Energy

If you watch Meet The Press on Sunday morning, you've probably seen all the ads talking about a "new dawn in energy" and a lot of other propaganda spewed by energy companies about all the good they're doing for our country. They are even active on the local level - a new ad by Missourians for a Balanced Energy Future chimes in that we need to update our energy policy. It''s a slick commercial, aimed at progressives, couched in speech that makes it seem like they are for renewable energy. They aren't.
Missourians for a Balanced Energy Future takes money from Ameren to shill for Ameren. Specifically, the bill they are asking you to support is the one that allows big corporations like Ameren to pre-bill for large construction projects.
You see, there's a law in Missouri (CWIP) that makes it illegal to raise our rates before they build new infrastructure. Keep in mind that Ameren has gotten every rate increase they've asked for in the last five years and just turned in a 11 percent profit for last year. That's profit - after they siphoned off some money to MBEF to try and trick us into giving them even more. And Ameren is already a bad neighbor - the other goal this year is to try and get hydroelectric classified as renewable energy - which it is. But the reason they want it is they already operate a hydroelectric plant at Tom Sauk - the one that they had to rebuild recently - and hope to include it so they don't have to meet the standards Missourians asked for with Prop C.
I'd like to work with Ameren to put solar panels on my roof, but they don't have a program for that. Probably because it's not as profitable as their regular, polluting business.
Well, the big oil companies are just as mischievous. They claim we're on the dawn of a new age of energy, and that we could be energy independent in a just a few years. Great stuff - except it's not true.
The claims are based on a new the old, but recently revitalized practice of "fracking." That's where they inject heated water and chemicals into wells to dislodge natural gas. It's become a hot item because energy prices are high enough to make it profitable. Never mind that extremely damaging to the environment, and the gains are offset by very high depletion rates. Check out this account of how it's becoming a disaster for Colorado.
To become energy independent, what we need more of is oil. Global oil production has been stagnant since 2005, and recent declines in our country are being gobbled up by emerging economies in China and India. We've seen increased production in America since Obama's been president, but not anywhere close to the peak we saw in the 1970s. Check this story about how we'll see smaller "highs" as time goes on.
So, when you see an ad by an energy company encouraging us to continue to support their industry with tax breaks and less regulation, remember - money talks, and they're shoveling tons of it at is to keep us confused and docile while the planet burns.

solar energy

I'm a big believer in the power of the sun. In fact, one of the things I love most about my house is passive solar heating we receive in the winter. My heating unit rarely runs when the sun is shining.
Here's an interesting piece on a potential energy source in solar winds. I found it on www.spaceweather.com, a great source for tracking solar flares, sunspots and northern lights. They also have great images of auroras and the recent passing of Comet PAN-Starrs.

nukes

I meant to link to this excellent op-ed in the Columbia Missourian about nuclear energy a few months back - right about the time many were drawing conclusions from the Fukishima disaster in Japan a year later. It has some significance for me, since it comes from the perspective of Columbia, where research has been conducted for years on the subject, with a nuclear plant nearby in Callaway county, where lawmakers and business leaders have tried to resurrect the industry in recent years.
As Republican business types clamor for more growth, nuclear remains a part of the equation, because, quite frankly, there are few energy sources left to power our rise from human energy. We've about cooked up all the cheap, easy to get energy, and what's left will cook us just prospecting for it.
The talking heads this morning called for new pipelines and more growth as the only path to solving our problems, which apparently are all economic in nature. Ultimately, nuclear will have to power that growth, because little effort is being given to develop alternatives. My problem with nuclear has always been, "What do we do with the waste?"
Today, we're seeing that answer. One of the oldest "storage facilities" for spent nuclear fuel, read: waste, is leaking. Badly. Yes, we're not supposed to worry because it could take years to make it into our groundwater. You get that? Years! No matter that we're all toast, at that point.
Really, it doesn't matter, because we're already tainting our ground water with the chemicals used in fracking. We'll soon be drinking so much toxin we'll be able to save electricity at night due to our glow.
I wish I could say I was kidding. The recent meteor sensations have left us questioning whether or not we should be spending more money on watching the skies. I say we're doing a fantastic job of destroying the earth already.

Stay positive

I've always been skeptical that "the power of positive thinking" was little more than bullshit. This article on Alternet pretty much confirms it.

BTW - the Archdruid is back and has been doing a series of interesting articles. This one on the influence of Mexico in the southwest is worth a read.

Mini In The Box

Don't buy anything from this online store.
I really wanted some LED lights to replace the bulbs in my bathroom, and since they're rather expensive, I searched the internet for a good deal. I found one, from Mini In The Box.
Silly me - bulbs from overseas DON'T WORK IN AMERICA.
Lesson learned. Save youself the trouble and don't order anything from Miniinthebox.com.

It's getting hot in here

Meteorologists in Missouri have already determined that 2012 has been the hottest year on record for much of the state. This, as I crack the window on Dec. 1, is somewhat disturbing. We don't even have to wait until the end of year for evidence our planet is warming.
Other reports this week state that polar ice is melting faster than previously expected. On the heels of multiple natural disasters this year, you'd think we'd start paying attention.
There is little doubt that burning fossil fuels and pumping carbon into the atmosphere is acerbating this condition. Yet, many politicians think we still need MORE fossil fuels to keep the party going.
I think it's time to put on our big boy pants and start looking for a way out of this mess. As much as I enjoy wearing short sleeves in December, I'd also like my children to have a planet to call home.

chillax

I'm getting a little kick out of all my conservative friends declaring the end times following the president's re-election. There's the "voting anomalies," in various states (voter fraud still doesn't exist - only two-thirds of eligible voters cast a ballot.), there's the coming health care layoffs, the fiscal cliff, the austerity crisis...
I think it's funny because, what did they think would happen if Romney had been elected?
Pretty much the same stuff, I imagine.
Here's a fantastic interview with Archdruid, who puts it all in perspective. When the four horseman of the apocalypse arrive, offer beer.