Plant More Trees:

It will make you feel good. Jim Robbins explains why in a New York Times' article that appeared eleven days ago. One point that Robbins leaves out is that trees inhibit the growth of grass. Americans currently contribute approximately 3 percent of global warming carbon emissions because of the lawn mowing they do.

Must Read:

The world is about to reach the 7 billion mark in population (or maybe it already has; it's impossible to know for sure), and the ramifications of the massive population growth witnessed over the past two hundred years can no longer reasonably be ignored.

Mathematical biologist, Joel E. Cohen, head of the Laboratory of Populations at Rockefeller University and Columbia University, presents the problems we'll face before this century is out in today's New York Times. This is a must read for anyone who believes we should actually have our eyes open.

For an additional story, see Juliet Eilperin's "Population growth taxing planet's resources" in today's Washington Post.

Time Bomb:

While the media is filled with awe over the death of Bin Laden, the real story of this century is buried deeper in the news: the world's population is exploding. Projections have increased to ten billion within the next ninety years.

The usual question raised by a discussion of population growth is will we be able to feed everyone. Currently the answer is yes. But is just feeding everyone enough?

Nearly every issue we face today throughout the world is affected in one way or another by population pressure. Can the planet withstand such growth? God may be happy with this mob of miserable souls murdering one another and passing on infectious diseases while driving up global temperatures, but one suspects Mother Nature is not.

Obama Scolds Guilty Companies!

Check out the picture in The New York Times: The prez is pointing that index finger. Thank God! I, for one, am sick of politicians using their thumbs to make a point, like slacker hitchhikers.

Naturally, the three companies involved in the Gulf catastrophe are all trying to shift blame from themselves. It's expensive cleaning up a mess like this, and your reputation suffers significantly. They were telling us that they should be allowed to drill anywhere because such things could never happen again. Right!

Great News for Job Seekers in Arizona!!!

Arizona Gov. Brewer is expected to announce a multitude of new job openings in Arizona within the state police in order to begin the massive challenging of all non-white, slightly foreign looking residents as well as "passers through" within her state.

Her new anti-immigrant law requires all police force members within the state to stop and check the papers of anyone who doesn't look as white and bottled-blonde as she does for proof of legal residency. Enforcement is expected to require a significant man-power issue. Gov. Brewer plans to make a request for funds from Washington.

Because the law is vague about just who the police should stop, Gov. Brewer has decided to pass out photos of herself to all law enforcement officers so that they can measure how closely anyone they encounter resembles her.


The Story of Water: Chapter Five

• U.S. Vacationers rank going to the beach or a lake as their favorite outdoor activity.
• More Americans fish than play golf or tennis.
• The U.S. recreational boating industry generated $33.6 billion in 2008.
• In Florida, 3,000 gallons are used to water the grass for each golf game played.
• U.S. swimming pools lose 150 billion gallons to evaporation every year.

(See the April National Geographic.)

The Immigrants:

In economics there is only one known truism: Without population growth, there is no economic growth.

Over the past thirty years, without immigrants coming to the United States, population growth would have been nil, non-existent.

America is a country of immigrants. No surprise there, although a good many people in America seem to think otherwise. There are many misconceptions about the phenomenon, and today's New York Times addresses some of them in a story on recent research into who is coming to America, our perceptions of them, and the effects the immigrants have. The results are informative and may be surprising.

For instance, most of us have little objection to wealthy, well educated professional immigrants, while we are often upset by poor and unskilled immigrants. However, without a steady influx of both categories, the economy suffers.


Will Charlie Crist Go Rogue?

Florida governor, Charlie Crist, has bucked his own Republican party to announce a veto of a bill to directly link teacher pay and employment to how well students perform on standardized tests. The speculation now is that he might well declare himself an independent.

Florida is a state dominated by people who hate paying taxes so much that they are perfectly willing to have the children in the state remain illiterate as an alternative to paying a tax increase. Many of these folks are retired and have moved to Florida from other states, living their own children and grandchildren behind. They simply don't want to pay for other people's children to learn.

But there are serious problems with education in all fifty American states. To see just how stupid we really are on this subject, examine the following from The New York Times:

This time, the point of contention was eliminating tenure for Florida public school teachers and tying their pay and job security to how well their students were learning.

I'm sorry, folks, but there is no objective measure for "how well … students" learn. It can't be done. You can only judge product, and students are not products. You can only judge their behavior, and for the most part that's going to be set by the time they are five years old.

Certainly, there are important issues with education, including the fact that many teachers are woefully undereducated themselves, having spent most of their time in higher education's empty "education" courses and very low level "psychology" courses.

If we truly want to improve education in this country, we must develop a culture that actually values it, emphasizing the responsibility of the student for learning. That begins at home. And continues at school, in the work place, in our social lives, and then returns to the home.


The Story of Water: Chapter Three

• One out of eight people lacks access to clean water.
• 3.3 million die from water-related health problems each year.
• Washing hands with soap can reduce diarrheal disease by 45 percent.
• An eradication campaign that includes a simple water filter has cut the number of Guinea worm cases by 99.9 percent since 1986.

(See the April 2010 National Geographic.)

'Tis a Puzzlement:

Michelle Boorstein can't get her head around the fact that the Vatican seems totally lost when it comes to the misdeeds of its priests. Her Washington Post article, "Lack of Vatican communications strategy on scandal baffles pope's U. S. defenders," reflects some of the issues on The See's seemingly witless response to the pedophilia that is starting to feel endemic within the church. It isn't until the end of the article that Boorstein finally begins to address some of the real issues. The church relishes suffering. It's a central part of the philosophy, the tradition. It's all about Adam and that woman.


The Story of Water: Chapter Two

• Americans use about 100 gallons of water at home each day.
• Millions of the world's poorest subsist on fewer than five gallons.
• 46% of people on earth do not have water piped to their homes.
• Women in developing countries walk an average of 3.7 miles to get water.
• In 15 years, 1.8 billion people will live in regions of severe water scarcity.

(See this month's National Geographic special edition on water.)

29 Miners Dead in W. Va.:

The bodies of the four missing miners were discovered yesterday. Conditions in the mine were so bad that rescue workers had walked right passed them the first day of searching, without seeing the bodies.

Now the questions remain, will the government develop enough muscle to enforce proper mine safety, and where is the union in all of this? We know that Massey Energy, the company that owns the mine, is unscrupulous. Why doesn't the union know this and stand up to them?

(See The Washington Post story.)


Water—Is there enough of it?

• 69.6% is frozen in ice sheets, glaciers, permanent snow cover, and permafrost.
• 30.1% is beneath the ground. This is being drained more quickly than can be recharged.
• Only 0.3% is in lakes, rivers, and wetlands. This amount includes water in plants, animals, and the atmosphere.
• Two-thirds of our water is used to grow food.
• There are 83,000,000 more people on earth each year.

(See the April 2010 National Geographic special edition.)

Some Good News:

The New York Times reports that the White House may be preparing to begin the elimination of some of the thousands of redundant nuclear weapons in the U. S. arsenal. The Obama administration has yet to announce the "how and why" scenario for a use of nuclear weapons, a policy statement that every administration has delivered since the Truman administration.


How Safe Is Your Drinking Water?

During the past four years, the E.P.A., the government's organization that is supposed to be guarding the safety of your drinking water, has lost its teeth. Supreme Court decisions have taken the bite out of clean water laws by not stipulating which water supplies the agency has authority over. The New York Times reports that "117 million Americans get their drinking water from sources fed by waters that are vulnerable to exclusion from the Clean Water Act," citing the E.P.A.

Legal and Deadly: The Water You Drink

In a lengthy article in today's New York Times, Charles Duhigg reports on the state of America's drinking water. The laws regulating our water have remained unchanged since 1974 and are far behind the development of deadly chemicals being dumped into reservoirs and waterways.

Complicating the matter, many citizens object to measures taken by officials to reduce the risk, claiming that if the water is "legal" nothing should be done. In other words, you should have the right to poison yourself—unwittingly—as long as 1) it keeps taxes down (especially for big business) and 2) it allows you to pretend that you are in control of your life.

Currently, we are in a battle to determine whether we trust big government or big and small business. (See the healthcare issue.)


What Should You Be Reading?

As the end of the year rolls around, we start to see reading lists pop up just in time for the holiday buying season. National Public Radio has provided their list, with more than one book that ought to keep you busy for a good portion of the winter, including The Paris Review Interviews, which is 1982 pages long. Who says they don't publish big books any more. And then there's American Fantastic Tales which is 1500 pages.

Don't worry, there are plenty of other books on the list in the 300-page range, including In Other Rooms, Other Wonders, which was reviewed here not long ago.


Other Worlds:

Today's New York Times reports on the discovery of a planet outside our solar system that appears to be composed entirely of water, with a surface temperature of 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Don't get your fishing equipment out yet. It's 40 light-years away, and a year there lasts 38 hours.

December's National Geographic reported on the number of new planets found in the past few years, now that technology allows us to "see" beyond our own solar system with enough precision to discover them.

Why do we see faces in clouds, but not clouds in faces:

Nicholas Kristof examines the reasoning behind human folly in today's New York Times. It turns out our brains are programmed to fear snakes, even harmless ones, but we find it almost impossible to recognize the dangers in something as profound as climate change. According to Daniel Gilbert, professor of Psychology at Harvard and quoted heavily by Kristof in the op-ed piece, the human brain is programmed for social issues, and that's why we see faces in clouds but not the other way around.

Kristof points out that we react quickly when the threat is imminent but we tend to dismiss long term threats. Which reminds me of a boss I once had. He was great in a crisis, so if one didn't exist, he made sure that one did. Eventually, he declared bankruptcy. Fortunately, I'd found another employer before that happened.

Who Needs the Autobahn?

Hitler built the big multi-lane highway system on which drivers could travel at NASCAR speeds, and then he promoted the production of automobiles for Mr. Everyman (VWs). But today's hot news from Deutschland is the car-free society. In Vauban, Germany, if you want a garage for your car next to your house, you have to pay an extra $40,000. The residents there are trying to live without cars.

Europe has always been a fairly easy place to get around without mounting thousands of pounds of metal and and pumping tons of carbon into the air. It's an old place, and Europeans had to create a society long ago that allowed people and goods to move freely without automobiles. On the other hand, here in the U. S. we have made it virtually impossible to leave our own yards without being surrounded with metal.

Interestingly, while Europeans are moving away from the massively expensive mode of personal transportation, in India and China all the rage is to escape muscle power and public transportation. Will the carbon savings in Germany simply go up in smoke in other areas of the globe? (See The New York Times' story.)

Wonders of the Free Market System:

According to the neo-liberals who advocate a total free market system that eliminates as much government as possible, removing government oversight from the water supply is the greatest of God's blessings. And there is no better place to prove this theory than in South America, especially a country like Chile. Alexei Barrionuevo reports on the success of the program in today's New York Times. Why would a village of 800 people need clean water any way?

Taxpayer Bailout Money To Pay Millions in AIG Bonuses:

One of the lynchpins in the financial collapse has been AIG, which was a leader in the faulty derivitives scam. The taxpayer had to bail them out in order to keep the economy going, we were told, so where's the bailout money going? Millions are being paid to keep AIG's "best and brightest" living in the lap of luxury. The average citizen is expected to sacrifice for the country, but not the people who led the way to the meltdown. (See The Washington Post story.)

Free Market Politics:

The right in the U. S. clamors for reduced government, proclaiming that privatizing as much as possible brings about the greatest freedom. The questions are always "freedom for whom and to do what?"

In Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, it means freedom for judges to take millions of dollars in kickbacks from private companies running penal institutions.

Two judges in that county are being accused of sending thousands of children to jail and "wilderness camps" run by private companies who received taxpayer moneys for running them. These judges had little incentive to meet out appropriate sentences to juvenile offenders or to follow constitutional law and, apparently, even less oversight during the Bush years when most of their offenses took place. (See the MSNBC story here.)

From Bad to Worse:

Global warming is advancing faster than any previous models projected, according to American scientists. (See The Washington Post story.) Most of the modeling done to project global warming rates is based on data obtained prior to the Bush years in the White House. However, new data that includes the massive increase in carbon fuels used in developing countries suggest a notable increase in the rate of the man made contribution.

Worse news lies on the horizon: the rapid increase in global warming will have an effect on the permafrost in northern climes, which now holds massive amounts of both carbon and methane. The latter has significantly more—about 25 times more—potential to damage the environment than carbon.

In addition, the increased demand for biofuels is further contributing to the destruction of tropical forests that are the most effective means for nature to pull carbon out of the atmosphere.

Guns in the Classroom:

Just what every college instructor looks forward to: an unknown number of students carrying an unknown number of guns while he or she tries to teach a class. Today's Washington Post describes a student movement in Virginia to pass a law allowing students to carry concealed weapons onto campus and into the classroom. Presumably, this would have cut down on the number of students killed and wounded during the Virgina Tech massacre, at least that's what the proponents argue. More likely it would simply lead to more shooting incidents, including the killing of innocent people by "friendly fire."

There are times when a fire is needed to put out a fire, but that's an action of last resort, best conducted by trained professionals. I'm sure campus police forces would truly love the idea that they must deal with an unknown number of hormone afflicted, drug and alcohol experimenting teens carrying concealed weapons.

Living without a Furnace:

Twenty-five years ago, Americans were building houses outside of Chicago (where temperatures currently hover around zero Fahrenheit) without anything more than emergency heating devices. They were homes that used passive heating and cooling to keep them comfortable. I remember watching a program on PBS that illustrated the designs that made this possible, and the homes were quite beautiful, large, and with healthy living spaces. It looked like the wave of the future, but then oil prices started dropping. And Americans began building MacMansions.

Now Germany has taken the lead in building homes with passive heating, while America struggles to figure its economic problems, including the housing market, out. Elisabeth Rosenthal reports in today's New York Times on the building that's occurring in Darmstadt, Germany, where innovation that spans beyond the next quarterly report seems to be valued more highly than in the if-it-itches-scratch-it-now business cycle of the U. S.

In the Meantime:

Back in the U. S., people are starting to heat their homes with coal again, especially in areas where coal is mined. The amount of coal used to heat homes is still trivial and seems to pose no environmental hazard at the moment, but one has to wonder at the choices being made. See the report in The New York Times, and compare the photos of the couple in Sugarloaf, PA, with the photos of the folks in Germany. All things being equal, in which home would you rather live?

Full Disclosure: I've never lived in either of these towns, but I have been to them, and both of my grandfathers were coal miners. They each died as a result of their mining experiences.

More Signs of the Times:

While media is cutting back on reporting of real news, closing overseas offices, failing to report on corruption until after the fact, losing circulation and viewers, it seems to never have a lack of funds and space (whether print or on screen) for all things celebrity. Witness the feeding frenzy over all things Obama. The president elect is vacationing in Hawaii with his family, and already he's being scrutinized for every move he and his family makes, as the press core shadows every move, nuanced and otherwise, as reported by Jackie Calmes in today's New York Times. Pay particular attention to the coverage of whether Obama's clothing got wet or not when he took his two daughters to a water park.

Good News for Rich Folks!

At least for the fearful ones. The Federal Deposit Insurance Coverage on your bank accounts is being raised from $100 thousand per account to $250 thousand. That means if Jesse James robs your local branch bank, you'll be covered for an additional 150 grand per account. It also covers stupid acts by stupid bank managers, a more likely scenario.

The bad news for rich folks is that 1) the interest rates you're currently receiving will remain low and 2) the program is scheduled to last only one year.

For people who have trouble with math, keep in mind that you will only receive the exact amount that you have in the account up to the maximum, so don't start anticipating that you'll receive that maximum should your bank fail. It ain't the lottery.

For my mother, each of your separate accounts are covered. The insurance isn't cumulative. And you don't have enough money for the increase to make any difference anyway.

For my critics, yes, I consider anyone with more than $100 thousand as being rich. In fact, from my perspective the cutoff is much lower than that. Much lower.

NOTE: Some IRAs and certain other retirement accounts will not return to the lower amount on January 1, 2010, but will remain at the higher level. Check with your bank to see if you're covered. Don't ask me.

What You Always Suspected:

Passing wind is more harmful to the environment than driving your car. Yup, belching and farting—even the words are too disgusting for polite society—are much worse than the exhaust that comes out of your car or the smokestack of your local power plant. And it's not the smell we're talking about here.

Methane gas—pew—is 25 times more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. And the worst culprits aren't the fellow you're trapped in the elevator with but the cattle and hogs that are being raised to feed a burgeoning human population that more and more demands to eat meat. According to The New York Times, the demand for red meat "is expected to double globally between 2000 and 2050." Cows and pigs are regular methane gas factories.

One solution is to harness all of that gas to generate electricity. But it should be remembered that it requires two to three times the plant protein in order to create red meat protein from pigs and cows, not a very efficient means of feeding large masses of people.

The Changing Face of America:

In thirty-six years, America will cease to be a "white" nation, according to the latest Census Bureau projections, reported on in today's New York Times. That's 2042. Due to the influx of immigrants and higher birth rates among so called minorities, people who identify themselves as descendants of Europeans will no longer make up the lion's share of the population. According to the Times report, this is taking place at an increasingly rapid rate. The project for this change had been for 2050; however, the latest Census Bureau data indicates it will occur some eight years earlier than previously thought.

Two factors should be kept in mind when contemplating these changes: 1) the economy is totally dependent on population growth, and 2) population size directly affects the degradation of the environment. It's the supreme catch 22.

So just how large will the U.S. population be by mid-century? Current expectations are that it will reach 439 million people. Sounds like an argument for mass transit, and apparently as many as 40 U.S. cities are doing that now.

In addition, according to The Washington Post, by 2050, one out of every five U.S. citizens will be over the age of 65. That's a lot of Social Security checks.

The Great American Sea Change:

First there was the axis of evil. Carry a big stick and make lots of threats. Then North Korea exploded some bombs and fired some rockets. Things changed.

Now people are starting to talk in the Middle East. Israel is holding indirect talks with Syria. It's made deals with Hamas and Hezbollah.

And low and behold, the Bush administration has envoys participating in a discussion with—Iran. Naturally there are "no negotiations" being conducted, or at least that's what the Bushies claim, but still. (See The New York Times story.)

The Dude's take on diplomacy: "See, the irony is that what they need to do is get Syria to get Hezbollah to stop doing this shit, and it's over." — George W. Bush in a private comment to British Prime Minister Tony Blair in St. Petersburg, Russia, July 17, 2006.

EPA Finally Forced To Admit Truth on Global Warming:

Yesterday the Environmental Protection Agency admitted that global warming poses very real threats to humans, not just polar bears. Deadly heat waves, hurricanes and pathogens are the direct result of global warming, as is a shortage of fresh water.

However, as The Washington Post points out "Last week, the agency decided not to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, at least not until after President Bush's term ends."

Your Military Heroes:

No one likes to criticize the the folks in uniform. It seems, somehow, unlucky. Well, I did my duty, served my time, and according to the writing on the jacket that was sold at the PX, I'm guaranteed an afterlife in heaven. (GIs will know what I mean.)

Every grunt knows that, as far as the top brass is concerned, the military exists so that the brass can have a career. And it should be plush and highly rewarding. Check out The Washington Post story on one way the generals are pursuing their goals as they fly about in perfect comfort while troops on the ground have to worry about being electrocuted while taking a shower.

Afternoon Update:

Stocks finished mixed, which they often do on Friday, ending the first week in two months when the market performed on anything like a positive note, fueled by continuing drop in oil prices.

Oil ended the day selling at $128.88 a barrel, but you probably hardly noticed at the pump. Retail sellers of gasoline will hope that you haven't yet noticed that their costs are down and won't pass the savings along until competition starts to push the price down. (See The New York Times story.)

An indication of things to come: Sales of private business jets have slumped in the U.S. traditionally the largest market for this niche item; however sales have increased in Russia, South Asia and the Mideast. (See The New York Times story.)

China Wins!

China increased its lead in carbon emissions in 2007, beating the U. S. by a sizable 14 percent. However, Americans should not feel too depressed, they are still easily leading the world in carbon emissions per person, being responsible for 19.4 tons of carbon dioxide per person. That's almost double the per person emissions by America's closest competitor in the individual category. Neither China nor the U. S. signed the Kyoto Protocol. (See The New York Times' story.)

Bush on human sexuality: "I want to thank my friend, Senator Bill Frist, for joining us today. … He married a Texas girl, I want you to know. Karyn is with us. A West Texas girl, just like me." — George W. Bush, Nashville, Tennessee, 2004.

Gays Save Airlines and California's Economy:

Beginning around sunrise Monday morning, it will be legal for people of the same sex to marry in California—regardless of residency. California's wedding industry is expected to bring in $684 million, and the state budget should receive $64 million. No one as yet knows how much the airline industry will reap from the windfall. (See The New York Times' story.)

Welcome the Chickens:

California is in a state of drought. Water, always an issue in the U. S.'s most overpopulated state, is in short supply in the Golden State. Gov. Schwarzenegger has declared an official drought. The next step is rationing. (See The New York Times story.)

Schwarzenegger has been unusual as a Republican, being one of the few during the Bush administration to buck the president's vision of the world as being in a perfect state of harmony. The governor has been calling for tougher standards on global warming for several years, while Bush has been living in a cocoon.

California, with a population of nearly 40 million, has had water problems for decades. It simply does not have enough to support the population and its industries, which includes farming. In addition, the Colorado River basin, which supplies some of California's water, has been in a protracted state of drought, which is likely to continue into the foreseeable future.