2007-09-10
The Great Iraq Swindle: : Rolling Stone
There is a great video to accompany this story.
The Great Iraq Swindle: : Rolling Stone: "How is it done? How do you screw the taxpayer for millions, get away with it and then ride off into the sunset with one middle finger extended, the other wrapped around a chilled martini? Ask Earnest O. Robbins -- he knows all about being a successful contractor in Iraq."
2007-09-05
U.S., Canadian West set joint carbon-cutting target | Environment | Reuters
U.S., Canadian West set joint carbon-cutting target | Environment | Reuters
"Our collective commitment will build a successful regional system to be linked with other efforts across the nation and eventually the world," California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said in a statement.
As far as i can tell, Schwarzenegger (and his staff) have a brilliant approach to the carbon reduction issue: In the face of an administration that is ranging from denial to delusional (that is, the spreading of) in its policies and fancy for industry lobbyists when it comes to issues of "the Environment", The Gov.'s (Arnold, not U.S.) approach is to supersede the federal layer in favor of an inter-regional, trans-national carbon emission reduction initiatives and "treaties".
The challenge for the plan should be to address 1) potential challenge from courts about the authority for states to make these arrangements on their own, and 2) "giving it teeth" so that the agreements are binding in the face of what will surely be challenges to the political will to accomplish the benchmarks in reductions.
The federal state seems to have impaled itself on the entrenched interests of the status-quo. Hopefully these inter-regional networks can form a cohesive, ad-hoc global approach to the carbon issue. Could this be the nascent stages of a new global body? Arnold for President... of the World?
2007-09-03
Focus the Nation
"On January 31, 2008 thousands of schools and organizations will collectively shift the national dialogue on global warming." Focus The Nation is the organization anchoring the event.
Its message is positive yet sober: we can do this, but we had better get cracking. Two quotes stood out (for me) in perusing the site:
"David Orr closed out the event with inspiring—and challenging—words. We may be crossing a political tipping point. But time is not our friend. An aggressive efficiency and renewables policy can get us to where we need to be by mid-century. But we do not have a moment to spare, or the time to indulge in half measures or false solutions."
and,
"Dr. Martin Luther King spoke these prescient words in a speech not long before his assassination:
“We are now faced with the fact, my friends, that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late. Procrastination is still the thief of time [and] life often leaves us standing bare, naked, and dejected with a lost opportunity. … Over the bleached bones and jumbled residues of numerous civilizations are written the pathetic words ‘Too late.’”"
The introductory video is a realistic message to this generation regarding the scope of the ecological challenge upon us, and the response required. It realizes the requirements of developing and implementing the necessary infrastructure to make the kinds of Carbon Emission Reductions that are being called for in order to mitigate the effects of the industrial era on the ability of this planet to sustain conditions favorable to human and other life.
Most of the organizing focus seems to be coming from college campuses, which seems appropriate since they are the ones who will inherit what will need to be nothing shy of an evolution of human commerce.
Focus the Nation
2007-08-28
The Cheapskate Guide: 50 Tips for Frugal Living | zen habits
One person's "Cheapskate" is another's "Eco-conscious lifestyle", as saving personal resources also makes ecological sense. (And as one commenter points out, it is actually a post on frugality, as a cheapskate is "someone who stiffs their waitress.")
Nonetheless, a nice collection of some good advice, not all of it obvious to the seasoned cheapskate, er environmentalist.
The Cheapskate Guide: 50 Tips for Frugal Living | zen habits
Let's Face It: The Warfare State Is Part of Us
This is a great wake-up call for those still clinging to their "Kerry/Edwards '04" bumper stickers, and a warning to not go back to sleep after the Emperor is gone and a "lesser-evil" like Queen Hillary or the Prince of Hope has replaced him.
AlterNet: ForeignPolicy: Let's Face It: The Warfare State Is Part of Us: "While the Bush-Cheney administration is the most dangerous of our lifetimes -- and ousting Republicans from the White House is imperative -- such truths are apt to smooth the way for progressive evasions. We hear that 'the people must take back the government,' but how can 'the people' take back what they never really had? And when rhetoric calls for 'returning to a foreign policy based on human rights and democracy,' we're encouraged to be nostalgic for good old days that never existed. The warfare state didn't suddenly arrive in 2001, and it won't disappear when the current lunatic in the Oval Office moves on."
2007-08-16
Welcome to Appropedia - Appropedia: The sustainability wiki
(This is a cross post from the EQBlog where I contribute.)
Welcome to Appropedia - Appropedia: The sustainability wiki
I've been creating my own wiki over at http://byrnegreen.com/wiki
My intention is part CV?Resume, part list of resources for helping people "meet the challenges and realize the rewards of going green."
I was excited to come across Appropedia, a wiki focused on Sustainable Technologies. I am adding it to my google bookmarks, an my list of links on the byrnegreen wiki.
Soooooo many initiatives. Keep up the good work all!