Posted by voolavex in carbon emmissions, global warming, green, Pakistan, Politics, Politics & Religion, war.
Tags: Afghani, Afghanistan, Barack Obama, Copenhagen, greed, green, Nobel Door Prize, Nobel Prize, Obama, Paki, Pakistan, Sadam, Stockholm, Union Carbide, W, Woburn
Taking stock of Stockholm and Copenhagen in the last week has led me to some conclusions that may not sound very patriotic, but honesty should not be usurped by mislaid love of country. You can love your country without loving some of what is done in its name. The same goes for your neighbor.
Copenhagen. In order to speed greed you have to be able to use every tool you have to get there. Greed is a global goal. Or the spoils of greed. And why not – I think we have reached a tipping point (thank you MG) where all the fingers in all the dikes are not going to make enough of an impact to save much of anything. Sounds hopeless but it may be more truth than anyone can bear to utter. I was green in the 70’s – what fun being laughed out of conversations about destroying the planet and the small steps that could be taken to slow this down. And if that wasn’t annoying enough – being green was expensive (as it is now) and impeded by the newest in living better through chemistry. No one cared about Three Mile Island or Union Carbide or the Woburn Cancer Cluster. A few (hundred thousand) souls were a small sacrifice for Big Biz to absorb in the pursuit of money. Collateral damage without even a war. That was 40 years ago.
We have made huge strides in our pursuit of the Money and the Brand. As Pogo said “We have met the enemy and he is us”. He is. No one wants to lower emissions by charter. If they sign up then they have to be responsible and we cannot have that and corporate sovereignty. Copenhagen was not quite what we had in mind. So while the planet slimes and slurps and melts and freezes and generally goes the way of a Styrofoam cup – there is good news too – we have found water on the Moon. Get ready to play the collectible, limited edition of Lunar Monopoly.
Stockholm. White tie is never unpleasant to see. And President Obama looked wonderful and a little confused in his as he accepted the Nobel Prize.
But the point is this: Any president in 2009 has inherited 8 years of a war without a point. Obama is doing what Sadam-obsessed W should have continued to do when he deployed Oct 7 2001. Instead he drained our country of soldier’s blood to get an imaginary enemy. We are now back to square one/Oct 7 2001 when the target was Al Qaeda in Afghani/Pakistan. He is merely doing – and not something I like either – what W should have done and won.
I am not sure Mr. Obama should have won the Nobel Peace Prize. I doubt he thinks so either. And as he sends troops into no-win Afghanistan it is an even harder accolade to accept or deserve. Ah well. Unfortunately they do not yet have a Nobel War Prize. Or a Nobel Door Prize.
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Posted by voolavex in global warming, Social Issues.
Tags: 12-21-12, 13.0.0.0.0., algorithm, Allah, Armageddon, Arthur C. Clarke, astrology, calendar, Christ, climate change., game theory, Jews, junk, junk science, Kali, Mayans, planets, Religion, solar system, the Long Count
The year 2012 is mentioned a lot lately and it makes me curious about a few things that should be more obvious – yet I have not seen anyone address them.
Basically the Mayan calendar (followed only by Mayans until very recently) predicts that there will a huge change on this planet on 12/21/12 or 13.0.0.0.0. – depending on how you read it. Furthermore it seems this eventuality is global theme from antiquity – not just Mayan antiquity. It also appears that no matter how you crunch the numbers all of them are pretty close to this date (the former, not the latter). Scientifically, there will be an alignment of the planets in our solar system that occurs only every (26),000 years (give or take). I wonder if the number (13).0.0.0.0. is special because it is half of 26? I don’t know. Then again, no one else has explained it very well one way or another either. I do know many that many people – mainstream and fringe – seem to be cashing in on this entire phenomenon quite handsomely. One man ( a scientific sort) has created an algorithm using game theory to make similar predictions for 2012. So I am troubled because if even one of the many supposed events occur – it won’t be very pleasant for this world and this is the very thing that keeps doubt in my mind. That and fear.
Let’s all agree, for the sake of this piece. that religion is based on predictions, prophets, amazing events, celestial signs. These happen by the hand of God – any God or many Gods – so we should take this theme very seriously. The idea of “the end of days” seems to be part of many religions and is signified by wars, fire, floods, explosions and bad behavior among the citizens of Earth. And then redemption or hell, fire and brimstone. Or some here and some there. While the term “junk science” covers many of these catastrophic events in the mainstream – no one ever seems to use the term “junk religion” or ask why this silly idea is a thread through so many cultures who have no use for one another now nor a long time ago. Consider this: In Eastern countries the astrological charts of two people marrying, for example, are very important – yet astrology – in the West is considered a pseudo science with no real meaning. Yet it relies on celestial measurements to predict compatibility. What makes it junk? Why has it been so important for so many millions of people on Earth. Why is it still? And why were a people such as the Mayans so concerned with dates and calendars and the heavens when they possessed no technical or scientific basis for their observations. Was it faith or advice? Is it some accident or coincidence that the idea of religious monuments at precise astronomical intersections is farfetched, yet we can consider climate change a fact? Why is the idea of Armageddon a religious myth? And why must we reject as junk, one, but not the other? Who makes these decisions and why? If anyone knew this all to be true and inevitable – just as billions believe that Christ is the Son of God, that Allah is the only God and Mohammed is his Prophet, that Moses delivered the Jew out of Egypt and brought us the 10 Commandments, that this is the Age of Kali – all this faith is accepted as gospel – why do we doubt 2012 – for example? And assuming for a second we take a flight and accept it as a possibility. Then what? If Eastern thought and Western science has seen these changes coming for ages – theoretically and/or metaphysically – what are they going to do about it? In two years? Aside from money being made on the whole business, I can’t see what we possibly possess on our planet that would stop any of it from occurring – even if we knew what “it” was.
So do we attach any credence to The Long Count or is it wild conjecture? And if we do believe it, then what? And if we don’t and something does happen who will be around to claim bragging rights?
I don’t know the answers to any of these questions. I’ m not sure what parts I consider reasonable and what parts I hope are wild and impossible theories, if any. Are we a failed experiment? A final exam gone bad. Or is this just good sci-fi. You choose your ending. Or is something about to come true. And did we blow it? Maybe we should all plan to meet on 1-1-13 and see what the outcome is – if anyone is left to care. I miss Arthur C. Clarke.
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Posted by voolavex in bribery, carbon emissions, carbon offset, global warming, green, guilt, Guilt relief, hippies, Hummers, Kyoto.
Tags: Guilt relief, Kyoto
Without entering the complicated world of global warming and planetary catastrophe- let’s just have a look at carbon emissions and how you can still have them and feel green too. To be clear, I am speaking only for the US because I don’t know if anyone else in the world has a similar buy out. Having said this – it is not hard to understand why Americans talk the green but drive the car. People were green in the 70’s and got laughed at so often they gave up. It was viewed as some lunatic fringe behavior that was a holdover from the hippies. Plus the fact there was no tangible return on the effort. The heart of the matter: return on the effort. We like to be paid for everything. No good deed should go unpaid in this country. Including litigation if you happen to do one out of kindness and get caught. But we have sunk recently to a new low with the advent of Terrapass. According to the NYTimes “”…companies like Terrapass allow consumers to invest in projects like renewable energy and reforestation in an effort to remove greenhouse gas from the atmosphere equal to that produced by their cars, airplane trips and home energy use”. So this is really having your “fill in the blank” amount of cake and eating it too. No restrictions apply. Not to mention having had ample time and warning for the upcoming climate change and all it brings with it; face it, using the planet like a styrofoam cup is not new. Now we have guilt relief and it’s cheap too. I give up. Where did it say it should or would be easy to try to fix the environmental problems we face. Why should it be easy? Shouldn’t all of us have to do a lot more to try to save the only place we have in the entire universe to live? As it says in the Times “give us your money and we’ll deal with the problem”. And of course you get a snappy bumper sticker to let others know just how lazy and willing to pass the buck you are. Stop. We need hands on efforts to face this dilemma – not pay-offs to the private sector to assuage our guilt while we toddle around town in our Hummer, SUV or other gas guzzler. I think what we need are rules – not guidelines, laws, not suggestions and participation, not bribery to bring this country into being a more aware and involved partner in fixing our global health. I promise you, that should the moment come when it gets too hot to handle and we start to be a serious part of it , global warming will NOT exclude the US and its pay as you go citizens. No matter what anyone thinks. We sould have signed Kyoto.
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Voolavex 