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Eco Ad Spouts false information
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Jun. 29th, 2008 @ 08:03 am
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Check out the back cover of the June 2008 issue of Discover magazine. It has a full page advertisement by GM about their new hydrogen fuel cell technology.
 Here is a scan of their "green" pitch:
Have you ever heard anything so ridiculous? I contacted them at http://www.gm.com/utilities/contact_us/contact.jsp?deep=form&advertising and left the following feedback:
I was shocked by the advertising copy in the GM "fuel cell car" ad on the back page of the June 2008 issue of Discover magazine.
"Zero gasoline. Zero emissions. Zero greenhouse gases. Only water vapor. That's what we call a win, win, win solution"
You will be interested to know that water vapor _is_ a greenhouse gas. In fact, water vapor accounts for about 95% of all the greenhouse gas warming of our planet.
http://www.geocraft.com/WVFossils/greenhouse_data.html
I suggest that you do more fact-checking to prevent your corporation from looking ridiculous to people who are informed about this important issue.
Crossposted to conservatism |
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Steven Called on a Mission!
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Jun. 28th, 2008 @ 02:11 pm
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Steven just got his call to serve in the Oklahoma Tulsa mission!
He enters the MTC (Missionary Training Center) on October 1st! |
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hostonce.com ISP Hell
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Jun. 26th, 2008 @ 05:46 am
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My webpage, hosted by Hostonce.com has been down since June 1st, 2008.
During this entire time, I haven't been able to view my site, nor manage it.
Their status page says:
- 2008-06-24 All servers running correctly.
- 2008-06-21 The email system is currently under maintenance
- 2008-06-14 Websites on server 64.79.50.242 are currently being migrated to our new data center after a hard drive failure. Sites will show "No website is configured" error until they are fully migrated.
- 2008-06-11 Servers 64.79.50.242 and 64.79.50.164 are currently under maintenance.
- 2008-06-02 An overnight powersurge at our datacenter has caused some intermittant issues with our network. We are currently trying to resolve these. The email system and server 64.79.50.242 remain affected.
Until June 21st, I was able to receive most of my emails (although unable to manage the email accounts). Since then I have only been able to login to my email account once yesterday evening.
I've been fairly satisfied with their service until this month, but they have been worse than awful lately. Will you suggest a good replacement ISP ? |
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Remembering My Father ... and Dr. Demento
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Jun. 13th, 2008 @ 12:37 pm
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Last week someone said something that made me remember the lyrics to an old song that my father used to recite to me long ago. Since next Sunday is Father's Day, I looked up the lyrics:
Life Gets Tee-Jus, Don't It?
Carson Robison
The sun comes up and the sun goes down,
The hands on the clock keep going round,
I just get up and it's time to lay down,
Life gets tedious, don't it?
My shoes untied but I don't care,
I ain't figuring on going nowhere,
I'd have to wash and comb my hair,
And that's just wasted effort.
Water in the well gettin' lower an' lower,
Can't take a bath for six months more,
But I've heard it said and it's true I'm sure,
That too much bathin' will weaken ya.
I open the door and the flies swarm in,
I shut the door and I'm sweatin' again,
And in the process, I cracked my shin,
Just one durn thing after another.
Ole brown mule, he must be sick,
I jabbed him in the rump with a pin on a stick,
He humped his back but he wouldn't kick,
There's something cockeyed somewhere.
A mouse chawin' on the pantry door,
He's been at it for a month or more,
When he gets through he'll sure be sore,
'Cause there ain't a durn thing in there.
Hound dog howling so forlorn,
Laziest dog that ever was born,
He's howlin' cause he's settin' on a thorn,
And just too tired to move over.
The tin roof leaks and the chimney leans,
There's a hole in the seat of my old blue jeans,
I've 'et the last of the pork and beans,
Just can't depend on nothin'.
Cows gone dry and the hens won't lay,
Fish quit bitin' last Saturday,
Troubles pilin' up day by day,
And now I'm gettin' dandruff.
Grief and misery pains and woes,
Debts 'n taxes and so it goes,
And I think I'm gettin' a cold in ma nose,
Life gets tasteless - Don't it?!
The song was written and recorded by Carson Robison, and yesterday I dug out an old recording of it from the Dr. Demento show.
(I was actually was credited by Dr. Demento for coming up with the "attitudes" theme of this show.) I digitized it, and am planning to put it on this year's mix CD.
By the way, I haven't been listening to Dr. Demento for some time now--since last summer, when he succeeded in getting subscriber stations to stop streaming the show online.
I could join the online club, but $150/year for 96kpbs streaming just seems too expensive. |
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RIP Utah Phillips
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Jun. 1st, 2008 @ 06:58 pm
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 U. Utah Phillips has passed away in his sleep at 11:30PM PDT on May 23, 2008.
Utah Phillips is a storyteller, songwriter, and radical pacifist.
He sounds like the kind of person that would be anathema to me.
But he's a good storyteller and songwriter.
If you listen to Dr. Demento, you've heard him tell the famous "moose turd pie" story.
Or the story of "Blackie and the duck".
Or about how to gaff for quick cash while living on the road.
He tells stories about the hobos, tramps, and bums that he knew so well.
I've seen him in concert a couple of times, and own several of his albums--even his rant against the (first) Iraq war, and the one he did with Ani Di Franco.
Our world is poorer without him, but at least we can still enjoy his recorded works. |
| » "A Fearful World" by Jason Blevins (Denver Post) |
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"A Fearful World" by Jason Blevins (Denver Post)
Today I read a fine piece of writing about our culture--in the Denver Post, of all places.
Jason Blevins says that our society suffers from"an institutionalized and endless epidemic of fear based largely on courage-sapped Americans' ever-decreasing levels of acceptable risk and accountability. If it's even remotely dangerous, someone — or more specifically, "they" — should fix it. Or we'll sue."
He even identifies the cause of much of this angst:"Histrionic global dread [is] fueled by ... ego-hungry politicos, aiming to surf the tidal wave of fear into an office where only they can save us."
Although this was the central theme of Michael Crichton's 2004 novel "State of Fear", I don't think that I've ever read a better description of our current "climate change" fear-mongers like Al Gore.
May. 25th, 2008 @ 02:52 pm
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| » The Politics of Blame |
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The left-wing Democrats in Washington always love to put on a show when the cameras are running.
- They blame Bush's "evil" Iraq war for low oil prices "No blood for oil!"
- They blame the "evil" energy industry for high oil prices "Obscene profits from oil!"
No matter what happens, they have someone to blame--and I don't think they really know what they want. If they are anti-war, shouldn't they welcome high prices for imported oil, and encourage domestic oil exploration?
But no--every action of the loony left has been calculated to drive up the cost of energy with the object of discouraging it's use--as a sacrifice to the Earth-deity Gaia.
They block domestic energy exploration and production, and then complain that we support unfriendly nations with our energy dollars.
They propose new "carbon" taxes on energy, and then complain about excessive profits when prices go up.
They subsidize ethanol production from corn and mandate it's use, while charging high import duties on its importation. Then they complain that domestic food and fuel prices are both going up, while poor countries are pushed to starvation because we no longer export food to them. Yet I don't hear about any congressional action to repeal these moronic policies.
Just recently they voted to block an effort to extract energy from oil shale in Colorado.
When will they learn that good intentions do not justify bad policy?
They keep pointing the finger of blame at others, but they only need to look in the mirror to find "evil". The idiots who are now in charge of Congress are the main cause of our energy problems.
Originally a comment in conservatism
May. 22nd, 2008 @ 01:08 pm
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| » Longmont Farmers Market Booth |
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 Today's weather was great--sunny with no wind at all! We set up the umbrella for the first time.
Update May 19th:
Found a local blog entry about seeing us at the market:
May. 17th, 2008 @ 09:25 am
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| » Boulder County Republicans--Longmont Office |
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 Last week the Boulder County Republicans opened a Longmont office at 619 Ken Pratt Parkway in Longmont.
We will be using it during the current election season.
We also set up a table at the Longmont Farmer's Market for the first time last Saturday. It was windy and cold!
May. 12th, 2008 @ 08:27 am
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| » More from the DirecTV Dirtbags |
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Last week I got a letter from Oxford Management Services, the second collection agency hired by the dirtbags at DirecTV.
It seems that they still want $463.88 payment for their non-service.
If you want to read the whole sordid story ...
http://russj.livejournal.com/24611.html
http://russj.livejournal.com/30947.html
May. 4th, 2008 @ 09:57 pm
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| » Joe Jackson on E-Town |
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 Yesterday evening I attended an E-Town show featureing Joe Jackson and an Irish artist named Paddy Casey. Being a big Joe Jackson fan, I bought the tickets to hear him tour in support of his new album "Rain".
I had never listened to the radio show E-town before, so I was expecting a concert. It was really more like a recording session--complete with commercials. In fact, you should be able to hear the show highlights on the radio in a few weeks.
We got chairs on the second row--close enough to see Joe's spittle fly as he sang with gusto. While we didn't get to hear a lot of songs, we did get to hear the host of the show interview both artists. (I did like the performances by Paddy Casey, too.)
Joe played:
- Steppin' Out
- Invisible Man
- Wasted Time
- You Can't Get What You Want ('Till You Know What You Want)
- The Uptown Train
- Good Bad Boy
- Is She Really Going Out With Him?
- One More Time
May. 2nd, 2008 @ 06:34 am
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| » Twin Peaks Mall--A menace to Longmont's public health, safety, morals, or welfare |
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Tuesday's vote by the Longmont City Council:
 It is official! According to a majority of council members, Twin Peaks Mall - is blighted,
- substantially impairs or arrests the sound growth of the municipality, retards the provision of housing accommodations, or constitutes an economic or social liability,
- and is a menace to the public health, safety, morals, or welfare.
George Washington once explained the spirit of America to Lafayette by saying that [here] “are friends who owe each other nothing but affection”.
The majority of the Longmont City Council feels that we are obligated to give tens of millions of your tax dollars to the new owners of Twin Peaks Mall.
The business editor of the Longmont Times Call agrees, saying that it is “not a handout, but a hand-up“-- but he failed to explain the difference.
There is a more appropriate word to describe this granting of special favors to a single business by our elected officials. It is cronyism--and it has no place in our egalitarian society.
If the mall owner’s have neglected it’s maintenance over the years, they have been converting that long-term asset into short-term income. We call that kind of management foolish and shortsighted, because it has the natural consequence of reducing the value of that asset. The city should not feel obligated to replenish the lost value.
A neglected property is an opportunity for a new investor to make something better of it. Many of us purchased our first homes as distressed properties. We would not have been able to afford to buy them had the government intervened on behalf of their neglectful owners.
It is time for us to return to the values proclaimed by Thomas Jefferson, who said: “The policy of the American government is to leave their citizens free, neither restraining nor aiding them in their pursuits.”
Crossposted to Longmont
Apr. 25th, 2008 @ 11:44 am
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| » Earth Day Party 2008 |
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I hosted an Earth Day party at my home this evening. Several friends and I met to listen to earth day songs, eat earth day snacks, and to watch the highly informative documentary:
 The Great Global Warming Swindle
This is a documentary which aired last year on British television. Those of you who know me well may have heard that I am very skeptical that the activities of mankind are the primary cause of climate change.
While I believe that we must be responsible stewards of the earth, I am highly critical of the opportunists who are whipping up hysteria about global warming and pushing for world-wide ecological central planning.
This session, the U.S. Congress is considering a bill [Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act (S. 2191)] that will impose a $1.2 Trillion carbon tax on the American people over the next ten years.
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s110-2191
http://media-newswire.com/release_1063317.html
http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/2701
You have probably already seen the Oscar-winning documentary "An Inconvenient Truth".
"The Great Global Warming Swindle" refutes some of the propaganda in that other film. (OK, I admit that both are propaganda films--but the news media knows that doom and gloom sells more newspapers and advertisements, so they mainly report that.)
http://www.greatglobalwarmingswindle.com/
ENDORSEMENTS:
"An absolutely phenomenal documentary" (Glenn Beck, CNN)
http://www.glennbeck.com/
"The Great Global Warming Swindle should be seen by everyone interested in the global environment, especially those who have seen the Al Gore movie." (CSU Professor William M. Gray, meteorologist)
http://www.atmos.colostate.edu/dept/faculty/emeritus/gray.php
You can watch much of it online at:
http://motls.blogspot.com/2007/03/great-global-warming-swindle.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzSzItt6h-s
Apr. 23rd, 2008 @ 08:26 am
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| » Fred Smith on "Eco-Theology" |
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 Last Thursday I heard Fred Smith, president and founder of the Competetive Enterprise Institute speak in Denver. He was a guest of the Independence Institute. His topic was "Eco-Theology". It was a pleasant evening, with a casual atmosphere. Here are my notes:
The automobile has given Americans a great deal of egalitarian freedom.
When the Iron Curtain fell in Eastern Europe, the first three things that people behind it wanted were: an apartment, a telephone, and a car.
The secular religion of Gaia now holds a privileged status with the U.S. government. Unfortunately, it is currently difficult to file a suit on the basis of "establishment of religion".
Impact formula: I = P * a * t
P=population, a=affluence, t=technology
Radical environmentalists want to minimize impact--a formula for death, poverty, and ignorance.
The old left is now the new green, and are attempting to implement ecological central planning.
Some companies are "subsidy suckers" who play along in order to receive special benefits.
Biodiversity corresponds to the religious story of Noah's ark.
Even the fall and expulsion from the garden is part of eco-theology--which bemoans the loss of that long-lost primeval state of innocence.
We recognize that making children wards of the state is the least favorable condition for them. Why do we feel that this is the only proper condition for endangered species?
Economic liberty empowers people.
Some corporations cooperate because "If we're not at the table, we'll be on the menu". I tell them that "feeding a crocodile your leg will not turn it into a vegetarian".
During the last 100 years government has stopped moving public land into private hands, but has promoted collective ownership.
We must support the "institutions of liberty".
Apr. 15th, 2008 @ 08:43 am
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| » No Corporate Welfare in Longmont! |
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Suppose that you purchased a 25-year old home here in town. With an inspection and appraisal in hand, you knew what you were buying. You want to repair the cracked driveway and the sprinkler system. The water heater and furnace are due for replacement in a few years.
Do you think that the city will reduce your property taxes to help you pay for these repairs? Yet that is just what our City Council is planning for Twin Peaks Mall. This week they will discuss what to do about it's blighted condition in their role as the Longmont Urban Renewal Authority.
The authority may not partner with the mall's owner in redevelopment, unless legally defined conditions of blight exist. This means that it must be a menace to the public health, safety, morals, or welfare--as well as having at least four of eleven specific factors. The study commissioned by the City Council found nine of the legally required blight factors.
Do you want the city to give special tax breaks to Panattoni Development Company that they would never give to the average taxpayer? Please contact your elected officials and tell them to say “NO CORPORATE WELFARE” in Longmont!
Mar. 30th, 2008 @ 09:53 pm
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| » RIP, Arthur C Clarke, noted author |
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Noted science-fiction author Arthur C. Clarke died yesterday.
Clarke is best known for the novelization of the movie "2001: A Space Odyssey". He also worked on radar during WWII (anecdotes told in the book "Glide Path"), and conceived the idea of the geosynchronous satellite.
He wrote some of my favorite novels, including:
- Earthlight--cool futuristic spy story during wartime
- Rendevous With Rama--imaginative encounter with alien artifact (3 sequels)
- Songs of Distant Earth--stopover at a colony far from the homeworld (Mike Oldfield recorded a great album based on this book.)
Recently I've been reading the "Time Odyssey" trilogy, co-authored with Stephen Baxter. I haven't yet finished the third novel.
Although his later novels with Baxter (such as the "Rama" sequels) tended to be somewhat negative and preachy, his ability to tell a story will be missed.
Mar. 19th, 2008 @ 12:05 pm
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| » "New" Speakers |
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About a year ago I purchased a pair of speaker cabinets at the Habitat for Humanity "re-store" in town. They were missing their 15-inch woofers, and although both crossovers were intact, the original "brightness" controls were missing some components, and had been bypassed. And of course, the front grills were long-gone.
These are vintage H.H. Scott model S-12 speakers, built in the 1960s or early 1970s.
I thought that I had some speakers at home that would fit--but they were 12-inch size!
Last week I finally purchased some replacement 15-inch woofers that didn't cost me an arm and a leg. They arrived Monday, I tried them out, and they sound great! I'm listening to the John Fogerty Soundstage appearance on them now.
Here's how they look with the new speakers installed:
Mar. 19th, 2008 @ 08:20 am
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| » Must-See TV! |
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I must say that I hardly ever watch TV, other than music shows and movies. I've never watched any reality show all the way through a single episode. But I am now a fan of a BBC-AMERICA show called Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares.
Gordon Ramsey is a British soccer player, chef, restauraunt owner, author, and now TV star. But his show seems more real than any reality show that I've ever seen. He spends a week at a failing restaurant, and tries to turn it around. He cleans up, and with lots of BLEEP-ed out expletives, gives his assessment of what is wrong with the place.
What comes across is his earnest passion for good food and service. This man is using his passion to make the world a better place!
Mar. 10th, 2008 @ 09:46 pm
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| » New TMBG album! |
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 Last Friday I received my new copy of "Here come the 123s" by They Might Be Giants.
I was so busy that I've only had time to listen to about half of it so far. Already a couple of tunes are sounding good to me.
This is their 2nd "children's" record, and it sounds like they have done a better job on it than their 1st one, "Here come the ABCs".
Last week I've been listening to the new Joe Jackson album, and I really like it--better than his previous "Volume 4". I already have tickets to his upcoming e-town show in Boulder.
I also received the DVD of the "Hogfather" movie--based on the book by Terry Pratchett. Yesterday I had time to watch the first half.
What kept me busy last Saturday? The Boulder County Republican Party Assembly/Convention. I was the chairman of the rules committee, and helped out wherever I could. There was a huge crowd--I should have taken a picture. Unlike two years ago, we came up with candidates for all but three races: Boulder County District Attorney, Boulder County Assessor, and Colorado Senate District-18. Soon I'll have an update with the candidates.
http://www.timescall.com/News_Story.asp?id=7092
http://www.timescall.com/News_Story.asp?id=7093
Mar. 10th, 2008 @ 02:51 pm
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| » Left-Wing Drift |
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 Established in 1888, the US National Geographic Society is the largest nonprofit scientific and educational institution in the world. It's mission has always been "for the increase and diffusion of geographical knowledge”
Why am I writing about this respected and time-honored organization? I once read that all organizations tend to become more collectivist and left-leaning over time--unless specific measures are put in place to prevent it.
I can't find the original article now, but I believe that it is true. Once an organization reaches a certain state of maturity, it acquires a sort of inertia. What were once bold and innovative groups now becomes tradition-bound institutions.
As each new generation of managers replaces the original founders, the group's original vision may be lost as it changes to adopt new trends. I'm sure that you can think of many examples of this trend in today's foundations, trusts, and non-profits.
The point was made forcefully to me when I opened the January 2008 issue of National Geographic magazine and saw something new at the top of page 6 ...
It now has a new slogan: "Inspiring people to care about the planet"
That slogan was not present in the December 2007 issue. Now I have nothing against inspiring people to care about the planet. But I'm wondering when their mission changed, and why?
I have noticed that the National Geographic has been promoting many left-wing causes in recent years--even jumping on the global warming alarmist bandwagon. Originally their aim was to educate people. Now it is advocating for political and religious causes.
The case can now be made that it preaches the Gaia hypothesis as a new science-based religion.
Interestingly, the "President's Note" in this month's print edition (March, 2008) contains the following statement:
"National Geographic is not an advocacy organization. We report on science and believe in facts and common sense."
This denial rings as hollow as those of other politicians who said things like: "I am not a crook" (Richard Nixon) and "I did not have sex with that woman" (Bill Clinton). The fact is that if people were not saying it, John M. Fahey, Jr would not have denied it.
I suggest that Fahey should change the name the organization to "Popular Geographic" . That would be a more honest name, given it's focus on current trends that lack a firm scientific basis.
Unfortunately the leftward drift seems to be everywhere. Another example is the unprincipled and unscientific attack on Bjorn Lomborg in the January 2002 edition of a mainstream publication that calls itself "Scientific American".
Crossposted to Conservatism.
Mar. 4th, 2008 @ 08:22 pm
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