Transition

Looks like Obama is going to do good things for the environment from the get go. He is going to undo the Bush policy of breaking environmental laws.

The president-elect has said, for example, that he intends to quickly reverse the Bush administration's decision last December to deny California the authority to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from automobiles. "Effectively tackling global warming demands bold and innovative solutions, and given the failure of this administration to act, California should be allowed to pioneer," Obama said in January.

California had sought permission from the Environmental Protection Agency to require that greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles be cut by 30 percent between 2009 and 2016, effectively mandating that cars achieve a fuel economy standard of at least 36 miles per gallon within eight years. Seventeen other states had promised to adopt California's rules, representing in total 45 percent of the nation's automobile market. Environmentalists cheered the California initiative because it would stoke innovation that would potentially benefit the entire country.

"An early move by the Obama administration to sign the California waiver would signal the seriousness of intent to reduce the nation's dependence on foreign oil and build a future for the domestic auto market," said Kevin Knobloch, president of the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Before the election, Obama told others that he favors declaring that carbon dioxide emissions are endangering human welfare, following an EPA task force recommendation last December that Bush and his aides shunned in order to protect the utility and auto industries.

A good sign that Obama is taking the environment seriously.

A New New Deal

Nobel Laurette Paul Krugman

The economic lesson is the importance of doing enough. F.D.R. thought he was being prudent by reining in his spending plans; in reality, he was taking big risks with the economy and with his legacy. My advice to the Obama people is to figure out how much help they think the economy needs, then add 50 percent. It’s much better, in a depressed economy, to err on the side of too much stimulus than on the side of too little.

In short, Mr. Obama’s chances of leading a new New Deal depend largely on whether his short-run economic plans are sufficiently bold. Progressives can only hope that he has the necessary audacity.

Grotto Falls, Smokey Mountains

Grotto Falls, Smoky Mountains, originally uploaded by paterdr.

A hiker fell near Grotto Falls, in the Smoky Mountains.

A hiker is in critical condition after falling 30-40 feet Saturday afternoon in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Jeremy Frye, 25, fell from the top of Grotto Falls around 1:30 p.m. and landed on broken rock below. He suffered head and back injuries.

He was taken to Gatlinburg and the airlifted to UT Medical Center.

Have Mercy !

Lion King hikes through the Rockies before taking a detour where he gets chased by a....

Holy Smokes!

Liquid smoking. This can not possibly be good.

Smart Grid!

Nobel Prize winner, Al Gore is urging Barack Obama to build a smart grid for American electric system.

The plan advocates immediate investment in energy efficiency, renewable power generation -- including public investment in wind, solar and geothermal technology -- and the creation of a unified national smart grid.

"Modernize transmission infrastructure so that clean electricity generated anywhere in America can power homes and businesses across the nation," the alliance said in a statement.

The alliance favors "national electricity 'interstates' that move power quickly and cheaply to where it needs to be (and) local smart grids that buy and sell power from households and support clean plug-in cars."

This will create good paying jobs for several years. A good idea. It has the Chef seal of approval.

Urban Farming

Tokyo has added under ground and rooftop farms.

Kitazawa was one of many young people here left without a stable income as Japanese companies slashed jobs. But he finally ended years of job hunting when he found the position growing vegetables right in the middle of Tokyo.

"I felt a bit odd at first growing vegetables like this, but I've learned its merits," Kitazawa said.

The state-of-the art farm, known as Pasona O2, was created by Tokyo-based temp staffing agency Pasona Group Inc. The farm carefully adjusts temperatures, humidity and lighting so vegetables can grow under the ground.

Kitazawa grows a few different types of lettuce in one of the six "farms," which look somewhat like space laboratories divided by glass doors that slide open and shut automatically.

The other farming rooms grow rice, roses and vegetables such as tomatoes and pumpkins.

I do not think this type of farming will be cost effective in the US. Rooftop farms to cool the buildings from the heat island effect might be of use here.

Encouraged by environment-conscious Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara, a number of building owners in the capital have introduced roof-top gardening as a way to prevent overheating.

In the "Green Potato" project launched by two subsidiaries of Japanese telecommunications giant NTT Corp., city farmers not only help cool down Tokyo but also harvest sweet potatoes in autumn.

"Sweet potatoes grow strongly in the tough roof-top environment of harsh sun and strong wind," said Masahiro Nagata, a staff member of NTT Facilities Inc.'s environment business department.

The plants are particularly good for roof-tops because their wide leaves can cover the whole surface and are efficient at transpiration -- evaporating water -- which has a cooling effect.

The temperature of a roof area not covered by potato leaves was as much as 27 degrees Celsius (48.6 degrees Fahrenheit) hotter than an area covered by the leaves, according to a survey taken on top of the NTT Facilities building.

All most fifty degrees!

I Like This

Obama says

The debates unnerved both candidates. When he was preparing for them during the Democratic primaries, Obama was recorded saying, "I don't consider this to be a good format for me, which makes me more cautious. I often find myself trapped by the questions and thinking to myself, 'You know, this is a stupid question, but let me … answer it.' So when Brian Williams is asking me about what's a personal thing that you've done [that's green], and I say, you know, 'Well, I planted a bunch of trees.' And he says, 'I'm talking about personal.' What I'm thinking in my head is, 'Well, the truth is, Brian, we can't solve global warming because I f---ing changed light bulbs in my house. It's because of something collective'."

The talking heads are such idiots.

Thank The Goddess

Mini Muir

Ted Alvarez, over at the Backpacker Blog, tells the story of 13 year old Nicholas Clark's journey across the country, in his usual humorous tone.

He made his way east by following rivers, and even made his way above treeline. A boy after our own hearts, he traveled fast and light, packing just a sleeping bag, tarp, matches, two packs of cookies, trail mix, tortillas, honey, and four bottles of water. He "didn't want the weight" of toothpaste or soap.

It is good, you should read it all.

New Coating For Solar Panels

This could be big, if it reduces the amount of time it takes to "pay back" a solar panel.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A new type of reflective coating can make solar panels far more efficient, soaking up nearly all available sunlight from nearly any angle, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

Current solar panels -- which convert energy from the sun into electricity -- absorb only about two-thirds of available sunlight.

But surfaces treated with a coating developed at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, can harvest 96.2 percent of sunlight.

By pay back, I mean the amount of time it takes a solar panel to create an amount of electricity equal to the price of the panel based on your local utility's electrical rate. Essentially when buying a solar panel you are buying your electricity up front before you use it. Any electricity created after the pay back period is free!

Obama Wins

Dixville Notch.

DIXVILLE NOTCH, N.H. – Barack Obama came up a big winner in the presidential race in Dixville Notch and Hart's Location, N.H., where tradition of having the first Election Day ballots tallied lives on.

Democrat Obama defeated Republican John McCain by a count of 15 to 6 in Dixville Notch, where a loud whoop accompanied the announcement in Tuesday's first minutes. The town of Hart's Location reported 17 votes for Obama, 10 for McCain and two for write-in Ron Paul. Independent Ralph Nader was on both towns' ballots but got no votes.

New Hampshire wants to be first all the time. If all registered voters have voted they can count the vote. All in good fun.

No On 8

Stop the home invasions! This really is about certain religions trying to enforce their beliefs on the population. California voters please vote no on 8. No Hate!

New Rocky Run Shelter

rocky run shelter sign, originally uploaded by fuzzy bird.

The Potomac Appalachian Trail Club built a new shelter at the old Rocky Run shelter site. They also rebuilt the old shelter. One of 15 left from the Civilian Conservation Corps or CCC. Way to go guys and gals! I was last at the old shelter in 2001. It was pretty run down. Plus the design made for a dreary place. And if that is not enough it is close to where the Blair Witch Project was filmed. I did not feel good about sleeping there!

Originally, the club planned to take down the old log shelter and replace it with a larger one. But, noting its historic significance, Preservation Maryland provided funding for materials to restore the CCC-built shelter and PATC volunteers did the work.

Built of chestnut, several of the bottom logs had deteriorated. Workers jacked the shelter up and replaced them with round white oak logs, rechinked it, put on a new wood shake roof and installed a new wood floor.

Sheaffer said the shelter site was chosen probably because the hillside offers protection and Rocky Run spring bubbles forth nearby. Over the years, two decks, a grill pit, porch swing and a flower bed have been added, making it a homey sight for weary hikers.

The site for the new shelter, just a few hundred yards from the old one, was chosen because it's flat. Built of new half logs, it has three full sides, a wood floor and a plywood-floored loft, and sleeps 16 people. The roof extends over a large wood-deck porch, which could double as sleeping space. Large clerestory windows flood the shelter with natural light. Most AT shelters are dark inside, said Sheaffer.

New shelters typically cost $7,000 to $9,000 and take eight to 12 months of volunteer labor to build, he said. PATC is also building new shelters at Devils Racecourse in Maryland and at Rod Hollow in Virginia. "Every shelter is a little different," he said. "But basically they are three-sided structures."

Pictures: new shelter, old shelter.

I am glad they kept the old shelter.

Please Forgive Me!

Dubai

Sunset@Dubai, originally uploaded by hk_traveller.

Dubai where they can build the worlds tallest building. The largest indoor ski area in the world. Islands that look like palm trees. You can play tennis in the sky but they can not clean up their municipal waste.

For several weeks some of the emirate's fabled beaches have been covered with the stinking contents of septic tanks as Dubai suffers the consequences of its frantic and poorly controlled development.

The foul effluent, which threatens to damage Dubai's image, highlights one of the paradoxes of the emirates -- it can build the world's tallest tower and six-star hotels but has not constructed the sewage works it needs.

Dubai officially had 1.3 million inhabitants at the end of 2006 but its population is ballooning.

If you build it they will come, unless your beaches are covered in sh*t. It is just stupid not to take care of your sh*t. Heck, they are building at sea level. Let us see how smart that is in a couple of decades.

Dead or Alive

Veja Magazine/Bush, originally uploaded by print.magazine.

War and Peace

Veja Magazine/Bush, originally uploaded by print.magazine.

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Snow! Wind!

Lion King encounters snow and wind in Argentine Pass. It is getting scary!

Obama's Got

Green cred. I do not think he will be bullied by the press into being the next Hoover. He knows we must spend money to get the economy back on track.

Obama told Time Magazine this month that with the economy flagging he wanted to launch an "Apollo project" to build an alternative energy economy.

Because "there is no better potential driver that pervades all aspects of our economy than a new energy economy ... That's going to be my No. 1 priority when I get into office."

And in his "closing argument" ahead of next Tuesday's election, Obama told an Ohio rally that his energy plan would create jobs while freeing America from Middle Eastern oil.

"And I will invest $15 billion a year in renewable sources of energy to create five million new energy jobs over the next decade - jobs that pay well and can't be outsourced; jobs building solar panels and wind turbines and a new electricity grid..." he said.

The press does not complain about the 10+ billion a month we spend in Iraq. Just watch when Obama proposes some project, they will scream bloody murder about the cost. Largest deficits in history no problem, under Bush. But they will be all over Obama for any spending. The media is inherently conservative.