considering that Santa is able to deliver an estimated 91.8 million presents in that amount of time, I really have no business whining about going to Wal-Mart and having my dozen or so presents wrapped for me while I sit across the street drinking an egg nog latte. In addition, for Santa to make all of his stops by Christmas morning, he must fly at speeds in excess of 650 miles per second — or roughly 3,000 times the speed of light.
Given that the air resistance would be similar to a space craft re-entering the earth’s atmosphere, we can safely assume that Rudolf and the rest of Santa’s reindeer would burst into flames and cause a sonic boom loud enough to knock the top ornament off of every Christmas tree on the planet.
Santa, meanwhile, would be pinned to the back of his sleigh by a gravitational force about 17,500 times stronger than Earth’s gravity.
Of course, this is all just speculation.
Odds are, he might not make it passed Greenland.
(You can write to Ned Hickson at nhickson@thesiuslawnews.com, or at the Siuslaw News at P.O. Box 10, Florence, OR 97439)
Why I Believe In Mr. Claus
Mathematicians, physicists and other scientifically-inclined types love to pooh-pooh the Christmas delivery system utilized by Mr. S. Claus of the North Pole, Earth, as being impossible to carry out. According to the geek community, one man, driving an antique sleigh powered by eight “tiny” reindeer, cannot possibly travel to every house, apartment, mobile home (single- as well as double-wide), and other domicile in the Christian world within the roughly 30 hours allotted to carry out the task. What these schmegeges don’t factor in is the “magic quotient.”
Mathematicians, physicists and other scientifically-inclined types love to pooh-pooh the Christmas delivery system utilized by Mr. S. Claus of the North Pole, Earth, as being impossible to carry out.
According to the geek community, one man, driving an antique sleigh powered by eight “tiny” reindeer, cannot possibly travel to every house, apartment, mobile home (single- as well as double-wide), and other domicile in the Christian world within the roughly 30 hours allotted to carry out the task.
What these schmegeges don’t factor in is the “ma
gic quotient.”
C’mon, how many science teachers did you have who actually possessed a viable set of social skills? These were typically the individuals who, as kids, rarely (if ever) played outside, whether joining in sports or games requiring imagination.
Like Paul McCartney’s grandfather pointed out to Ringo Starr in “A Hard Day’s Night,” the nerds never had adventures because they always had their noses stuck in some “blooming book” — too busy reading about adventures to actually have any of their own.
The fact of the matter is, simply put, Santa Claus is magic.
And, he doesn’t always use a sleigh.
I have my own personal experience to prove this is true:
Back when I was the tender age of eight years, my parents, possessed of a disturbingly low threshold for childhood antics (especially my Mother), told my brother and me in no uncertain terms that they had instructed Mr. C not to stop at our home that year.
Not imagining that Santa himself would be so harsh as to pass our house by, when my brother and I awoke (we always got up well before 5:00 on Christmas morning) and raced to the living room…
Ka-pow!
We were hit full force with a reality that was just about as cruel as any child might envision — there, beneath the tree, was nary a single toy.
In a move designed to force us to respect them, my parents had demolished the best day of the year for us. Instead of instilling us with admiration, what we learned was fear.
And how to be very, very angry.
Speaking only for myself, I felt as though someone had punched me squarely in the gut.
Repeatedly.
Needless to say, the morning went from bad to worse, highlighted by the chill of being compelled to get dressed in our best and go to Mass.
Breakfast would have to wait, as the three-hour rule between eating and communion was in effect.
Although I made every attempt to avoid contact with friends at church, it proved to be an exercise in futility. While kids related in glowing terms tales of lavish, wondrous toys and other loot, I listened in stony silence, fighting back the tears so as not to appear sissified.
I really hated Mass (which I considered more as theater), and the usual sermon about love, understanding, and giving was completely lost on me that Christmas day.
The ride home was about as coldly silent and uncomfortable as any family trip could possibly be.
However, one truly strange thing did occur. About four blocks from our house a late model Chevrolet Impala convertible passed in front of us on a cross street.
Not only was it an oddity that the top was down on Christmas, but the driver was none other than Santa Claus.
True to what one might normally expect, Santa seemed to be laughing with that hearty deportment singular to him.
At the time, we thought nothing more about crossing paths with the Jolly Fat Man than it was some sort of coincidence.
After arriving at home, we moped along into the house, not looking forward to a long Christmas devoid of presents.
Then it hit us.
Upon entering the living room, we were shocked and stunned at the Christmas booty nestled under the tree in full splendor!
Today, I can’t possibly remember precisely which toys, games and whatever else had been laid under the tannenbaum, but I do remember the instant elation.
What had begun as a really crappy Christmas was now a quasi-splendiferous holiday, one that would remain in my memory for the rest of my life – not necessarily for the best reasons.
It was never divulged exactly how that stuff got into the house and under the tree.
We lived in the southwest suburbs, while most of our relatives and family friends lived on Chicago’s Northside. In those days the trip took nearly an hour each way, thus time and space precluded the possibility of it having been any of them.
Among our more local family friends, they all had kids, which meant ducking out on Christmas morning was not a very likely scenario.
And — here’s the topper — we did not know a single person or family that owned an Impala convertible.
To this day, not one person has admitted complicity in the delivery of those presents; Mom and Dad always claimed it was Santa.
Now, after the passage of 50 years and despite the fact that both of my parents are gone, I’m still pissed off at them for that stunt. There are a lot more ways to get the point they wanted to across than subjecting children to the kind of hurt we were forced to endure.
More than any other, that Christmas is the one I remember most vividly from my childhood, and it’s not exactly a holiday filled with cheer.
If you want to give your child a lesson on the true meaning of Christmas, rather than tarnish the memory of the occasion for decades to come, have them spend part of the day with people of less fortunate means.
It’s a far more practical lesson.
The one positive thing I came away with after that experience is that Santa Claus is indeed magic.
So, five decades later I still believe, even if it’s only in the essence and spirit of the Big Guy from the North Pole, and try to always treat others as Mr. Claus probably would.
Well, I guess that in itself is a pretty good thing.
Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas!
Shalom.
(Erstwhile Philosopher and former Educator Jerry Tenuto is a veteran who survived, somewhat emotionally intact, seven years in the U.S. Army. Despite a penchant for late-night revelry, he managed to earn BS and MA Degrees in Communications from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. On advice from a therapist, he continues to bang out his weekly “Out Of The Blue” feature in The Lone Star Iconoclast — providing much-needed catharsis. Jerry is also licensed to perform marriage ceremonies in 45 states.)
Come On Down
There is already a lot of talk about the 2010 elections. Will the Democrats lose their majority? Will Republicans get more unified by then? Will there be a reappearance of the dreaded chad? With all this talk about Congressional elections, an important ballot measure is being lost in the fog of partisan politics. Next year, Denver voters will be asked to approve the establishment of an Extraterrestrial Affairs Commission. No, this is not about members of Congress having affairs in space (although all bets are off if there are motels out there). This is about creating a mood in Denver that would welcome beings from outer space to the Mile High City.
There is already a lot of talk about the 2010 elections. Will the Democrats lose their majority? Will Republicans get more unified by then? Will there be a reappearance of the dreaded chad? With all this talk about Congressional elections, an important ballot measure is being lost in the fog of partisan politics. Next year, Denver voters will be asked to approve the establishment of an Extraterrestrial Affairs Commission. No, this is not about members of Congress having affairs in space (although all bets are off if there are motels out there). This is about creating a mood in Denver that would welcome beings from outer space to the Mile High City.
The ballot measure, which got the required number of signatures, is the idea of Denver’s Jeff Peckman who describes himself as “an entrepreneur.” That’s not the word that everyone is using to describe him. In his defense, his initiative doesn’t claim that extraterrestrials definitely exist. He’s just saying that if they do exist, we should be friendly to them.
At the same time that there is this “take an alien to lunch” attitude going on, space travel is becoming more and more of a reality. Richard Branson, the head of Virgin Everything, recently said that he’ll have a spacecraft ready to start commercial flights in 2011 or 2012. There won’t be an economy class on this craft. A ticket will cost $200,000 for a 2 1/2 hour flight about 60 miles above Earth.
I know what you’re thinking: nobody’s going to pay that kind of money. Think again. So far, about 300 people have put down $40 million in deposits to guarantee a seat on this spaceship.
“Space funerals” are also becoming more and more popular. One Houston company takes the ashes of hundreds of people at a time into space. If you ask me, if we really want a friendly relationship with extraterrestrials, I don’t think dumping the ashes of dead people in their neighborhood is the best approach.
But I do think having a friendly, welcoming attitude towards beings from outer space is a nice idea if they ever visit us. In most science fiction movies, they’re perceived as enemies rather than friends. They’re often characterized as beings who are trying to take things that are important to us — our water, our air, our minds. This is somewhat ironic, because people who are in favor of our traveling to other worlds often feel that it could be a great opportunity for us to find alternative fuels, bring back clean water, or dump our garbage. In other words, we would do to them the very things that the “evil aliens” in those movies do on earth. Maybe they’re just trying to beat us to the punch.
Mr. Peckman believes those who live millions of miles away from us are very intelligent. This is also a common element of many science fiction stories and movies. I’ve often wondered, why are these beings generally thought of as so smart? Aren’t they just as likely to be dumb? Maybe they’d land on earth and barely be able to speak. Maybe they’d decide to go for a drive in the middle of rush hour. Maybe they’d go to a high school reunion before going on a diet.
But smart or dumb, I agree with Peckman that we should plan on being good hosts. However, there is one group which is quite outspoken in their negative reaction to Peckman’s initiative. This group that feels the proposal is unnecessary and rather silly is the Colorado state chapter of MUFON. On the off chance that you are unfamiliar with MUFON, it stands for the Mutual UFO Network. So, those who are serious about UFO’s think this “be nice to extraterrestrials” is ridiculous. Maybe people who believe in werewolves laugh at those who believe in vampires.
There’s probably another group that isn’t so enthusiastic about the proposal. I don’t think they’d be hospitable if aliens from another planet dropped in on us for a visit. I can just imagine their rhetoric: “I’m not against legal extraterrestrials, but those illegals have no place here. Those Martians who sneak into our atmosphere are taking jobs away from Americans.”
(Lloyd Garver has written for many television shows, ranging from “Sesame Street” to “Family Ties” to “Home Improvement” to “Frasier.” He has also read many books, some of them in hardcover. He can be reached at lloydgarver@gmail.com. Check out his website at lloydgarver.com and his podcasts on iTunes.)
Things Fall Apart: Fear Of Getting Older
Everyone in America today seems to be totally worried about terrorism and the economy. Sure, I also worry a lot that the Bush-Obama administration’s excessive love of bankers and weapons manufacturers has screwed up my country — but, frankly, I’ve got far more important things to worry about right now, things that are far more closer to home. I’m more worried about getting older and watching my body fall apart than I am about terrorists and the economy.
http://jpstillwater.blogspot.com
Everyone in America today seems to be totally worried about terrorism and the economy. Sure, I also worry a lot that the Bush-Obama administration’s excessive love of bankers and weapons manufacturers has screwed up my country — but, frankly, I’ve got far more important things to worry about right now, things that are far more closer to home. I’m more worried about getting older and watching my body fall apart than I am about terrorists and the economy.
Recently I started taking a Jin Shin Jyutsu class, wherein the instructor keeps telling me that if I only do this or do that, my body and mind will start functioning better. But, hey, just look what I have to work with! My body parts are clearly wearing out. Where was Jin Shin Jyutsu 40 years ago — when I had a much higher quality product to work with.
Here’s a video of the three main JSJ self-help body holds. If you are young, you might want to try them. They will probably work better for you than they do for me. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNzcWKKV52s
There is one advantage to being old, however. I no longer have to worry about global warming, economic disaster, irradiation by depleted uranium, and the oceans rising over my doorstep — because within the next 20 years I’ll be dead. Ha! All you young strong healthy types who can still do cartwheels and run marathons will be stuck with all this deadly Bush-Obama mess — but I won’t be. Ha!
But, like I said, the disadvantage of being older is that all my stuff is now all falling apart. And even if Americans move quickly, stop using cars, become socialists, kick all the bankers out of the Pentagon and save the world, all you young guys perhaps may get saved — but I’m still gonna be old.
PS: One thing I would really like to do that would most likely improve my life span — or at least my memory — is to win the lottery and move someplace where they don’t put fluoride in the water.
PPS: I’m leaving for Miami on Friday, to have lunch at the Versailles restaurant on Calle Ocho in Little Havana and keep my eyes peeled for Fidel Castro while I eat fried plantains. Hey, you never can tell. (And even Fidel Castro is actually getting OLD.)
Then I’m going to leave the next day for Chile, to be down there in time for the Chilean presidential elections. This election is a big deal! I myself am rooting for Marco Enriquez-Ominami, an independent running on a center-left platform. He’s not only popular in Chile but he’s also a good guy who (hopefully) won’t sell out his constituency to the highest bidder the moment he gets elected on a platform of “change.”
Obama, Congress, And Department Of Labor ‘Stick It’ To Elderly, Disabled On Fixed Social Security Income
Americans need to sarcastically thank the Obama administration, Congress, and the Department of Labor for eliminating the cost of living adjustment (COLA) for Social Security Disability because of manipulation re: the Consumer Price Index which shows that there was no inflation of the U.S. dollar.
‘Obama’s Audacity of Hope-lessness’
Americans need to sarcastically thank the Obama administration, Congress, and the Department of Labor for eliminating the cost of living adjustment (COLA) for Social Security Disability because of manipulation re: the Consumer Price Index which shows that there was no inflation of the U.S. dollar.
Unbelievable? You bet!
Obama does NOT have to justify it as it came down from the Department of Labor. The recent annual mail-out to all SS recipients from the Social Security Administration now states:
“By law, Social Security benefits increase automatically to keep pace with inflation. When there is a period of no inflation, the law does not permit an increase in benefits. Based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) published by the Department of Labor, there was no rise in the cost of living during the past year, so your benefit will remain the same in 2010. The CPI is the federal government’s official measure used to calculate cost-of-living increases.”
So, there you have “open government” in action. They continue to screw the masses while providing bailouts, perks, and special laws to favor wealthy special interests. Is this part of the great “change” pushed for by Obama that he continues to let our government run amok?
Americans most likely know “no inflation” is a “crock” since most of our daily living expenses have risen dramatically during the year and continue to increase.
Not only was it determined for this year, but also for next year.
How can such a determination be justified when everything around us points at increased dollar inflation and the fact that our dollar buys less than it did one year ago?
Hopefully, seniors and the disabled living on FIXED Social Security Income will NOT reelect Obama and most legislative incumbents, nor do the majority of Americans support the huge expenditure of our tax dollars for extravagant wars and profitable business ventures overseas when it is so hard for the elderly and disabled, poor and middle classes, in this nation to survive economically.
Our leaders all should be ashamed for what they are doing to this needy and significantly overburdened population.
The American people are sick of general and absurd responses re: the depressed economy and joblessness.
The American people want to hear and see positive resolutions, not merely lip service and empty promises.
Also know that leaders have sealed the economic fate and doom for millions of elderly and disabled. Those Americans in the workforce still are awaiting the jobs promised. It is unconscionable that leaders permit a COLA freeze on Social Security benefits while veiling increased costs of living expenses and the continued loss of jobs.
This is NOT “the change we can live with” promised by Obama and Congress. Our “do-nothing” Congress has NOT changed for the better. Instead there are more lies and empty promises from our leaders.
The U.S. has not evolved. It remains in political, economic, and social darkness and decay. The wealthy few get richer while the majority of poor continue to disintegrate. It is a sad moment in U.S. history — one of many.
Peter Stern, a former director of information services, university professor and public school administrator, is a disabled Vietnam veteran who lives in Driftwood., Texas.
